« March 2008 | Main | May 2008 »

April 24, 2008

Greening the Library

Earth Day, which is now a 38-year old tradition, has become Earth Week, Earth Month, and maybe just Earth everyday. If the websites, fashion designers, authors, activists, corporations and “Green Issues” of every other magazine out there are to be believed, then Green is the new hip.

Environmental responsibility is just that: a responsibility. True stewardship isn’t just a passing fancy, and while it’s great that green is in, it isn’t a hot new label we should slap on everything to feel better about ourselves and our relationship with our planet. There are plenty of resources for going green in your daily life, for measuring and reducing your carbon footprint- the little changes that are doable and that make a difference. But how often do we get the chance to overhaul something big?

The New Darien Library is on track to being LEED Gold Certified- the third LEED certified library in New England (the first at the Gold level). The building’s heating and cooling system will be geothermal, the carpeting and paint will be low-VOC, the parking lot will have an underground reservoir to capture storm water so it doesn’t run off, and a bioswale adjacent to filter out contaminants. And of course, there are the dual-flush toilets.

So, green buildings are the hot new thing and the library is being trendy? Perish the thought. The New Darien Library is being built to stand the test of time. The slate roof is going on this week. Why slate? Well, it’s lovely to look at, but more importantly, it will last for at least 100 years. Large windows? They’re for “day-lighting,” which reduces the need for lights on all day long everywhere in the building. The new building is addressing the environmental concerns of today by being a building of and for the future. We’ll be sure to let you know when we’re loaning out solar-powered jet packs.

Posted by Kate at 04:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 14, 2008

Warmer Weather Means it's Time for Shorts!

And...we've got ours ready!

Have a look at our Darien Library shorts. These were created by John Blyberg, our clever, innovative and savvy "techie visionary." (Is that your official title, John?) We think these video shorts are cool, and thought you would, too!

Posted by BarbaraT at 04:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 02, 2008

On the March. Progress Continues!

As promised, here's the time-lapse video for March:

MARCH 2008

Posted by BarbaraT at 06:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack