For starters, we are consumers in the workplace where we spend nearly half of our waking lives. We use paper, lighting, heating, cooling, and PCs in great quantity. Arguments that thermal cycling harms the internal components of computers don't seem to be well founded. In fact, IBM and Hewlett Packard encourage their own employees to turn off idle computers, and some studies indicate it would require on-off cycling every five minutes to harm a hard drive. The point is that we don't have to wait for orders from on high about how to begin walking the walk of sustainability.
Libraries have a legacy in their communities as the heart of learning.
It is through libraries that people can step outside of the boxes of disciplines, ideologies, and narrow thinking. Librarians used to be considered true generalists, although in academia many of us now follow the disciplinary specialization. Nonetheless, our understanding of the ecology of knowledge is our strong suit and it is here that we must stand and encourage a wider review of the issues at hand. Paralleling our collection building efforts, we can begin by hosting dialogues around important issues, without disciplinary bias or arrogance. Write reviews of new sources for campus papers Conduct an environmental audit of library Plan new facilities with sustainable design principles Librarians need to find their voices and exercise them no matter where they work.