Beyond Recycling: How Libraries Are Rethinking Sustainability

Image

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, co-founder and board president of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, says that sustainability is ultimately a “mindset or decision-making lens” grounded in the triple bottom line: environmental sustainability, social equity and economic feasibility.

That broader understanding was taught through ALA's Resilient Communities: Advancing Sustainability in and through Libraries initiative, in which 100 library workers explored how sustainability connects to their everyday work, and developed practical action plans to begin or further this work in their own library. Their experiences show how sustainability can strengthen and rethink what libraries are already doing from daily decisions to urgent recovery work at places like Joeten-Kiyu Public Library in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which became a community hub after a devastating typhoon by connecting residents with critical information and emergency supplies.

From climate concern to a sustainability mindset

Aldrich’s path into sustainability began through work with member libraries of the Mid-Hudson Library System in New York, helping libraries secure support for budget and building referendums. She saw firsthand that sustainability could connect with something that communities broadly value: a healthy and safe place to live.

Over time, she connected with like-minded colleagues and her work expanded into the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and national efforts to establish sustainability as a core value of librarianship.

Image

Early in her career, Aldrich was often viewed as a “Go Green” speaker, but she found that this framing could make sustainability feel like an occasional environmental program rather than something embedded in an institution's work.

The triple bottom line offered another way of looking at things. “When we adopted the triple bottom line definition, we saw people start to get it because it was a way of thinking things through,” Aldrich says.

That framework can apply to anyone in a library, regardless of their role, if they all ask the same question: How can we make decisions that respect the environment, the people we serve and the resources entrusted to us?

Recognize what’s already at work

Libraries have long operated around principles of sharing and reuse. Libraries of Things, seed libraries, repair cafés and community gardens are common ways libraries reduce waste while building community connections. The Resilient Communities program helped participants recognize these practices as part of a larger sustainability framework and consider where they could go further.

For one participant, the shift was like looking through “a polarizing filter in photography”: reframing the library's existing work through the lens of sustainability revealed new opportunities.

Sustainability, Aldrich says, can’t be a one-time program or a collection of highly visible projects. “To be authentic, this can’t be a ‘one off,’” she says. Instead, it needs to become “a mindset shift” that influences professional ethics and organizational culture.

Turn that recognition into action

Participants developed plans for projects and changes that ranged from educational moments, such as programs like winter gardening and learning about local reptiles, to longer-term goals involving policies.

For many, having a structured process made the difference between wanting to do something and knowing how to begin. Aldrich says that this is by design. The program sought to show library workers that they could “start from where you are with what you have and find a path forward.”

In some libraries, sustainability is already becoming part of long-term planning rather than remaining an individual staff member's passion. Aldrich describes this as “living our values out loud.”  Every operational choice communicates something about what an institution values. “These nonverbal clues as to who we are as a profession, as an institution, will be a big part of our legacy,” she says.

Libraries are facing the reality of a climate change crisis

Perhaps nowhere is the connection between sustainability and libraries' broader community role more visible than during a crisis. That connection became especially clear at Joeten-Kiyu Public Library in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands following a devastating typhoon.

During the Resilient Communities program, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands was devastated by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

“My home, along with the homes of many of my colleagues, friends and family members, sustained significant damage,” says Beth Demapan, technical services librarian. “Like thousands of others throughout our islands, we faced uncertainty and hardship as we worked to recover and rebuild.”

Through the library’s partnership with Samaritan’s Purse and the American Red Cross, the library became a key location where members of the community could receive medical care and emergency disaster supplies.

“As of this writing, the library has operated for more than 53 days without municipal water service and without reliable city power following the typhoon,” says Demapan. “The challenges we have experienced have highlighted the urgent need for renewable energy solutions and sustainable infrastructure throughout our community.”

Following the typhoon, fuel and electricity costs increased dramatically. These realities have strengthened Joeten-Kiyu’s commitment to advancing solar power initiatives and exploring renewable energy opportunities for the library.

 “Our long-term vision includes advancing solar energy projects, promoting renewable energy education and ensuring that the library can continue serving as a safe and dependable resource during emergencies,” Demapan says. “The Resilient Communities program empowered me and my colleagues to build stronger partnerships that provide life-saving resources to those we serve. This experience has reaffirmed that libraries are essential pillars of community strength, recovery and hope.”

Aldrich describes library workers in these situations as “first restorers, a phrase first used by George Needham." They know their communities, know how to connect people with information and resources and can leverage the trust they have built over time.