Greening Your Library: WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Greening Your Library: WHAT YOU CAN DO Kevin Greene Illinois EPA 2007 Reaching Forward South Conference Springfield, Illinois September 21, 2007

2. Presentation Objectives • Talk about the importance of being a good environmental steward • Identify what you can do at your facility to green its operations • Give you examples of environmental improvement projects • Provide a list of additional resources

3. Some of the concepts I’ll be discussing today…. • Using energy more efficiently • Generating less waste • Conserving water • Purchasing green products • Incorporating green features into the design of new buildings

4. Why focus on library buildings? • Libraries • Serve to educate and inspire • Provide space for community functions • Built to last • Can serve to “lead by example” for the private sector

5. Why should we care about the environment? • Total U.S. energy consumption in 2000 was 98 quadrillion BTUs or the energy equivalent of more than 780 billon gallons of gasoline. • With approximately 5% of the world's population, the U.S. uses about one-fourth of the energy resources consumed yearly • On a daily basis, Americans, directly and indirectly, use more than 380 billion gallons of water, or approximately 1,668 gallons per person. Source: Energy Information Administration and U.S. EPA

6. Why care? • The average American consumes 120 pounds of raw materials every day, extracted from farms, forests, rangelands and mines • Over 75 percent of these resources become waste (municipal and industrial) within a few months of being extracted • The U.S. leads the world in municipal waste generation. In 2000, the per capita generation of waste was 4.5 pounds per person per day. Total solid waste generation was 232 million tons Sources: Office of Technology Assessment and U.S. EPA

7. Recognizing that our natural resources are precious and limited Having a responsibility to leave a healthy planet to future generations Thinking more globally about the decisions we make on a daily basis Paul Hawkins – The Ecology of Commerce “Sustainability is an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations… Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm the life of the environment, make amends if you do.” Living in a more sustainable manner

8. Benefits of being a good environmental steward • Conserve resources and reduce environmental impacts • Improve public safety and health • Save money through efficient use of energy, materials and water • Lower waste handling and disposal costs • Enhance community relations

9. Resource use in libraries • Libraries and other public facilities require significant amount of energy, water and other resources: • Use energy for lighting, heating/cooling and powering equipment • Use water • Consume natural resources through operations and purchasing goods and services • Use energy resources by employees/users traveling to and from facilities

10. Potential waste sources • Paper (“recycling is good, but source reduction is better”) • Packaging materials • Building maintenance (cleaning supplies, paint, pest control) • Meetings & workshops • Old equipment • Food waste

11. Steps to greening your facility • Create a green team • Adopt a policy statement • Get the word out • Analyze your waste streams • Set inspirational goals • Identify environmental improvement opportunities • Implement projects • Track your progress and celebrate successes

12. Form a green team • Administrative staff • Maintenance/ housekeeping • Board members • Interested employees • Library users • Municipal Recycling Coordinator • Others

13. Get the word out • Publicize your program • Kick-off event • “Reduce Waste at Work” banner or goal sign • Keep employees and library users informed: • Bulletin board notices • Newsletter or intranet articles • Updates at staff meetings • Displays/posters

14. Green Policy Statement • The Library is committed to promoting an awareness of environmental and sustainability issues amongst staff and students.  We have a dedicated Green Group and all Library staff are encouraged to be environmentally aware through initiatives such as recycling, energy efficiency, and the purchase of environmentally friendly products.  We welcome any suggestions that would help us to make the Library and the College a greener place. • Birkbeck Library, University of London

15. Identify causes of waste and inefficiencies • Collect existing information • Disposal costs • Water and electricity bills • Significant purchases • Conduct facility walkthrough • Lights on in deserted rooms • Trash in recycling bins • Leaking water taps • Talk with staff • Review key service and operational areas

16. Establish environmental goals • Decrease water consumption by 5% by the year 2010 • Retrofit plumbing fixtures with water saving devices • Use drought tolerant plants for landscaping

17. Identify improvement opportunities • Solicit suggestions from staff and users • Conduct research on Internet • Walk-through tours by green team • Review achievements of other institutions or departments

18. Environmental Improvement Projects • Bend Community School District (OR) • Placed signs above light switches and next to computers to remind staff to turn off equipment when not in use • Set thermostats back at night. Turned down water temperature from to 120 degrees F • Installed 1/5 gallon-per-minute aerators on faucets at hand-washing sinks. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $210/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 3,000 kWh/year and 13,000 gallons/year of water

19. Environmental Projects • Corvallis-Benton County Public Library (OR) • Transports books between locations in durable plastic totes rather than paper boxes • Uses remanufactured toner cartridges. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $325/year • Buys stationary containing recycled content material • Recycles office paper, cardboard boxes, newspaper, yard debris, and bottles and cans • Discontinued use of brightly colored papers (“astrobrights”), which are difficult to recycle. FINANICAL SAVINGS: $200/year

20. Environmental Projects • Corvallis-Benton County Public Library (Cont’d) • Restroom sinks have self-regulating faucets that provide water for about 3 seconds before shutting off. Water is also set a constant temperature. Patrons don’t waste water adjusting the temperature • Reduced run time on automatic sprinkler irrigation system from 20 minutes to 6-10 minutes per station. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $530/year. RESOURCE SAVINGS: 440,000 gallons of water/year • Replaced incandescent bulbs in exit signs with LED lamps. FINANCIAL SAVINGS: $628/year (electricity and bulb savings). RESOURCE SAVINGS: 8,000 kWh/year

21. Sample Screening Criteria • Does the project have a good track record? • Can it be implemented within a reasonable amount of time? • What is the payback period? • What are the training requirements? • What kind of savings would be achieved? • What would the effect be on service quality? • How would it affect staff morale and community relations?

22. Make double side copies when possible Reuse envelopes and file folders Reformat articles and announcements to use space more efficiently Make scratch pads from used paper Use voice or electronic mail, shared computer drives, or post memos on a central bulletin board “Duplex” your laser printer so that it automatically prints documents on both sides Use central files for hard copies Proof documents on screen when possible and use print preview and spell check before printing Double-side forms or redesign to fit on a half sheet Get off unwanted mailing lists Use fax “stickies” instead of a full page cover sheet Route magazines and other subscriptions Eliminate unnecessary elements such as envelopes by designing your mailing so the address can be printed right on the document you are sending Order merchandise with minimal packaging or layers of packaging Centralize purchasing to eliminate unnecessary purchases Tips for Reducing Paper Consumption

23. Celebrate your successes • Recognize employees for their leadership • Seek media attention for innovative projects • Apply for awards

24. Buying environmentally preferable or “green” products • Purchase products based on long term environmental and operating costs • Environmental preferable products: • Require less energy or water to operate • Are more easily recycled • Made of recycled materials • Have relatively fewer toxic chemicals • Generate less waste

25. Incorporating green features into building design • In the United States alone, buildings account for: • 39% of total energy use • 12% of total water consumption • 68% of total electricity consumption • 38% of total carbon dioxide emissions Source: U.S. EPA

26. Green Building Design • Design goals: • Use renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind • Conserve non-renewable energy and scarce resources • Reduce human exposure to hazardous materials • Support access to alternative transportation like mass transit and bicycles

27. Case Study -- West Valley Branch Library (San Jose, CA) • Building is located with ¼ mile of 2 or more bus lines • Landscaping is drought tolerant and features high-efficiency irrigation controls • The site’s mature, redwood trees were preserved • Building constructed to use 30% less energy • Photo-cells turn off lights when daylighting is adequate • One-half of the wood used for the project came from sustainably-managed forests • More than 25% of the construction materials contain recycled content • Low-emitting paints and adhesives were used • 90% of the construction and demolition waste was recycled

28. Resources • American Library Association, Task Force on the Environment • http://www.ala.org/ala/srrt/tfoe/taskforceenvironment.htm • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Commercial Waste Reduction Clearinghouse, Success Stories, Schools/Libraries • www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/cwrc/success/schools.htm • Green Libraries • www.greenlibraries.org

29. Resources • Pamela Bosben, et.al., Rosemay Garfoot Public Library, It’s Not the Emerald City But It Sure Is Close: the Journey Toward a “Green” Library • www.bsagb.com/downloads/Green_Library.pdf • Libris Design, Sustainable Library Design • www.librisdesign.org/docs/SustainableLibDesign.pdf • Prairie Librarian, Green Libraries • http://prairielibrarian.wordpress.com/green-libraries/

30. One final thought • “Then I say the earth belongs to each…. generation during its course, fully and in its own right. The second generation receives it clear of the debts and encumbrances, the third of the second, and so on. For if the first could charge it with a debt, then the earth would belong to the dead and not to the living generation. Then, no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its own existence.”—Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789

31. Questions or Comments?