Going Green To Save Some Green

These are slides from a presentation that my colleague and I gave during the 2010 Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL) Conference. We examine practical, low-cost ways to make libraries more sustainable and environmentally friendly. In a time of shrinking endowments and reduced budgets can libraries really hope to make an impact on a global problem like climate change? In this presentation Illinois Wesleyan University librarians Meg Miner and Chris Sweet will argue that not only can libraries play a significant role in furthering campus sustainability but that dwindling budgets can actually be a catalyst for positive environmental changes. Miner and Sweet are both members of the Illinois Wesleyan GREENetwork and will draw upon their personal experiences in campus environmental efforts for this presentation; they will offer practical ideas for implementing “green” library initiatives that benefit budgets as well as the environment. Reducing printing costs, examining equipment RFPs, and conducting computer power management and energy audits are just a few of the technological steps library personnel can take. Approaches to changing behavior with a goal of affecting campus culture will also be discussed.