At the New York Library Association 1999 meeting, Debbie Jackson of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation presented a strategy for libraries to set an example for their communities by setting up their own comprehensive recycling plan for paper waste, especially in public areas. Librarians can also significantly influence the people who use their libraries and demonstrate a positive role model of environmental friendliness. Librarians can collaborate with their local environmental management departments to get bulk quantities of educational resources to display and distribute. Creating a good environment in the workplace makes for happy workers. A positive approach should be taken, as all too often, environmental actions are seen as negative attacks on what we're not doing instead of morale raising on what we are and can continue to do better.
Green teams are a great way to improve communication.
Interested and enthusiastic individuals can be identified to answer questions about what can be recycled, and share tricks of the trade from other parts of the institution, as well as passing on news of successes. Library Photocopy Operations. SPEC Kit 209. Association of Research Libraries. Briscoe, G. 1987.