The Sustainability Resolution | From the Bell Tower
A small step toward reducing waste is better for us and our libraries than taking no step at all. Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian, Temple University, Philadelphia, PAMar 3, 2011
I'm not a New Year's resolutions kind of guy. It's hardly that I think I'm perfect, but if I decide to make a personal change, I just do it. Waiting to the first of the New Year won't create any special incentives for me. That said, I went against the grain this year with just a single resolution. I made a personal pledge to stop drinking coffee in single serve paper cups.
I readily admit that this is a relatively small issue in the whole sustainability debate when compared to plugging holes in our ozone layer. But if each of us can take personal steps to achieve greater sustainability in our personal lives and at the workplace, in aggregate it is powerful and significant. One way we can all better contribute to this movement is by looking for ways we can create change in our libraries that will reduce paper waste, encourage recycling and achieve greater energy efficiency. The opportunities are there.
Leading a sustainable life
I'm quite the conscientious individual when it comes to the environment. At home I am the recycling enforcer, making sure that as little paper, plastic, and glass as possible end up in the trash can. As you might expect, my family finds me quite annoying. I even started a separate collection of number 5 and 7 plastic, which my township doesn't recycle, just so I could take it to Whole Foods every so often where they offer bins for all types of recyclables.
I capture about 90 percent of all bio-degradable organic waste (vegetable skins, egg shells, etc.), which is then dumped into my mulch pile, along with all garden and lawn waste. Still, I felt sort of guilty throwing away those paper coffee cups every day—and those little paper bands—or even tossing them into the paper recycling bin. Why create the waste in the first place?
Why did it take so long?
I'm not a huge coffee drinker; maybe three cups during the work week. What's odd is that I've been using a refillable plastic coffee mug at home on the weekends for years. Why was I so hesitant to do the same for the work week? One of my excuses is that my coffee shop just didn't have the right size mug or the right type of mug, nor did I want a mug with wrestlers or Farmville characters painted all over it. I told myself, "Well, if I see a mug that works for me, I'll get it." That was about two years ago.
So, I finally made the commitment to get off the single-serve paper cup habit—and I do believe it is a habit—in 2011. Although I was prepared to just go out and get the right mug, as coincidence would have it, my coffee shop suddenly, during the first week of 2011, began offering a no-nonsense, well-designed 20 ounce coffee mug (see photo, right). It did cost me $6.99 but my first fill-up was on the house, reducing the cost to $5.99. What I never considered was that my coffee place charges $.50 less for the refill than the paper cup. That means the mug would pay for itself with just 12 refills, and after that, over the course of a year I'd save in the neighborhood of $75 just by switching from single serve cups. I may not always be environmentally motivated, but I am cheap. This was a no brainer—and good for the planet.
What's the excuse at your library?
Eliminating my paper cup is offset by the fact that I'm now using some hot water to wash the mug and a paper towel to dry it off. This is a familiar trade-off of trying to achieve sustainability. Is the new way all that much more sustainable than the old way? Either way, valuable resources are being used or wasted. At some point you just need to commit to making the change that seems to make the most sense as a sustainable solution. Is sitting on the fence keeping you from making your library a "greener" campus facility?
What helps at my library is that our institution joined the American College & University President's Climate Commitment, which means we need to eliminate carbon emissions. To achieve this goal an Office of Sustainability was created that offers constant reminders and programs to help all personnel achieve greater sustainability. Even without such support, every academic librarian can look for ways to introduce greater sustainability across the library. There are many possibilities.
Start with the obvious
Paper waste is huge in academic libraries. If there is a free, all-you-can-print policy, consider creating limits with quotas for free printing. This cuts down on toner waste as well-and be sure to recycle your toner cartridges. Activate two-sided copying for further paper savings. Make sure that there is a strategy for recycling whatever waste paper does accumulate. Recently we turned lots of unusable stationery into writing pads, but there are loads of other ideas for scrap paper recycling.
A big problem in large libraries is presented by hundreds of computers. It's not practical to turn them off each day, but do make sure they are set to go to sleep mode when inactive and limit the use of screensavers; screensavers are huge energy hogs. Do the same with your wall-mounted message monitors and televisions; have them go into sleep mode whenever possible.
Still handing out paper at office meetings? If the meeting room has a projector, consider displaying documents rather than copying them for everyone; project—don't print.
We recently replaced the water fountain in our most heavily trafficked corridor with a new one that has an overhead spigot designed specifically for water bottle refilling. This is getting tremendous use, and it even has a counter to display the total number of plastic water bottles saved (see photo, left).
What about the not so obvious? I like the idea of bringing in plants and spreading them around the library (see below). Plants require more work, but they help to create a beneficial environment through air purification, and their greenness serves as a constant reminder that we need to care for the planet. If you need a reminder that you have a personal stake as a custodian of the planet, keeping a plant alive is a great stimulus—and they make the library a nicer place.
Why are you waiting?
I could go on with ideas for sustainable initiatives in the library. You know how to find many other ideas on your own. So, don't be like me. That is, don't wait two years to make a simple change in your life and library that will be good for the world. If you need to start somewhere, the easiest thing you can do is kick your addiction to plastic water bottles and single serve paper cups.
Steven Bell is Associate University Librarian, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. For more from Steven visit his blogs, Kept-Up Academic Librarian, ACRLog and Designing Better Libraries or visit his website.
