In Celebration of Climate Week, BPL Launches a Year-long Series of Lectures and Workshops Devoted to the Environment
New Home Energy Audit Kits Available for Loan with a Library Card
Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) announced today it has achieved a 40% reduction in itsgreen house gas emissions saving 3500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) since 2006. That is equivalent to CO2 emissions from burning 3.8 million pounds of coal, 601 homes energy use for a year, or 57,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
Under the direction of BPL’s energy team, who oversee the library’s 59 branches representing 1.1M square feet, including 18 historical Carnegie libraries, BPL has undertaken a strategic plan to reduce energy use and emissions. These include 45 LED lighting retrofits; the installation of 22 smart building monitor systems which manage lighting, heating and air conditioning; and 30 HVAC upgrades in design or construction.
In addition, the Library has invited the public to consider their own role in reducing energy use and combatting climate change. Patrons can borrow aHome Energy Audit Toolkit (HEAT) with their library cards. The kit—which includes a thermal imaging camera and an electricity usage monitor—can help families identify ways to reduce energy use and save on home energy bills.
With 350 Brooklyn, the Library is hosting Climate Wednesday: Solutions for a Cooler Brooklyn, a free monthly series open to the public, in which experts in the economic, policy, agricultural, social and psychological dimensions of climate change, explore the challenges of the global climate crisis and discuss local solutions.
BPL Presents, the Library’s arts and cultural division, is continuing to host The Green Series, a free program with talks by innovators in environmental conservation and activism—including artists, journalists, writers, filmmakers, activists and essayists. This fall, speakers will include Josh Fox, the Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning writer/director of Gasland; and beloved writer and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams on her new bookErosion: Essays of Undoing. The Green Series is made possible through the generous support of Whole Foods Market.
Brooklyn Public Library’s commitment to issues related to climate change and the environment are embodied in the Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center, currently under construction. In addition to traditional library services, Greenpoint Library will provide programs, information and special collections that increase awareness and stewardship of the local environment. The building is a model of sustainable development, exceeding LEED Gold Green Building Certification requirements.
By 2050, BPL aims to be a net zero agency, dramatically reducing our energy while increasing the resiliency of our facilities and the communities we serve.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynlibrary.org.