If you missed it the first time, the EPA has extended its My Environment Video Projectt until December 1, 2010. Create a video clip up to 10 seconds long of someone doing something for the environment, then reading and passing along a sign to the left, that says “It’s My Environment.” Read more here and join in! See the compilation so far:
Month: July 2010
Seed Lending Library
How cool – the Richmond (CA) created a Seed Lending Library! It’s a free urban seed project located in the public library, opened in May of this year,where anyone can borrow seeds but after they harvest, they are to return seeds. Seeds are organized by plant families, labeled well with information on the common and scientific names, the variety, former growers name, location of garden, year they seeds were harvested and other helpful tidbits. One issue is teaching people how to save seeds properly and thus they offer several videos on the process. Here is information on how to use the library and also how to CREATE YOUR OWN seed lending library! They are asking for donations as well to support this project to continue. Read more about this project and get inspired … hopefully we’ll see more libraries offering this type of service and more entrepreneurial ideas like this one.
Cool Recycling Center Idea
Ohio University Libraries has this cool new recycle bin option in their library for users to recycle batteries, cell phones, printer ink cartridges and CFL bulbs. Have an old file cabinet lying around? Perhaps you can create one too?
Green Public Library Publication & IFLA SIG
A new publication is now available called Going Green in North American Public Libraries: A Critical Snapshot of Policy and Practice and it will be presented 10 August 2010 – 15 August 2010 (in Gothenburg, Sweden) at the Environmental Sustainability and Libraries SIG Open Session. Learn more about this SIG of IFLA.
Thanks for the news item, Monika Antonelli!
Eco-Librarian Classes!
The U of Wisconsin Madison, School of Library and Information Studies offered an online course in spring 2008 called:
Eco-Librarians: Changing Our Communities One Step at a Time (details)
not only is the topic green themed but offering it online is green and accessible for many more people. I wonder if it will be offered again? any other library schools offer eco-librarian courses?
Thanks to Ralph Tomlinson for mentioning this to me.
Visual Energy Map of US
Visualize the US Energy Grid by NPR is a cool site! Did you know our U.S. electric grid is a complex network of independently owned and operated power plants and transmission lines. Click on various maps: the existing grids, sources of power, power plants, solar energy, wind power. So where you live, where is your energy coming from and what is the potential for alternatives?
Got Questions? AASHE discussion forums might help
AASHE Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education offers a place to post questions and get feedback from others relating to higher education and sustainability. Their Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums offer a place to post questions and respond to existing queries in your area(s) of expertise. Review their terms of use and FAQs and Instructions and you must register to post – but it’s free and easy. There are forum threads on planning & admin(HR, engagement…), operations (dining, energy, grounds..), and Education(curriculum, research …). Some current forum topics: Energy Display Dashboards, Campus Trees – Sequestration in Inventory?, and Purchasing Power of College Campuses. Financial support for the forums is from the ACUPCC ( by the way, did you university president sign this climate commitment yet?)
Recharge Batteries on your PC
From NYT personal tech section article: Batteries that can Recharge on your PC. These batteries look like an ordinary AA battery, but peeling back the little green cap that crowns the top reveals a USB port – recharge w/o additional wires or connectors. They cost about $17 for 2 of them but can be recharged 100s of times so well worth the cost.
Rebound Designs: reusing books
At ALA in June, I wandered past a cool exhibitor & very friendly entrepreneur of Rebound Designs – Caitlin Phillips. Caitlin takes old books and creates beautiful and useful art from them! Her main creations are these way cool book purses but she also creates wallets, and Naughty Bits Pins, and more. You can read or listen to the NPR interview about how she got this idea and how she creates these artful reused book purses. Purchase one of Caitlin’s pieces from etsy – or if you are in the DC area, she is at Eastern Market in DC most weekends. Also follow her on twitter @bookgrrl to hear what her latest creation may be.
Great Resource: Top 50 Sustainability Books
Highly recommend purchasing this book for your library and reviewing it for possible books to also have in your collection. The Top 50 Sustainability Books written by Wayne Visser on behalf of the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership and published by Greenleaf publishing (on FSC paper) is a wonderful collection of reviews of sustainable themed books. It’s easy to skim through or read from cover to cover. Each “chapter” highlights one book, with images and details for the book, followed by quick bulleted list of key ideas from the book, a one page synopsis, a box of quick snip-its from the book itself, and an about the author section, sometimes with an actual interview transcript.
Wayne Visser is Founder and CEO of the thinktank CSR International, as well as Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. He is the author/editor of eight books, including six on sustainable and responsible business. Watch a video of excerpts of some author interviews on vimeo.
Going Green @your library 
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