Hi All, Climate Master John Fischer here with KLCC's Living Less Unsustainably.
I have regaled you with ways to cut down on material consumption and energy use for years. From the obvious, turn off the lights, to the well concealed- bottled water is mostly tap water from far away places, that is trucked across the country - or worse from around the world - rhymes with Ouija- and is no more pure than your tap water at home.
But today I want to highlight a long time super energy and material saver - the library. When I was a young library user, you got books and sssshhhh.
Books are still available, and one volume can be read by thousands of people - saving trees, transport emissions, and printing costs.
But the library is so much more now. E-books, and audio books are available with no paper involved at all. Music, movies, Wi-Fi hotspots, baking pans, and even event passes to the Hult, or local museums. Yes, for free with a library card.
Different cities have varied offerings, but almost all libraries offer more than books, and they share them over and over again.
Of course the library doesn't have everything - I've already talked about the Tool Box Project tool lending library, and local rental places can help you get a job done without spending more than the project is worth on specialized tools.
Lane County Waste Management offers dishes if you're having a party for more folks than you have place settings for - we used them for one of my daughters' wedding.
Below you'll find some resources. Explore a bit on the net, and I'm sure you'll find more borrowing opportunities.
And finally, many local libraries even offer seeds. You don't need to return them of course, although your local librarian might appreciate a zucchini or two come summer.
More resources:
Eugene Public Library
Eugene Seed Library
Lane County Waste Prevention & Education
