Green Librianship Sig Meetings

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Next Meeting


Green Librarianship SIG's Next Meeting will be Wed., April 23, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Open Society Institute,

Location information: 400 W. 59th St.

Leigh Hallingby is hosting the meeting for the group.

If you have not already done so, please notify her or me if you plan to attend the meeting. Leigh's contact information is:

Leigh Hallingby (Ms.), Head Librarian Open Society Institute/Soros Foundations 400 West 59th Street (just West of 9th/Columbus) New York, NY 10019-1105 212-548-0181 (p) 646-557-2528 (f) lhallingby@sorosny.org


Topic for discussion of the meeting: Environmental Policy Statements: what they are, what they contain

At our first meeting, Leigh mentioned that she had done some research on this topic and she had drafted a statement. She has shared this draft:

January 2008 drafted by Leigh Hallingby (lhallingby@sorosny.org)

This is a SAMPLE DRAFT.

Environmental Policy Statement of XYZ Organization

The XYZ Organization (henceforth known as XYZ) recognizes that its operations have an impact on the environment and create carbon emissions. XYZ also recognizes its responsibility for protecting the environment and for reducing its carbon footprint to the maximum extent possible. Therefore XYZ seeks to expand environmentally sustainable practices and curb climate change by promoting recycling, re-use, energy efficiency, and waste reduction, including, but not limited to, all of the activities listed below. A yearly review of this policy will enable monitoring of achievements and will identify opportunities for further improvements:

• Develop organizational awareness of the need for environmental responsibility and of the measures that can be taken to promote this.

• Make the XYZ Environmental Policy Statement known to all of XYZ’s employees during their first month of employment. Remind employees regularly of the importance of the Environmental Policy Statement and of its implementation in all aspects of their XYZ-related activities.

• Encourage office practices which reduce energy consumption, such as setting computers to go to standby mode and turning out lights in offices when leaving.

• Print documents as infrequently as possible, and use double-sided printing to the greatest extent possible.

• Re-use paper, packaging materials, and other materials whenever possible.

• Make recycling of office paper, newspaper, plastic bottles, soda cans, batteries, toner, cell phones, computers, PDA’s, and other materials as easy as possible for staff via staff education and clear labels on bins throughout the office.

• Make recycling as easy as possible for guests and meeting attendees via announcements at meetings and clear labels on bins in conference rooms and meeting areas.

• Purchase green, recycled, and Fair Trade office products, power, food, and other supplies to the greatest extent possible.

• Purchase from local suppliers to the greatest extent possible, to minimize “fuel miles.”

• Encourage staff to bring their own mugs, plates, and utensils to work.

• Encourage staff to use public transit, walk, and bike to work rather than drive.

• Encourage staff to use public transit and walk to business meetings in the nearby geographic area when possible.

• Reduce business travel to the greatest extent possible and encourage alternate ways of conducting business such as conference calls, video conferencing, and Web-based interactions.

• Encourage staff to travel on business to nearby cities by train rather than by air (e.g., from New York to Baltimore or to Washington, DC).

• Assess the XYZ carbon footprint as measured by energy bills, work-related travel, and staff commuting to and from work. (Other aspects of XYZ’s carbon footprint can be added to this list.)

• Once the XYZ carbon footprint has been assessed, lower it as much as possible through energy saving measures, and then buy carbon offsets for the XYZ carbon footprint that cannot be reduced any farther.

• Hold programs, such as speakers and film screenings, for XYZ staff and (and possibly for outside guests too) on environmental responsibility.

• Make the XYZ Environmental Policy Statement known to XYZ’s clients/customers/grantees/partners/suppliers/vendors/etc. and encourage them to develop and to implement Environmental Policy Statements for their organizations. At some future point, XYZ may insist that all organizations with which it does business develop and implement Environmental Policy Statements.

• Include information about the XYZ Environmental Policy Statement in promotional materials about XYZ.

• Make the XYZ Environmental Policy Statement known to the general public by posting it on the XYZ website. 

Other resources that have been located through some research are:


The Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, http://www.ulsf.org/programs_saq.html, has a Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) for Colleges and Universities, that may be downloaded.


Sustainability Policies of Corporations/Nonprofits/Universities include:

American Bar Association (draft sustainability policies and implementation policies for law firms) http://www.abanet.org/environ/committees/climatechange/ModelLaw/References.pdf Disney http://corporate.disney.go.com/environmentality/environmental_policy.html Duke University http://www.duke.edu/sustainability/policy.html

FedEx http://www.fedex.com/us/about/responsibility/environment.html

Gannett http://www.gannett.com/investor/governance/environ.htm

Haworth http://www.haworth.com/Brix?pageID=26

ISO standards re environmental management (summaries, as the standards must be purchased) http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_standards/iso_9000_iso_14000/iso_14000_essentials.htm

Australia and New Zealand have adopted ISO 14000. The Model Environment Management System of Australian Government agencies has many links: http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/government/ems/model.html.

King County, Washington, Model Environmental Purchasing Policy 12/98 for small organizations and governments http://www.p2pays.org/ref/14/13741.pdf

Oregon’s Center for Earth Leadership Model Sustainability Policy for law firms and checklists : (organization of lawyers) http://www.earthleaders.org/olsf/office_practices Results of baseline survey on sustainability practices of Oregon law firms Nov. 2006 http://www.osbar.org/_docs/bulletin/07febmar/sustainability.pdf

Sonoma County Business Environmental Alliance Developing an Environmental Policy Statement http://sonoma-county.org/bea/pdf/how-to_1.pdf

St Bride Foundation (UK) http://www.stbridefoundation.org/environmental.html

University of California http://www.ucop.edu/facil/sustain/documents/policy_sustain_prac.pdf

University of Winnipeg (links to various policies available) http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/sus-policies What do these policies share:

Commitment to environmental improvement, with some defining sustainability, as a part of their business/mission. Although some statements make clear that this is the responsibility of everyone in the organization, some policy statements assign the responsibility for programs and assessment to individuals within the firm.

Commitment to legal requirements, or to do more than legally required

Commitment to voluntary standards, such as ISO or corporations issuing sustainability reports to stakeholder through the Global Reporting Initiative (which elaborate on efforts mentioned briefly on their corporate web pages--Federal Express and Haworth are two such examples)

Commitment to reduce, prevent and eliminate the use of hazardous materials, to reduce the carbon footprint, to conserve energy and other natural resources, and to recycle within the establishment

Commitment to assess progress in meeting stated goals--such as reducing business travel

Commitment to continual improvement, through training and education, from within the organization, at all levels and through its suppliers and purchasing practices

In doing a little more research over the weekend, I learned that draft CUNY Master Plan speaks to environmental concerns and offers some measures that the system will undertake. I will bring an excerpt of these pages (we have been asked to comment on the draft Master Plan).

To reduce the use of paper, I will bring one copy of each statement to the meeting.

'You are welcome to bring up any question or comment on these statements. For consideration, here are some possible questions:

  • How does one go about formulating a policy for one's workplace,

regardless of the size of the organization?

  • What topics/subjects are usually considered?
  • Are some topics easier to start with that others?
  • What is a time span for implementation?
  • What levels of approval are needed?
  • And, once a policy is in place, how does one promote it to existing

and new employees, and keep it up to date so that it is an active policy?

  • Regarding implementation, how does one go about notifying vendors or suppliers of the policies?
  • In doing business with vendors, does one gives preference to businesses 
with environmental policy statements that they live by, whether or not they
are actually selling green products?
  • What are budgetary concerns and how are they resolved?

Perhaps these questions might lead to discussions at further meetings, or to having a speaker at a future meeting. If you have suggestions on what you would like Wednesday's meeting to concentrate on, please let me know.

'Again, thanks for your interest in the METRO Green Librarianshp SIG. And, Happy Earth Day.

Rita Ormsby, co-organizer, with Brita Servaes of the METRO Green Librarianship SIG


Past meetings:

Wed., Jan. 30, 2 to 4 p.m. at The Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th St., 13th floor. The society's web site is http://www.hsny.org/


In addition to hosting us, and providing us an opportunity to see the society's new space, Katherine Powis will talk briefly on indoor plants.

She also issues the following invite: "From 6 to 7:30 p.m. that night there is a lecture here on plant maintenance for small-space urban gardens. The speaker operated a rooftop design and maintenance business in Manhattan. Anyone who wishes is welcome to attend as my guest."

What else to discuss? Please share your ideas. One I had thought of: What are you, your library/information center doing for Earth Day?

Please let me know if you have any questions. Rita rita_ormsby@baruch.cuny.edu


One person has inquired if this SIG is about horticulture? I replied not specifically, but being a native Midwesterner who enjoys seeing green in the winter, I thought the Horticultural Society of New York would be a great place for a winter meeting. Katherine Powis kindly agreed to be both host and to speak briefly about indoor plants.

Another discussion suggestion comes from Sarah Jewell of the Science, Industry and Business Library, who emaile that she hopes to share some of her experiences from the "Gray Areas to Green Areas" conference in Austin, TX this past fall (the reason she missed the first meeting.)


First Meeting

Thursday November 1

2:00- 4:00 pm

Location: METRO


Summary of METRO Green Librarianship Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting November 1, 2007 2 to 4 p.m. METRO offices


Attendees of the first meeting of the METRO Green Librarianship Special Interest Group (SIG) were welcomed by Brita Servaes, Undergraduate Services Librarian at the New School, and Rita Ormsby, an Information Services Librarian at Baruch College’s Newman Library. Brita explained that the SIG was an outgrown of the Green Libraries discussion at the August 14 Library Camp held at Baruch College, with the dual goals of helping librarians and library users learn more about environmental issues and green policies and practices. She showed the METRO Green Librarianship SIG site at http://www.metro.org/collaborate/index.php/Green_Librarianship. Currently, following METRO’s policies, only the conveners, Brita Servaes, and Rita Ormsby have rights to post items.

In addition to the conveyors, attending the meeting were: From CUNY libraries: Barbara Linton, Borough of Manhattan Community College; Beth Posner and Jane Fitzpatrick, CUNY Graduate Center; Jennifer King, Lehman College; Lisa Ellis, Baruch College; and James Kaser, College of Staten Island; also, Katherine Powis, The Horticultural Society of New York; Ingrid Redman, Polytechnic University; Leigh Hallingby, Open Society Institute; Carol Van Houten, Bank Street College of Education; Cheryl Yanek, of Catalyst, and Tom Nielsen, METRO Member Services Manager. Brita thanked Tom and other METRO staff members, especially Linda Braun, for their help in organizing the SIG.

Attendees introduced themselves and told of their particular interests or concerns. and offered some suggestions.

Among the concerns and activities of librarians were:

  • The waste of paper from free “on demand” printing by students because the students forget to retrieve their copies. (Students have printing accounts that allow a set number of pages to be printed.)
  • Inability of dual-sided printing by computer printers. (Cheryl Yanek said she gets around this by copying odd-numbered pages, and then feeding the paper back to copy even-numbered pages. Carol Van Houten said that “a print free day” had been tried at Bank Street, where students were encouraged to save their information to USB ports, or other means. She said there were no complaints.
  • Amount of packaging used in interlibrary loan. (Envelopes and packaging are reused when possible.)
  • The amount of electronic waste from computers and other electronic equipment, and whether there are ways that this could be reduced on campuses, and in work places.
  • The waste involved in heating and cooling.
  • Encouraging the use of reusable products, such as refillable pens, and reducing consumption of products and electricity.
  • Uncertainty of current policies/policy makers on campuses regarding purchasing of cleaning products, recycling efforts, and possible collaborative efforts with other faculty members so that librarians may be more of a force in environmental policies and behavior.
  • Desire for more information on “success stories” that show the business case for being “green.”
  • Disappointment was expressed that educators had not done more regarding environmental consciousness.
  • The desire to be able to take information back to the attendees’ libraries.
  • The Librarians Association of the City University of New York (LACUNY) is organizing a Green Libraries program as part of the annual LACUNY Institute, which will be April 11. Lisa Ellis, LACUNY President, and Rita Ormsby are the planning committee. Rita said she had contacted Jim Lloyd, who is an Assistant VP of Campus Operations at Baruch, and he said is “passionate” about “green buildings.” Rita said she would like to know more about the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for buildings. Attendees expressed interested in learning more about how remodeling and new construction projects could be more “green.”
  • Cheryl Yanek of Catalyst, a nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization that works globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business, told of her “Green Team,” efforts, such as encouraging colleagues to bring a coffee mug to work; concern about paper consumption; and how she had provided “scary tips about the environment” prior to Halloween.
  • Leigh Hallingby, of the Open Society Institute (OSI), a private operating and grant making foundation, that aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform, explained that she is a member of the Greener OSI Work Group that is more than a year old. It is not officially endorsed by upper management. There are about 250 people in New York office, with other U.S. offices in Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Brussels, Paris, London, Budapest and New Delhi. When interns or new employees start in the New York office, Leigh emails them a “Welcome from the Greener OSI Work Group,” that includes ten green things that can be done at work and home. Among these suggestions are bringing labeled personal cups and plates to use in the OSI lunchroom. Information is also provided about the “green resources” available through the OSI Library, such as copies of “Inconvenient Truth,” and speeches from OSI programs. She said that since the OSI makes grants in the environment and “green” area, there is an awareness of the grant maker’s behavior. She noted that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund has made a commitment to go “carbon neutral.” (Some information about Global Warming and this initiative can be found on the Rockefeller Brothers Fund web site, http://www.rbf.org/) At the OSI, video conferencing is being explored as an alternative to international travel. They are preparing a request for proposal for a consultant to assess the organization’s carbon impact.
  • Tom Nielsen mentioned that he had a list of 50 films relating to climate change and other environmental concerns that he would share with attendees. He also mentioned his interest in buying and eating healthy food, and activities at college dining halls at Vassar and composting efforts at Marist College’s food services. (Information about Vassar’s new local food partnership is available at: http://www.vassar.edu/headlines/2007/local-foods-week.html. Information about Marist College’s food services is available at http://www.maristdining.com/news.html)
  • Librarian Katherine Powis of the New York Horticultural Society (http://www.hsny.org/, explained that Library Journal had recently featured the Society’s Green Branches program that has, so far, involved 13 Carnegie branches of the Brooklyn Public Library, and 4 Carnegie branches of The New York Public Library, in the design, installation, and continuation of gardens around the branch libraries. (A link to the LJ article is found on the Society’s homepage.) The Society’s GreenHouse Program provides training on gardening and plants and scrubs to Rikers Island inmates, and offers internships through GreenTeams.

She mentioned that the Society would host a talk by Patricia Klindienst, author of The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans, and invited attendees.


Future activities for the SIG were discussed. It was agreed that there would be three or four meetings a year. Once the listserv is established, members will be encouraged to share ideas for future programs and speakers through November, with a possible program to be held during January. Bold text

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