Sustainability

The Millbrook Library has joined the Sustainable Library Initiative’s Sustainable Libraries Certification Program. This program provides library leaders with a tested, structured path forward to increase their library’s commitment to environmental stewardship, economic feasibility, and social equity.

NexTrex Recycling Challenge

The Friends of Millbrook Library are excited to participate in the Trex Community Recycling Challenge, a nationwide program that supports local recycling efforts. We have collected over 1,000 pounds of soft plastic film and packaging within a 12-month period, and we’re still going!!

The library has been awarded a Trex bench made from recycled materials, a lasting symbol of our community’s commitment to sustainability, which will be placed in our native garden in the spring.

Here’s how you can help:

• Drop off clean, dry plastic film and packaging at the designated collection bin in the library.
• Items accepted include grocery bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, plastic shipping envelopes, and more.
• We’ll be tracking our progress throughout the year—check back for updates!

What are we doing to be more sustainable?

We have created a sustainability team made up of library staff and board members who are dedicated to working towards achieving program certification.

We have a seed library. You can take seeds home, grow the plants, and then harvest the seeds at the end of the growing season and return them to the library for others to use the following year.

We are providing sustainable options for our community. You can now bring in your old batteries or small electronics (like a cell phone), tape over the terminals, and put them in our Big Green Box. When the box is full, we will send it off to be properly recycled. You can find more information at biggreenbox.com.

We completed an Energy Audit in 2021 and are using the results to help improve our building, including our lighting and HVAC system. See the study here.

We have conducted a series of Community Conversations to determine how our library can have a stronger impact on community needs. A full report can be found here.

Library of Local Special Collection