By Barb Brattin
Living in a mountain town, we prize our clean water and clean air, and cringe at the idea of filling up a landfill with waste that could otherwise be reused. Ruby Sisson Library has long been proud of our sustainable geothermal heating system and we recycle everything we can. Our old books go to Book Barns throughout the county for reuse. And when space allows (not right now) we gladly accept your donations of almost new books to add to the collection.
Now that we are under construction, we have new concerns. Where is all this construction debris ending up? Is there a way we can have less negative impact on the environment in our new building?
We thought you might have the same questions, so here are some of the ways we are making our project and the new library more sustainable:
1. All the construction debris is collected in dumpsters headed for Phoenix Construction Recycling. They sort through the materials and sell what can be reused.
2. Our geothermal system will be expanded into the new addition, keeping the whole building on geothermal heating.
3. The building is being built for solar panels and we are pursuing grants that would add a 45 Kw system, supplying most of our electric needs throughout the year and maybe even sending some extra into the grid.
4. The building plans provide electrical conduit to the parking area for the purpose of adding electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. We are pursuing grants to add 2 EV charging stations among the parking spaces, both accessible to people of all abilities.
5. We’re using natural mineral wool insulation in lieu of more toxic fibers.
6. We’re working with Habitat for Humanity to re-home the beautiful front doors on the old library.
7. We’re framing the stained glass panels that were positioned above the old entryway doors. We’ll use them as artwork in the new library where they will catch all the light from the new windows and continue to bring us joy for many years.
8. We’re keeping all the old woodwork in place – it’s in great shape and won’t need refinishing. And our sturdy wooden chairs are getting a facelift with new upholstery to serve us for many years to come.
We hope these green initiatives make you proud of your library. We invite you to share any additional ideas you might have about how we can do even better to keep our mountain town pristine.
To follow construction updates click here.
Barb Brattin is Ruby Sisson Library director.