Transcript Greening Your Library Operations

Greening Your Library:
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Kevin Greene
Illinois EPA
2007 Reaching Forward South Conference
Springfield, Illinois
September 21, 2007
Presentation Objectives
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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
Some of the concepts I’ll be discussing
today….
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Using energy more
efficiently
Generating less waste
Conserving water
Purchasing green
products
Incorporating green
features into the design
of new buildings
Why focus on library buildings?
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Libraries
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Serve to educate and
inspire
Provide space for
community functions
Built to last
Can serve to “lead by
example” for the
private sector
Why should we care about the
environment?
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Total U.S. energy consumption in
2000 was 98 quadrillion BTUs or
the energy equivalent of more
than 780 billon gallons of gasoline.
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With approximately 5% of the
world's population, the U.S. uses
about one-fourth of the energy
resources consumed yearly
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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
Why care?
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The average American consumes
120 pounds of raw materials every
day, extracted from farms, forests,
rangelands and mines
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Over 75 percent of these
resources become waste
(municipal and industrial) within a
few months of being extracted
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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
Living in a more sustainable manner
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Recognizing that our natural
resources are precious and
limited
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Having a responsibility to
leave a healthy planet to
future generations
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Thinking more globally
about the decisions we
make on a daily basis
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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.”
Benefits of being a good environmental
steward
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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
Resource use in libraries
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Libraries and other public facilities require
significant amount of energy, water and other
resources:
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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
Potential waste sources
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Paper (“recycling is good,
but source reduction is
better”)
Packaging materials
Building maintenance
(cleaning supplies, paint,
pest control)
Meetings & workshops
Old equipment
Food waste
Steps to greening your facility
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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
Form a green team
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Administrative staff
Maintenance/
housekeeping
Board members
Interested employees
Library users
Municipal Recycling
Coordinator
Others
Get the word out
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Publicize your program
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Kick-off event
“Reduce Waste at Work”
banner or goal sign
Keep employees and library
users informed:
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Bulletin board notices
Newsletter or intranet
articles
Updates at staff meetings
Displays/posters
Green Policy Statement
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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.
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Birkbeck Library, University of London
Identify causes of waste and inefficiencies
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Collect existing information
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Conduct facility walkthrough
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Disposal costs
Water and electricity bills
Significant purchases
Lights on in deserted rooms
Trash in recycling bins
Leaking water taps
Talk with staff
Review key service and
operational areas
Establish environmental goals
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Decrease water
consumption by 5%
by the year 2010
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Retrofit plumbing
fixtures with water
saving devices
Use drought tolerant
plants for landscaping
Identify improvement opportunities
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Solicit suggestions from
staff and users
Conduct research on
Internet
Walk-through tours by
green team
Review achievements
of other institutions or
departments
Environmental Improvement Projects
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Bend Community School District (OR)
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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
Environmental Projects
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Corvallis-Benton County Public Library (OR)
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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
Environmental Projects
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Corvallis-Benton County Public Library (Cont’d)
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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
Sample Screening Criteria
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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?
Tips for Reducing Paper Consumption
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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
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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
Celebrate your successes
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Recognize employees
for their leadership
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Seek media attention
for innovative projects
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Apply for awards
Buying environmentally preferable or
“green” products
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Purchase products based on long term
environmental and operating costs
Environmental preferable products:
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Require less energy or water to operate
Are more easily recycled
Made of recycled materials
Have relatively fewer toxic chemicals
Generate less waste
Incorporating green features into building
design
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In the United States
alone, buildings
account for:
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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
Green Building Design
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Design goals:
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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
Case Study -- West Valley Branch Library
(San Jose, CA)
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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 sustainablymanaged 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
Resources
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American Library Association, Task Force on the
Environment
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Oregon Department of Environmental Quality,
Commercial Waste Reduction Clearinghouse,
Success Stories, Schools/Libraries
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http://www.ala.org/ala/srrt/tfoe/taskforceenvironment.htm
www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/cwrc/success/schools.htm
Green Libraries
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www.greenlibraries.org
Resources
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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
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Libris Design, Sustainable Library Design
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www.bsagb.com/downloads/Green_Library.pdf
www.librisdesign.org/docs/SustainableLibDesign.pdf
Prairie Librarian, Green Libraries
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http://prairielibrarian.wordpress.com/green-libraries/
One final thought
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“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
Questions or Comments?