For Immediate Release
January 19, 2022
Hauppauge Public Library is Certified Sustainable
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative recognizes the Hauppauge Public Library as a leader in sustainability.
Suffolk County, New York – January 19, 2022 – Hauppauge Public Library in Hauppauge, New York, has been certified as a "Sustainable Library" through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative's award-winning Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. This ground-breaking initiative guides libraries through a step-by-step process to infuse triple bottom line sustainable decision-making into their library's policies and actions.
Hauppauge Public Library CEO, Matthew Bollerman, has been a vocal advocate for libraries to think and act sustainably since 2009. He is a cofounder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and currently serves as the Vice President of their Advisory Board and as a member of the American Library Association's Council Committee on Sustainability. In completing this certification, the Hauppauge Public Library exemplifies what sustainable decision making can look like and serves as a model for other libraries and community organizations in their region and beyond. Bollerman states that this certification process, "has allowed our staff who makes decisions, which is all staff, to share a framework, vocabulary and understanding of how those choices reverberate in our world."
The Sustainable Libraries Certification Program compels libraries to consider the tenets of environmental sustainability, social equity, and fiscal responsibility in the actions and practices of their institution. Hauppauge Public Library demonstrated through the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program that advancing these causes could be effectively embedded into their operations. Through their actions, 2,276 pounds of materials were collected from the community and recycled or redistributed to organizations in need in 2020. The library's space, redesigned in 2018, includes flexible, multipurpose areas, natural and LED lighting, and energy efficient electronics and appliances.
Over the last several years, Hauppauge Public Library held conversations with community members to investigate what aspirations were held by the people living and working in their service area. Several of the identified needs led to new and innovative services by the library. Responding to a need for sharing local information and resources, Hauppauge Public Library created "The Buzz" (https://buzz.hauppaugelibrary.org/). This website, hosted by the library contains news, events and information tailored to their library's community. Events organized by the library have brought local businesses, community organizations, and the public together, positioning the library as a central connecting agency in their area. They continue to strive toward meeting other identified needs, such as finding more ways to bring businesses together to help give Hauppauge residents a needed sense of place.
International Impact
Hauppauge Public Library is among the first libraries to participate in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program, the first of its kind in the world. This benchmarking program was developed to assist libraries of all kinds - public, academic, and individual school librarians - to create opportunities to make better choices on behalf of the local and global community.
The program has been recognized by the International Federation of Library Associations at their 2019 World Congress in Athens, Greece, becoming the first program in the United States to be honored through their "Green Libraries" Award.
Comprehensive Approach
With categories of actions focusing on each of the three pillars of triple bottom line sustainability such as Energy, Indoor Spaces, Social Cohesion, and Resilience Planning, this comprehensive process leads a library toward institutional change that shifts the rationale for every decision to consider the local and global impacts. Through this program, libraries work with their communities to listen and learn, allowing local needs to be identified and addressed. Strengthening the relationship between the library and the community they serve builds resilience through stronger connections with many organizations and increased access to information.
The path to certification through the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program is designed to be flexible for libraries of different types, sizes, and budgets and guided by the communities they serve. Each library that completes the program will select the benchmarks that best fit the needs of their library and community, resulting in a uniquely sustainable organization. Find out more information through our website (https://sustainablelibrariesinitiative.org) or contact sliadmin@suffolknet.org.
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is expanding to enroll libraries throughout the United States, with nearly fifty libraries currently enrolled in the Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. Hauppauge Public Library is the tenth library to be certified through this program and one of seven Certified Sustainable Public Libraries in Suffolk County, New York.
For more information, see the Sustainable Libraries Initiative website, 'Congratulations, Hauppauge Public Library' page or contact:
Annemarie Gordon, Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainable Libraries Initiative
Suffolk Cooperative Library System
631-286-1600 x1355
mailto:sliadmin@suffolknet.org
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Annemarie Gordon
Sustainability Coodinator
Suffolk Cooperative Library Sytem
She/Her/Hers
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