We support Cranfield’s commitment to becoming a sustainable University.
We are committed to:
- reducing the environmental impact from Library Services’ activities,
- increasing staff awareness of environmental issues,
- introducing better sustainability practices,
- using our influence as an information provider to inform our University community on sustainability as a catalyst for change.
What we have been doing
- We have signed up to the Green Libraries Manifesto.
- We regularly produce book displays on various environmental and sustainability topics.
- We offer a proportion of our withdrawn book stock (old editions of core text books) to staff and students. We work with AnyBook which sells or recycles our remaining withdrawn stock. Any profits returned to us are reinvested into library collections.
- We promote and participate in the University Green Team. For example, we led the Litter Pick during University Green Week 2024 – gaining us a place on the Hedgehog friendly campus litter picking leader board.
- We have stopped covering our books in plastic covers.
- We reuse envelopes and other packaging material where possible.
- We have introduced plants into our libraries for environmental and wellbeing reasons.
- We have begun mapping our activities to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- We have introduced a food waste caddy into the Kings Norton Library staffroom.
- We have reduced our travel between campuses, car sharing where possible.
How you can help
- Take care of print library books so they last longer. Each time a print book is borrowed it saves 0.7kg of carbon compared to if the book was purchased.
- Switch off lights in group study rooms if you are the last to leave.
- Bring your own reusable water bottle. You can refill it at one of our water coolers / fountains.
- Bring your own reuseable cup with a lid for hot drinks.
- Print only the pages you need. Will a scan do instead? When printing is necessary, please print double sided. Check for mistakes and check print settings before printing. If you do print something by mistake, make sure you put it in the white paper recycling bin.
- Shut down PCs after use, or if you are away from your desk for an extended period of time
- Enable power saving settings on your laptop.
- Switch off laptops / mobile devices when they are not in use.
- Unplug chargers from the mains socket when devices are fully charged or disconnected.
- Reduce office supplies and stationery. Take notes online, make less use of post-it notes and use of scrap paper.
- Recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, and drinks cans at the waste points located through the library. Put the waste in the correct bin – please don’t contaminate recycling with wet or unsuitable waste.
- Measure your carbon footprint.
Please contact us with your ideas for reducing our environmental impact!
