27 Sustainability Ideas to Implement Right Now

-via American Libraries March 2025 issue-

Greening your library with limited resources and lukewarm buy-in might seem overwhelming. But sustainability is also about committing to small changes. Here’s a list of low-lift ideas that libraries of any type or size can start incorporating.

Organize a swap. Sul Ross State University Library in Alpine, Texas, hosted a clothing exchange for students, while Bring Your Own Plant is a popular, low-cost event at Lancaster (Wis.) Public Library.

Facilitate food security. Charleston County (S.C.) Public Library installed community fridges stocked with fresh produce at three of its branches, while Summers County (W.Va.) Public Library loans wagons to assist rural patrons who walk to the supermarket.

Partner with your municipality on its climate action plan. Anchorage (Alaska) Public Library considers its city’s emissions goals when making energy-efficient upgrades to its buildings.

Hold conversations on hyperlocal issues. In recent years, Igiugig (Alaska) Tribal Library has discussed sustainable solutions for its village’s housing shortage, while Waimea (Hawaii) Public Library hosted a meeting to brainstorm how public land should be developed.

Bulk up your Library of Things collection.

Adopt the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a blueprint for addressing global challenges like poverty and climate change by 2030. Batesville (Ind.) Intermediate School started a book club for kids ages 6–12 using selections inspired by the SDGs.

Preserve oral histories on environmental milestones and activism. Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library’s Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center captured interviews with more than 100 subjects to show the effects of industrial pollution and give voice to grassroots advocates.

Start a seed library. Sixth-graders at Hall Middle School in Larkspur, California, added a seed library to their school library more than a decade ago, with students learning how to harvest, organize, and maintain seeds themselves.

Green your summer reading program. Instead of distributing disposable prizes, Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries donates to nonprofits that plant trees, clean up waterways, and deliver meals to those in need.

Add a sustainability position or department to your institution. University of Utah in Salt Lake City embedded a librarian in its Sustainability Office to better integrate green practices into its operations, research, and education.

Incorporate open educational resources (OERs) into your courses and instruction. OERs have significantly reduced textbook costs for students at Tulsa (Okla.) Community College.

Start a farm-to-product program. Hickory (N.C) Public Library partnered with local businesses and artisans on Sheep to Sweater, a series that shows patrons where wool comes from, how it’s made into yarn, and how it can be used to make clothing.

Commit to hosting zero-waste children’s programming. Favorites at Prince George (B.C.) Public Library include parachute parties, singing workshops, and nature storytimes.

Establish a one-page disaster plan. University of Virginia’s Claude Moore Health Sciences Library in Charlottesville created a plan that includes contact information, operations procedures, and scenario-specific contingencies—such as for earthquakes, fires, and bomb threats.

Forge partnerships that enable reuse. Slippery Rock (Pa.) University’s Bailey Library uses spent coffee grounds from its campus café in its composting and donates shredded paper for local animal rescues and zoos to use as bedding.

Clean up your town. Thomas County (Ga.) Public Library System partnered with Keep Thomas County Beautiful to launch litter cleanup events and add cleanup kits to its collection.

Promote a healthy democracy. Vernon Area Public Library District in Lincolnshire, Illinois, retained a political scientist in residence to educate patrons on public services and infrastructure, the voting process, and presidential campaigns.

Give your wellness initiatives a boost. North Scituate (R.I.) Public Library used a grant to assemble take-home health kits that offer resources for a variety of issues and practices, including dementia, joint health, and meditation.

Invest in remote or loanable Wi-Fi. Beauregard Parish Library in DeRidder, Louisiana—where residents were among those devastated by Hurricane Laura in 2020—installed Wi-Fi hotspots in 11 solar-powered outdoor benches to prepare for future power disruptions.

Design outdoor programs for historically marginalized populations. Corvallis–Benton County (Ore.) Public Library partnered with its local NAACP chapter on a birdwatching series led by a birder of color.

Host a repair café. Visitors to Chicago Public Library’s Sulzer branch can have clothes mended and household appliances and jewelry fixed by volunteers every second Saturday of the month.

Complete the Sustainable Library Certification Program through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative.

Host a financial literacy book club. The book club at Penn State Harrisburg’s Hanes Library promotes economic prosperity—an aspect of triple bottom line sustainability—with discussions on titles about investing, credit cards, and budgeting.

Contribute to tribal revitalization and land rehabilitation efforts. Blackfeet Community College’s Medicine Spring Library in Browning, Montana, has started an experimental garden for plants used in medicinal and traditional practices and hosted organizations meeting to reintroduce bison to the area.

Dedicate a space for growing native plants and attracting pollinators. Kokomo–Howard County (Ind.) Public Library collaborated with local gardeners on its butterfly garden.

Encourage art from upcycled materials. Teens at Cleveland Public Library’s East 131st Street branch hosted a newspaper fashion show and cardboard arcade, while 8th-graders at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff, New Jersey, created a 23-foot-long mural with donated books.

Educate patrons about specific ecological problems. Vassalboro (Maine) Community School partnered with Vassalboro Public Library on a history and conservation series to raise awareness of the local alewife fish and restoration of its migration path.