{"id":112,"date":"2016-04-21T03:04:58","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T03:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/olos.ala.org\/sustainrt\/?p=112"},"modified":"2017-10-02T17:22:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T17:22:31","slug":"green-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olos.ala.org\/sustainrt\/2016\/04\/21\/green-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not easy being green. For many of our patrons, environmental action is basically out of the question; solar panels are expensive, electric and hybrid vehicles are costly both up front and in the long term, and even reusable grocery bags cost a couple of bucks. For a patron whose dollar won\u2019t stretch to cover Internet access or books for school, environmental consciousness is, understandably, on the back burner.<\/span><\/p>\n

But isn\u2019t environmental consciousness in line with the true mission of public libraries? We\u2019ve always picked up the slack between what is demanded and what is needed. When our patrons need books, we provide them. When they need Internet access, we do that too. Now, our patrons need to save the Earth. As ever, we need to be present with strategies that will help them do so in a way that does not disrupt their lives, but, in fact, makes them better. That means that we\u2019ve got to become active and purposeful in our pursuit of green librarianship.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next question is that of <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> we will manage this feat. As public libraries, we ourselves are often short on funds. Making big changes is often a matter of winning a grant, but absent that, what could we do?<\/span><\/p>\n

It turns out that there are lots of options for zero investment environmentalism. Though these steps may seem small, remember that there are <\/span>almost 119,500 libraries in the U.S<\/span><\/a>. If each of those libraries saved just a single kilowatt hour of energy every year, we would collectively save the equivalent of about 62 tons of coal or about 1,208 cubic feet of natural gas! (based on <\/span>EIA estimates<\/span><\/a>.) That\u2019s a real difference!<\/span><\/p>\n

So if solar panels aren\u2019t in the stars and geothermal isn\u2019t in your future, don\u2019t despair. Being green can be easy if we work together and take a few easy steps.<\/span><\/p>\n