ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries O ctober 1 9 9 2 / 5 7 9 Emory University Libraries' Environmental Action Force B y E lain e W agn er P ro ject LEAF recycles to n s o f p a p e r E mory Recycles, Emory University’s white pap er recycling program, began as a pi­ lot project in the W oodruff and Candle braries, expanding to a campuswide campaign in Septem ber o f 1990. Fifty-eight cam pus buildings are currently participating in the program using an operational guide prepared by members of the Libraries Environmental Action Force and the Emory Recycles coordi­ nator. The Emory Recycles Steering Commit­ tee reported in March that 37.46 tons of w hite paper have b ee n recycled since the begin­ ning of the project. On August 16, 1989, a group of concerned library em ployees met to discuss the possi­ bility of recycling some of the paper discarded daily, such as office paper, superseded loose- leaf pages, com puter paper, etc. It was agreed to focus initially on recyclable w hite paper, and the committee formulated the following statem ent of purpose: “The primary purpose of the recycling committee will be to investi­ gate possibilities and implem ent policies for recycling w aste w hite p ap er produced by the G eneral Libraries, and to serve as an educa­ tional resource for the G eneral Libraries com­ munity.” M embers o f the group research ed local companies accepting paper for recycling, called other libraries and com puting centers to see if anyone had a similar program, and con­ tacted other interested groups o n campus to coordinate activities. The preliminary survey of other libraries and com puting centers in the area indicated that some institutions w ere considering w hite r p ap er recycling; others had stopped recycling because of such problem s as waste paper in the bins w hich required sorting, and contrac­ tual requirem ents (some recycling companies require a large am ount of paper). Some li­ braries w hich reported no recycling in August 1989 now have b egun programs, probably ldi­ue to increased public awareness of the need for recycling program s an d in response to growing community pressure to reduce waste of all kinds. The next step involved promotion, moti­ vation, and dissemination of information. It The E m o r y R ecycles S teering C o m m itte e rep o rted in M a rc h t h a t 3 7 . 4 6 to n s o f w h ite p a p e r h a v e b e e n re cy c le d s in c e th e b e g in n in g o f th e p ro ject. w as decided that articles w ould be w ritten for General News, a newsletter for library employ­ ees, an d that a bulletin board should be pro­ vided in the library staff room with informa­ tion about the com mittees’s activities. There w ere several suggestions for a nam e and suit­ able acronym, and LEAF (Libraries Environ­ mental Action Force) was chosen. LEAF is a subcom m ittee o f GLEAC, the General Librar­ ies Employee Advisory Committee. The test phase of the recycling project b e­ gan January 29, 1990, in W oodruff Library. Desk folders and recycling bins were provided and labelled to indicate types of paper which could be recycled. The LEAF logo identified folders and bins. Electronic mail messages and an article in the general libraries’ newsletter ann o u n ced the advent of the program. We E la in e W a g n er is sc ien ce reference lib ra ria n a t W o o d r u ff Library, E m o ry University, A tla n ta , Georgia 5 8 0 / C&RL News quickly discovered that many people, espe­ cially students, did not notice the bins, possi­ bly because of the neutral color of the recep­ tacles. (With the expansion of .the project to the entire campus came bins with a green top and a larger “Paper Recycling Bin” label.) The procedures for collecting paper and delivery to the recycling center were carefully worked out by LEAF, the Emory ad­ ministrative coordinator, and represen­ tatives from the recycling company. When the intermediate containers are full, they are emptied into larger con­ tainers w hich are located in the Copy Center. The large containers are then moved to the library load­ ing dock for collection by the re­ cycling company. Custodial staff are in charge of emptying and moving filled receptacles. Much of the success of the LEAF program can be attributed to the support of the library director and to continuing reports to the li­ brary staff on progress and plans for the fu­ ture. The selection of Woodruff Library as a test site for a Universitywide recycling pro­ gram motivated library staff, and they were encouraged to contact members of the LEAF committee with comments and suggestions. Most students also seemed enthusiastic about the project after they became aware of the recycling bins. The onset of the test project coincided with a phone book recycling project initiated, or­ ganized, and carried out by members of LEAF. In January 1991 the entire campus was in­ vited to participate in a second phone book drive; this effort resulted in the recycling of 38.5 tons of old telephone books. The recycling information bulle- tin board has been used to dissemi­ nate information on the project and other environmental issues. News­ paper clippings, news of new li­ brary books on related subjects, and a direc­ tory of recycling organizations have been among the information displayed. The first part of LEAF’S purpose—“to in­ vestigate possibilities and implement policies for recycling waste white paper”—has been successfully accomplished; we will continue to concentrate on serving as an environmen­ tal “educational resource for the General Li­ braries community.” ■