Libraries around the country are taking on sustainability initiatives. These initiatives can include building improvements to make them more efficient, implementing new policies and procedures to minimize waste and increase equity, and increasing library resiliency efforts in the face of natural disasters. These are all big, library wide and even community wide efforts. Where does children’s services fit in?
To get us started, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. When I think about sustainability, I think about the Triple Bottle Line, which is the definition used by ALA and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative:
To be truly sustainable, an organization must embody practices that are environmentally sound AND economically feasible AND socially equitable.
Learning about sustainable habits early on is the best way to make them stick. How many kids automatically buckle their seat belts as soon as they sit in a car? Hopefully all of them, because they learned the importance of that action early on. The same concept can be applied to teaching kids how and what to recycle, only taking what they need for a craft to reduce waste, and keeping the great outdoors litter free. If we add sustainability to the values we teach kids, it’s more likely to continue to be a value for life.
Plus, we are already incorporating sustainability into what we do, even if we don’t call it sustainability. What we are teaching kids is kindness. We show kids through our words and actions how to be kind to each other. We are respectful to others, we help friends when they need it, and we give hugs when they are wanted. We are kind to the planet when we plant flowers and learn about pollinators, and when we maintain wildlife habitats. We are kind to ourselves when we take the time to learn, explore, relax, and enjoy the world around us.
Earth Day is fast approaching, and the ALA sustainability round table, SustainRT, will soon release their annual list of best sustainability books for children. Take a look at lists from past years here, and keep an eye out for the 2025 list, coming soon. These books will help you share messages of sustainability and kindness to your communities on Earth Day, and every other day of the year.
This post addresses ALSC competency I.5 Demonstrates respect for diversity and inclusion of cultural values, and continually develops cultural awareness and works to address implicit bias in order to provide inclusive and equitable service to diverse populations.
Joanna Goldfarb is writing this post on behalf of the Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee. She can be reached at jgoldfarb@rcls.org.