The SSL has signed up to Green Impact, an environmental accreditation and awards scheme run by the National Union of Students and coordinated here by the University’s Environmental Sustainability Team. The scheme involves completing specific actions in areas such as waste reduction, recycling and energy saving and builds on work done previously by SSL staff.

Steps that we have been taking to reduce our environmental impact are listed below along with ways that you can help, but what we would really like is for you to tell us your ideas for how we can green the SSL, particularly with regard to saving energy.  Please let us know by emailing ssl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, writing in the Comments Book on the Issue Desk or talking to library staff.

Steps we are taking to reduce our environmental impact:

• Using recycled paper in all our photocopiers & printers
• Sending used toner cartridges for recycling
• Switching off half the photocopiers in vacation when there is less demand
• Setting the copiers to go into low-energy ‘sleep’ mode after 15 minutes’ inactivity
• Setting PC monitor brightness as low as possible
• Enabling power saving plans on staff PCs
• Switching off our monitors when leaving our desks for more than a few minutes

How you can help:

• Recycle your paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and drinks cans using the labelled bins
• Think before you print – only print the pages you need
• Learn how to photocopy double-sided – it’s cheaper and saves paper.  See the instructions next to each machine or ask staff to show you how
• Enable power-saving features on your laptops and other devices
• Switch off electronic devices when not in use
• Switch off the lights when you leave the Discussion Rooms
• Bring a suitable bag to take your books away
• Buy an SSL cotton bag for £1.20
• Reuse Bodleian Libraries plastic bags or return to us for reuse
• Ask for cardboard covers instead of plastic when using our binding machine