In the never ending quest to keep up online I checked out Pinterest and pretty quickly got sucked in.
It completely speaks to my librarian brain to start saving and classifying all the great graphics and photos I come across online!
I’ve got a couple of boards going that I thought would be of interest to fans of Sustainable Libraries:
and of course… Trees
Check it out and follow my boards so we can find new ways to waste time together! 😉
There were a bunch of exciting stories in 2011 about advancements in solar energy (solar shingles for your roof!) I thought I’d share one that I keep thinking about, MIT’s announcement last July that it is possible to produce photovoltaic cells on paper or fabric, nearly as simply as printing a document.
“… paper solar cells could be made into window shades or wallpaper — and paper costs one-thousandth as much as glass for a given area, the researchers say.”
Flexible, foldable, bendable… solar. Amazing.
Greening Your Library
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
New York Library Association Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY
November 2010
Check out TreeHugger’s slideshow of cartoons with “Surprisingly Green Messages.”
That’s right Mom, I watch The Simpsons for the environmentalism, not for the many, many bacon references…
The New York Times Green Blog is reporting that New York City is mapping the entire city for solar energy application potential… file this under ‘me too please’!
Last year the San Francisco Public Library launched a biodegradable library card called the ecocard. It is made of sustainably harvested corn and is completely compostable.
The New York Times Green Blog had a recent post about Solar Panel Thefts:
“Since we last reported on this problem in 2008, the theft of solar panels from homes and commercial buildings has increased at about the same pace as installed megawatts.”
Steve Nygren, one of the founders of Serenbe, a “conservation community,” in Georgia, was the luncheon speaker at the Library Journal’s 2010 Design Institute in Atlanta, GA on April 30, 2010. Due to technical difficulties his time was cut short but even in the short time he was given he managed to capture me from start to finish.
I had this ridiculously huge grin on my face throughout the presentation as he described what has to be one of the most well thought out community development projects in America, if not the world.
“Serenbe’s ultimate goal is to demonstrate how development can accommodate the need for housing with minimal
impact on nature—Serenbe’s land plan call for a preservation of at least 70% of the acreage, while
accommodating as many or more people as traditional subdivision-style development, which would
disturb nearly 80%.”
Thoughtful design of housing, landscaping, forests, food and – at the core of it all – a community.
“Serenbe is 1000 acres; at least 70% will always be preserved green space. geo-thermal heated buildings
This market sells organic & local goods, including produce from the Serenbe Organic Farms Next door, the Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop is the smallest Silver LEED certified building in the nation Walkability: everything in Serenbe is connected via a walking path All homes are EarthCraft Certified Native plants & organic landscaping (no lawns = no chemicals) Underground trashcans sort trash, recycling & compost Serenbe: Green at a Glance outdoor lighting regulations = clear, starry skies”
There is a “trash concierge”: homes have in-ground trash receptacles where color-coded bags for recyclables, trash and compost are discarded. Instead of a noisy dump truck rolling by every week, this garbage is picked up by a “concierge” on a golf cart. The compost is used as fertilizer on the farm. Others are taken to a recycling center or a city landfill. [from an article in Savannahnow.com]
While blown away and hungry for more – one thing struck me… there was no mention of a library in the community…
I just returned from the Public Library Association Conference in Portland, OR. I was really impressed with the city and convention center from a green perspective.
From the MAX light rail system (which clearly marks the stop for the library!) to the bike friendly features of the city to solar powered trash compactors – around every corner was a new piece of evidence of thoughtfulness towards the environment.
The Oregon Convention Center (LEED-EB Silver) was another refreshing experience – clearly marked recycling points throughout the building, dual flush toilets, a large rain garden to mitigate storm water run-off from the site… and they had great signage alerting attendees to the sustainable features of the convention center – something I am highly critical of is when LEED buildings do not take the opportunity to educate users of the facility to the green features of their buildings. OCC does a great job in this area.
They city is eclectic, fun and funky and I appreciated the opportunity to visit.