Waukegan Public Library - staff story

Green in the Family

Sara T — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:34:04 +0000

Today’s post comes from Betsy, a staff member at the library. Here’s the story of how she learned to be green:

My dad was born in 1924, just before the start of the Depression, in Brooklyn, NY and was one of ten children. Money was always tight and all of his siblings worked as soon as they could to help care for the family. Needless to say, there was little to no waste. Everything was used until it wore out. When my dad became a parent of twelve, he continued to be very mindful of using resources wisely. Heat was used in our home from October 1^st – April 1^st each year, and the thermostat set at a chilly 65 degrees in a poorly insulated house. Air conditioning was used sparingly with shades drawn during the hot Midwestern summers. Lights were always turned off when leaving the room. I have a vivid recollection of Dad in his old blue sweater walking through the house turning off lights and checking the thermostat for violations. Of course, we all hated it and were embarrassed to have our friends witness his frugal ways.

Fast forward 30 years. My dad has been gone nine years, but his ways live on through me. I am now the keeper of the check book and the thermostat and follow his wise ways, much to my own children’s irritation. As a family,

We give as much away as possible.
We buy used as a rule.
We return any dry cleaning hangars to the dry cleaners for reuse.
We use reusable bags for groceries, but return plastic bags for recycling.
We compost kitchen and yard waste.
A good portion of our lawn is low maintenance prairie grass.
We installed a rain barrel for watering flowers in our yard.
We fill the recycle bins for curbside pick-up.
We all use reusable lunch boxes and cloth napkins.
We get rid of home electronics and household chemicals at SWALCO collection events.
We follow the October through April heating rule, and use air condition sparingly.
We consolidate errands in order to reduce usage of the car.

I bet my dad approves of our ways.

Tales from the (Green) Trenches

Sara T — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:22:04 +0000

Today’s post comes from Richard, the Executive Director of the library. Here’s the story of how he first “went green”:

When I was younger (and slimmer) I used to change the oil in my cars. I had a little plastic basin big enough for about 6 quarts of old dirty oil and a filter wrench and I’d wait for a nice sunny day and get busy. It only took about 20 minutes or so to do it. I would buy a new filter and oil ahead of time and be ready to go when the time was right. It was common to get rid of the old oil yourself. Heck I thought that the earth produced the oil therefore it would reclaim it. Not true. That’s pretty nasty stuff, really. Then when the Go Green movement hit, it just so happened that oil changes were getting cheaper, in fact they were almost the same in price so I figured why in the heck should I climb under my car when I can have someone else do it for about the same price. Also, I found out that a single quart of oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of fresh water. I thought, Geez, if that oil I poured out gets down to our water table, that junk could be coming out my kitchen tap! Here’s a tip…almost any filling station (no, probably not the quick food marts with pumps) but the ones that still have hoists and places that service cars will accept your used oil for safe, clean disposal. Or you could go to www.earth911.org.

It's not easy being... you know

Sara T — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Today’s post comes from David, a staff member at the library. Here’s the story of how he turned green.

WOW! I am turning Green…..and I like it!

Just a year ago, I never took stock in the idea of “Going Green.” There was nothing in my lifestyle that prompted me to consider “Going Green.” To me the words green, sustainable, and even recycle meant nothing. I was comfortable throwing all my waste in a trash can. I told myself: “I don’t have a recycling bin, so I can’t recycle.” Sometimes I would use a recycling bin at a store I was at, with emphasis on sometimes. Now, the idea of “Going Green” is taking a strong hold of my conscience, and when I look around I think about how much waste can be recycled. When I am at a store I seek out a recycling bin. If the store doesn’t have any recycling bins I wonder: “Why doesn’t this store recycle?” I find myself grimacing when I toss something in a trash can which is a far cry from my mentality a year ago. For me “Going Green” was, is, and will continue to be a process. Like many things in life change starts with a simple step. Whenever, I take on something new I tell myself: “You always got to start somewhere.”