Month: November 2011

November 30, 2011

Green Info Commons @UNB

The University of New Brunswick in Saint Johns (Canada) created a new commons that is environmentally friendly, LEED  silver certified. The Hans W. Klohn Commons opened in Fall 2011 and includes the library, the student tech center, the writing center, the math/science help center and a commons cafe – a true campus information commons! The space includes lots of natural and LED lighting, reuse of rainwater, geothermal technologies, and elevators that actually produces power when used back into the building.  Find out more about the space through these videos:

November 22, 2011

Greening Your Thanksgiving

As thanksgiving rounds the corner, have you thought about greening your thanksgiving celebrations? there are many tips out there and here are a few:

  • Traveling….
    • ask yourself, do you have to travel? staying home/going local is best.  cut back on emissions by carpooling or take  the train. always turn down your thermostat and off the lights when you leave town.
  • Food …
  • Decorating ….
    • reuse materials & get creative!  use natural materials like acorns or pine-cones, painted gourds, or dried leaf placecards. use beeswax or soy candles. try a thrift store if you need to pick up extras.

More ideas:

November 18, 2011

7 Billion and counting

Did you know that at the end of  last month our planet reached 7 billion humans? Many of us feel that overpopulation and overconsumption are the root causes of environmental destruction. The Center for Biological Diversity (top rated by Charitywatch.org) launched a new national campaign through their web site 7BillionAndCounting.org, a great link for any library to add to  its’ online resources.

Their interactive map, allows users to input a city and state to see a list of threatened and endangered species for that area.

Be sure to check out their page of resources and their one page fact sheet on the topic.

November 9, 2011

Libraries for Sustainability – Networking Event at AASHE 2011

Librarians who attend the AASHE Conference in early October gathered together for a networking event called  “Libraries for Sustainability”. Though the participants mostly included sustainability officers there were also a handful of librarians. Their discussion resulted in 10  ideas for connecting campus libraries as partners in the sustainability movement. Madeleine K. Charney, University of Massachusetts Amherst  and Bonnie J. Smith, University of Florida  wrote up a summary of the discussion which is a must read for any academic librarian to review!  Read the full report here.

Thanks to those who participated and wish I had been there in person too!