Bringing environmental awareness of public libraries to the 2020s -project: Case Libraries Carbon Footprint

Abstract

Bringing environmental awareness of public libraries to the 2020s –project (2020-2021) was a national research and training project funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and administered by Helsinki City Library. Project started with a survey that looked at the level of environmental awareness of public libraries and simultaneously started measurements of libraries carbon footprint. The main objectives of this project were also to clarify the role of libraries in environmental awareness, sharing economy as well as UN Sustainable Development Goals. Also, to create a network of environmentally conscious librarians and free to use material bank were quite important aspects of the project. This pioneering research gathered carbon footprint data from 13 public libraries across Finland and it was the first national data collection and measurement process in which emission data from public libraries were studied together with experts. The aim was to identify the key factors involved in calculating the carbon footprint of libraries and to develop a tool that would allow public libraries to assess their environmental impact more widely. The project’s participatory approach aimed to raise libraries understanding of the positive and negative climate impacts of public libraries and to clarify the role of libraries in combating climate change. With the help of carbon calculation, the climate impacts can be made comparable, relevant emission sources can be identified and first and foremost library sector can pay attention to its climate impact and take actions to reduce it. One important highlight is that the results can be used as a reference for future calculations.