Library Sustainability Committee

LSC has developed a number of programs and initiatives that have transformed the Library’s sustainability practices in ways large and small. Whether by working collaboratively with other campus groups to bring hydration stations into the Library or creating internal programs to recycle and upcycle office supplies and promote green buying practices, LSC works every day to green the Library and its work spaces and to engage staff at home and at work in support of UC San Diego’s sustainability goals and mission.

 LSC-Sponsored Programs

• Staff Green Training: Staff are invited to take part in a recycling sort, learn about green products and Library sustainability initiatives, and catch up with what LSC and the Library have to offer.

•  DIY Makers’ Day: Every April as part of the campus’s Earth Month celebration, the Library hosts a DIY Makers’ Day fair and invites the entire community to enjoy creating a variety of green DIY projects, such as planting succulents, creating cleaning and personal care products from green materials, making buttons and other items from recycled book covers, and more.

• Summertime Swap:  Library staff bring in items from home that they’re ready to pass along and other members of the Library and janitorial staff are invited to take what they want. Leftover items are donated to a thrift shop.

• Fruit & Veggie Exchange:  Every summer, when gardens are bountiful, staff bring the fruits (and veggies) of their labor as well as other items related to food and gardening to share with one another.

• Geisel after Dark: This annual Library event showcases Library and campus services for the entire community. LSC hosts a table highlighting green practices and offers a hands-on activity promoting recycling in the Library.

LSC-Sponsored Projects

Waste Mitigation

• Loaner Cup Cart: To reduce waste, LSC provides a book cart stocked with reusable cups and mugs for staff events. Employees who bring their own cups or take one from the cart are entered into a raffle to win green prizes.

• Refill Not Landfill: LSC collaborated with students to install a water refill station for refilling water bottles in the Library. Encouraged by the success of that first station, the Library has since installed 6 more, including one in a staff area. The stations have registered well over 500,000 refills.

• Office Supply ReHome: The Library has many divisions, each of which orders its own office supplies. Often one division will have superfluous supplies that another could use or individuals will have materials that they are no longer using. The ReHome is a central clearing house for these items. LSC collects, inventories, and redistributes these supplies for use in the workplace. Each quarter there is an open house, but staff may request supplies as needed. The Library saves $500 to $1,000 annually through the campaign.

• Writing Instrument Brigade:  Each year, LSC collects approximately 2,500 used-up pens which the campus sends to Terracycle for upcycling. Containers for pen collections are in staff areas as well as on all public service desks.

• Cleaning Supplies: LSC inventoried cleaning supplies in all staff kitchens, identified those containing toxic ingredients, and researched earth-friendly substitutes.  After working with the Library to order green replacements, LSC consulted with campus facilities on hazardous waste disposal, then collected and properly disposed of toxic supplies in accordance with campus guidelines. Staff kitchens are now clean and green.

• 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Paper: LSC worked with Imprints, the Library’s printing and copying vendor, to supply all public copiers and printers in Geisel Library and WongAvery Library with 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The Library has also switched to recycled paper in staff areas. In 2014-15 the number of pages printed in public areas alone was 2,479,837. By switching to 100% post-consumer recycled paper the Library has saved over 300 trees per year.

Internal Publications

• Holiday Gift Guide: Updated annually, this holiday gift guide provides a wealth of ideas for green, sustainable, and fair trade gifts, as well as links to organizations and vendors.

• Slack Channel (#sustainable-library):  Any Library staff member is welcome to contribute to this Library Slack channel. Messages feature sustainability initiatives and events on campus and in the wider community.

Select Presentations and Publications

• Granger, Liz. “Leading the Green Revolution: Libraries Inspire Their Communities through Green Initiatives.” American Libraries Magazine, November 1, 2017.
• Hayashi, Heather, Stoss, Frederick, Singh, Gayatri, Garcia-Spitz, Cristela, and Gelfand, Julia.  "Navigating to a Sustainable Future: Academic Libraries and the Triple Bottom Line."  Presentation at the ACRL Conference, Baltimore, MD, April 2017.
• Kane, Kim, and Sklar, Annelise. "Greening the Mothership: Growing the Environmental Sustainability Group at the University of California, San Diego Library." In Focus on Educating for Sustainability: Toolkit for Academic Libraries, edited by M. A. Jankowska, Sacramento, CA : Library Juice Press, 2014.
• Myers, R. A, Kane, K., & Singh, G. (2019). Absolutely Free Market. In The Sustainable Library's Cookbook. Location: Association of College and Research Libraries. UC San Diego: Library. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19v670nc 
• Kane, K., Myers, R. A, & Singh, G. (2019). DIY Makers' Day. In The Sustainable Library's Cookbook. Location: Association of College and Research Libraries. UC San Diego: Library. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4td1f2n7 
• Kane, K. M, Myers, R. A, & Singh, G. (2019). I Believe You Have My Stapler: How to Encourage Reuse with an Office Supply Rehome Program. In The Sustainable Library's Cookbook. Location: American Library Association. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/16p2r7wv 
• Myers, R. A, Kane, K., & Singh, G. (2019). It Takes a Village Sustainability Starter. In The Sustainable Library's Cookbook. Location: Association of College and Research Libraries. UC San Diego: Library. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tk8h1s6 

Awards

• San Diego EarthWorks E.A.R.T.H. Award (2016): LSC (then ESG—the Environmental Sustainability Group) was awarded the Environmental Action & Restoration That Helps award for projects involving reducing use, recycling, green buying, and education.

LSC has listed below a wide range of actions you can take to be more sustainable on campus and at home. Some of these suggestions are specific to certain work environments, but many are relevant to everyone in any situation. Take a look and see how many you can try out!

Reduce & Reuse

• Choose natural fiber cloth napkins when eating.
• Choose reusable dishes and eating utensils.
• Create a program for sharing reusable dishes and eating utensils.
• Bring your own cup.
• Bring your own reusable straw.
• Bring your own lunch.
• Use reusable or biodegradable filters for coffee machines.
• Choose reusable bags for shopping and lunch bags.
• Choose cloth rags for cleaning.
• Choose reusable tags or straps when lending items.
  • For example, how UCSD Interlibrary Loan uses reusable straps for the books they lend.
• Avoid distributing plastic bags unless requested.
• Collect scrap paper for reuse; trim documents if possible.
• Print double-sided on network printers.
• Eliminate desktop printers when possible.
• Make use of reusable supplies at events to reduce catering waste and cost.
• Share surplus office supplies.
• Use custom shipping programs to make use of reusable packaging.
• Reuse boxes, envelopes, and shipping materials.
• Use rechargeable batteries.
• Encourage virtual meetings to avoid travel.
• Use Google Docs for collaboration.
• Conserve energy: Turn off electronics and lights when not in use.
• Communicate electronically versus in print.
• Use digital PDFs instead of physical copies.
• Use electronic billing.
• Reduce number of invoices required for payment.

Recycle

• Take empty pens to the UC San Diego Book Store.
• Recycle broken tech items.
• Send unwanted equipment to Surplus Sales.
• Utilize the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) for specialty recycling. 
  • Also make use of their Green Office Certification Program.
• Recycle whenever possible; for example, microwavable lunch containers.
• Recycle used ink cartridges.
• Post recycling information for ready reference.
• Recycle batteries safely.

Choose Green Products

• Use environmentally friendly products, dish soap for example.
  • Consult Environmental Working Group (EWG) to choose sustainable products.
• Choose natural fabrics to avoid microplastics.
• Change light bulbs to LED.
• Avoid microbeads in toothpastes, cosmetics, skin care and other products.
• Purchase produce locally or from imperfect produce companies.
• Purchase food from the bulk bins with your own bag
• Use glass storage containers in the kitchen.
• Use canvas and mesh produce bags when grocery shopping.
• Use reusable food wrap instead of plastic food bags or try LunchSkins.
• Purchase compostable trash bags or try using newspapers for trash lining.