We asked the question – and you came back with some excellent answers.
The Royal Free Hospital Medical Library ran a competition to get staff and readers thinking about how we can be more environmentally friendly
and live more sustainably. Here are some of the
entries, and hopefully you will agree that they provide plenty of
food for thought.
"Litter can be taken away – reduces waste/workloadIf a user sees a PC not turned off properly – do it"
“Scrap paper from the printer or other places where people
don’t use the whole sheet, should be put in a pile for people to use for scrap
notes etc.”
“Try to reduce the amount of meat you eat. Livestock requires far greater energy input that vegetables to produce and there are the issues of H2O use and antibiotic use."
“Being more aware of the food we buy and where it comes from
– trying to buy local produce that hasn’t been flown across the world!”
“Use ink saving technology to cut down on the quantity of ink used in printing, e.g.: http://getdimples.com/. Grow herbs in a window box instead of buying fresh herbs in plastic from the supermarket. Buy vegetables and fruit loose from your local grocer, to avoid supermarket packaging.
If you are a meat eater, try to go vegetarian for three or four days per week, and use the money saved to buy better quality, more ethically sourced meat to have on the other days.”
“Not having children
Not driving a car
Not taking a flight!"
“If everyone votes for the Green Party at future elections, they will bring in many new green policies, e.g. cheap solar panels for all.”
“Since
the changes in rules and regulations that saw food and drink allowed in the
Main Library, the space feels like it’s inundated with litter, whether
scattered around desks and rooms, or spilling out of bins.
And
with all the franchises on campus, there seems to be an accepted culture of
mass consumption and disposable, over-complicated packaging. This has also
meant that cleaning staff are dealing with a lot more mess and refuse, but with
no financial incentive or recognition.
I
think we would do well to take control of things rather than passively accept
this decidedly unecological state of affairs. For starters, my suggestion would
be to source and sell reusable coffee cups – or freely distribute them as part
of welcome packs – and insist that only hot drinks in these cups are allowed
through the library gates. All the franchises on campus should be prepared to
serve students their drinks in these containers.
In
my own personal utopia they’d also be making or transporting their food in
reusable lunch boxes too, but probably best to gradually encourage more
responsible behaviours.”
“I’ve seen these reusable, but cheap, coffee mugs, I wonder whether we could get sponsorship from any recycling group / UCL / NHS / UCL providers – and make them available to Library users, either free if we get full sponsorship, or at a discount if we don’t. Apparently Starbucks will now give a discount if you bring your own mug, perhaps M&S and Costa will follow their lead….”
“AC/heating
systems based on demand response – the more people in library, the more energy
can be directed to systems. Also better
temperature insulation – keeping windows closed – automatic operated
windows. Also increase the use of LED
lighting.”
"Some suggested websites for greener shopping:
Method (Cleaning products)
Auro (Paints and finishes)
The competition
was judged externally by environmental experts from WRAP (The Waste and
Resources Action Programme) and the winning entry was…
“In the winter, use a heavy duvet and a hot water bottle at night instead of leaving the heating on all night – it will save energy and you will sleep better!”
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