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We keep hearing from leading experts and scientists that we need to change our ways in order to halt the irreversible damage we’re infringing upon our planet. Nations, governments, and corporations must step in and cut down on carbon emissions, nature’s destruction, mass extinctions, and overall pollution. Before we can expect such drastic measures, we have to start adopting sustainable behaviors from home. One recycled can won’t do much when it comes to an entire country, but a collective effort to recycle can have lasting impacts on the environment. For example, buying products that reuse recycled plastics makes it so we use less new plastic – and better yet, many companies recycle plastic removed from ocean waters!
This Earth Day, we’d like to share how our library and our staff do their part for a better, sustainable future.
Sustainability at the library
- Our libraries use motion-sensors to turn lights off when rooms aren’t in use. Although this can be a bit nerve-wrecking (especially in the VERY quiet second floor!), this measure ensures we don’t waste electricity.
- The library itself promotes sustainability in that when you borrow items, you don’t buy them. When you don’t spend on books and DVDs, that means less trash in our landfills, less cut down trees, less shipping packaging, less gas used on transportation, etc.
- We provide a cool space during the summer months so you don’t have to worry about turning on your home’s a/c unit.
- We (and the entire town) only uses recycled copier/printer paper. This is included in a town by-law, Title 1, Article 14.
- Thanks to Friends of the Robbins Library, we have bees in our 3rd floor balcony. Housing little pollinators keeps plants growing!
- We’re participating in the 13th Annual Neighborhood Forest free tree program. Neighborhood Forest is gearing up to give a record 40,000 kids in 48 states (including Canada) their very own tree to plant this coming Earth Day 2022 (April 22)! Learn more.
- Seed funding for the Library of Things came from Sustainable Arlington. This project (like the entire concept of a public library) is about sharing resources and re-using as a community. It encourages sharing rather than buying things you only need to use once, or a few times
- Have you noticed we don’t have plastic bags? We use donated reusable bags or recycled paper bags so you can carry your books home.
- All our weeded books go to More Than Words, which are either resold or recycled.
- You can donate your gently used books to the Friends of the Robbins Library 4th floor Book Sale! Learn more.
- We try our best to avoid printing and wasting paper by using programs such as Google Documents to share and work on projects from our computers.
- Since the pandemic started, we’ve become fans of Zoom meetings! How does this help the environment? You don’t have to drive or travel to a specific location in order to attend a meeting or program.
- We offer access to filtered water from a water fountain equipped to fill reusable water bottles.
- You can opt to forgo subscriptions and borrow our newspapers and periodicals. We also offer access to The Advocate, NYTimes, and The Boston Globe online and Libby has over 4,000 magazines available through the app!
- Our Grab Bags use recycled paper bags donated by you!
- You can always opt not to print receipts.
Andrea
- I use washable cloth squares to reduce my use of paper towels.
- I wash my clothes in cold water.
- I adopted my sweet cat Fern in August 2020.
- I shop second-hand, and donate clothes.
- I buy bamboo TP (is this TMI???).
- I’m guilty of buying takeout that comes in plastic containers, but I always wash and reuse them! They’re particularly useful for giving away cookies and baked goods 🙂
- I always enroll in paperless billing.
- I bring reusable bags when shopping.
- I mend my clothes even though I am really bad at sewing–no one is looking at my pant cuffs anyway!
Julia
“I buy local whenever possible. I get around on public transit so shopping locally is the easiest choice. I’ve been shopping at some stores for years and I love finding interesting items that the big chains don’t carry. My favorite place to go in Arlington is Play Time on Broadway in Arlington Center. They have everything I need for arts, crafts, sewing, knitting, jewelry, rhinestoning, scrap books, bullet journals, and so much more. Skip Michaels and go to Play Time!
One big change I made with my groceries is I get my meat in a CSA from a local sustainable farm. They have a pick up spot in Arlington Center. When there were shortages of chicken last year I had a freezer full of local chicken I could cook. Because the meat is from a local sustainable source it’s not cheap. This has also led to me eating less meat overall.”
Willow
“Mary and I have switched to 100% renewable energy sources through our electricity company (slightly more expensive, but worth it!).”
Stephanie
“I am trying to ban plastic from my house by buying alternatives, such as laundry soap in little sheets, deodorant in a cardboard tube, shampoo bars, refillable soap containers, dishwasher soap in cardboard boxes, to name a few examples. In a tiny step, I use dog poop bags with a cardboard cylinder in the middle of the roll. I have tried compostable trash bags but they are useless so far. I use reusable cloth towels in place of paper towels in most situations. I use toothpaste tablets in place of toothpaste in a plastic tube. In Cambridge, we have curbside compost pickup, so we do that. I ride my bike to work when I can. I turn the lights off when I leave the room and when my husband leaves the room I turn them off, since he cannot remember!”
Anna
“My favorite sustainable thing we do at home is our yogurt and granola swap. I make the granola, my friend makes the yogurt, and we’ve been swapping for at least six years (I lost count!). We eat a LOT of yogurt at home, and now that we eat homemade yogurt, we don’t buy two or three plastic quart tubs a week. Our yogurt is delicious and locally made, and doesn’t require plastic!”
Steven
“When I took my job here, I rented an apartment that allows me to walk to the library back and forth and right outside an MBTA station so I can use public transit and use my car less so I reduce my carbon footprint. I am also opting into Arlington’s new electricity program that uses energy from renewable sources.”
Vero
“I go into long periods of research to find ideas on how to be a responsible Earthling. Lately, I’ve been buying products that use recycled plastic, don’t have harmful chemicals, don’t test on animals, and/or come in biodegradable/recyclable containers. Our yard lights are all solar powered and we have programmed other lights (LED!) and equipment to turn off at specific times (we can also turn them off when we’re not home). We also use a device that regulates our heater so we don’t waste heat. Last summer, I installed a clothesline and bought a drying rack so I depend less on my dryer. We rarely use paper towels, using cloth instead. Did you know you can use trash bags partially made from recycled plastic? I didn’t either, but that’s now part of our monthly expenses – and we try to skip plastic bags when shopping, opting for paper or reusable bags instead (plastic bag bans help!). Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar have become common household cleaners that are also gentler on my respiratory system. We don’t use plastic soap bottles, opting instead for refillable bottles and biodegradable/recyclable refill containers. Even our cats use biodegradable litter! We have also opted to eat more meat-free meals during the week to reduce our carbon footprint. Did you know you can opt to go paperless when it comes to mail? Contact companies for e-bills and you won’t have to worry about all those trees and the pile of unread mail forgotten on your kitchen table. Come summer, we look forward to buying local produce in farmer’s markets. We also look forward to flea markets and thrifting to furnish our new home. I used to buy so much soda! We ended up buying a SodaStream machine and it’s surprising how much this has cut down on trash. I’ve also been trying to be more conscious about the amount of clothes I buy, the ones I don’t use, and what can be mended – places like thrift stores, ThreadUp, and Poshmark are perfect for donating and selling gently used items. Fast fashion takes a big toll on the environment and unfortunately will continue to do so until we become more conscious of the products we buy and the companies we support.”
Katy
“I use reusable water bottles and purchase crop and meat shares of ethically sourced goods.”
Linda
- Not buying as many single-use plastic products. I’ve switched to bar soaps and bar shampoo that come wrapped in paper, soap nuts that come in a cardboard box instead of laundry detergent, reusable wraps and containers for work lunches rather than disposable sandwich bags.
- Insulating my house (and getting a new roof) to decrease use of heating oil.
- Eat a lot of vegetarian meals
- Compost
- Always use reusable shopping bags
- Make coffee at home
- Adopted from a shelter so as to not support animal overpopulation
- Shop at farmer’s markets when possible
- Use a reusable straw, and refillable water bottle
Lynne
“Your question made me think of changes my family has made recently that may help. We order our meat (of which we eat much less than we used to) from local sources. We recently installed solar panels on our roof. And, we traded in our large vehicle for a smaller PHEV. Since my commute is only a few miles, I can run on pure electric so I haven’t purchased gas for weeks!”
Sheila
- I collect and reuse paper bags for Grab Bags and for patrons who need help transporting all the wonderful gems they check out at Circulation.
- The plants at the office and at home filter out toxins in the air – eg. Peace Lily here in library removes airborne toxins and mold; Christmas Cactus, inexpensive and readily available at almost all groceries stores around holiday time, releases oxygen at night! – so its both pretty and useful in the bedroom; Gerba Daisy – noted in NASA clean air study 1989 as one of the most effective air purifiers removing toxins found in cleaning agent and manufactured home goods (Tricholorethylene (TCE) and benzene); I also like Dracaena fragrans “massageneana,” sometimes called corn plant, and Bromeliads for removing airborne toxins and increasing daytime oxygen. More info. [Read this article from The Atlantic for another viewpoint]
- I recycle paper in the printer (we use the other side).
- I pass down, or up, (or sideways) clothing to relatives and colleagues.
- I walk to work most days.
- I bring lunch everyday in a washable container, usually made from left overs.
- I use the same bag for books and lunch daily and wash it out every few days.
- Instead of rushing around in the car doing errands at lunch, I walk to enjoy the time and drive less.
- I spot clean some clothes or wear a t-shirt underneath so I can wear clothing more than once.
- I cut up and reuse paper bags under pet dishes.
- I repair clothes occasionally.
- I airdry many clothing items.
- I hand wash delicate clothing and avoid using drycleaners because of the chemicals (sorry small business owners!).
Nick
- I have been using a compost service for the last few years
- I have adopted 2 cats instead of buying
- I use a steel water bottle
- I take the bus as my main mode of transport
Want to learn more on how you can have a more sustainable lifestyle? Check out the following websites!