Building A Sustainable Future

Earth Day is on April 22nd so this month we're talking about sustainability, reducing waste and recycling. Guest interviews include Joe DiRisi, Hamden's recycling coordinator; Rebekah Smith-Aldrich, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System; and Lorrice Grant of Haven's Harvest. We also have updates from the Seed Library and more!

Transcript

Michael Pierry  
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Hamden Library Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Pierry. And with me today is my fellow podcaster. Ryan Keeler. Say hello, Ryan. 

Ryan Keeler  
Hey, Mike.

Michael Pierry  
Hi. So because Earth Day is on April 22, we thought we'd focus on some local sustainability efforts. And so we thought, why not start by talking about some of the things we do right here at the library? Now, Ryan, since you work in Borrower Services, what's the sustainability looked like from there?

Ryan Keeler  
Well, there's a couple of things that we offer that people can take advantage of. For instance, we have Hamden Public Library bags for sale for $7, which definitely comes in handy now that plastic bags are out of the picture around here. People can also choose to forego the paper receipts for their checkouts. They can let whoever's at Borrower Services checking them out, they can let them know that they would prefer not to have the receipts and we can put a note in their record, and that would save some paper for sure. And we also offer a service called Shout Bomb where you can get text alerts, rather than email or phone calls, and that's also a digital method that forgoes the paper notifications.

Michael Pierry  
That's really cool. Yeah, we do a lot also in Technical Services to make sure our books last as long as possible. We reinforce the covers and repair the bindings, and we also replace the faded labels. So we do whatever we can to save books that we know are crucial to keep for a good collection. And I know that you -- similarly as part of your duties -- you do repairing of media. So that's also important, just making sure that our collection lasts as long as possible so that we don't have to let things go to waste. And of course, we also have our seed library, run by our wonderful volunteer Betsy Goldberg. Later on in this episode, Ariana will read an update about the seed library and some new gardening programs from Betsy, as well as the eventual construction of a rain barrel and butterfly garden at the Brundage Community branch library. So that's very exciting. Ariana also interviewed Lorrice Grant of Haven's Harvest, a wonderful organization that delivers food to those in need in the greater New Haven region and New London. And Ryan, you did two interviews for this episode. Right?

Ryan Keeler  
I did. I spoke with Joe DeRisi, who is the Recycling Coordinator here in Town of Hamden. He's also organizing the Earth Day event that's coming up on April 22. And I spoke with Rebekah Smith-Aldrich, who wears many hats. As you'll hear in the interview, she lays out all of her titles and work that she's doing, but essentially, she volunteers her time as a sustainability representative in the American Library Association.

Michael Pierry  
Awesome. So those are all coming up. But first, Mike Wheatley is positively champing at the bit to tell us about some of his favorite films. Let's listen.

Mike Wheatley  
My name is Michael Wheatley. And in addition to having worked at the Hamden Public Library for 17 years, I've been affiliated with Best Video Film and Cultural Center here in Hamden since 1985. It is spring. It might be obvious, but we always seem to have to be reminded that spring is a time for hope, and new life. The word Easter itself derives from the Germanic goddess of dawn, and celebrated during the spring equinox. In the spirit of the season, I offer the following film recommendations.

Did you know that the New York City Easter Parade still takes place on Fifth Avenue, around 49th to 57 streets in Manhattan from 10am to 4pm on Easter Sunday? Anyone can participate. The event in 1945 was celebrated by a film called "Easter Parade". In this lavish musical Broadway star Don Hewes, played by Fred Astaire,  hurt his dancing partner Ann Miller goes solo and Don declares that he can make a hit performer out of the next dancer he sees. This turns out to be an inexperienced chorus girl Hannah, played by Judy Garland, who bristles as Don tries to make her in to his old partner, but as he realizes that he's falling in love with Hannah, Don knows that he must let her grow into her own kind of dancer if he wants her to reach her full potential. This is one of the great MGM classic backstage musicals starring Fred Astaire -- who instead of retiring replaced Gene Kelly, who had broken his leg before production -- Judy Garland and the amazing Ann Miller and her first MGM musical. Pay attention to the Oscar winning score by four-time Oscar winner, Johnny Green, and the Irving Berlin classic in your Easter bonnet, sung by Judy Garland, it's a fun holiday treat.

I think the story is familiar, but in this unfortunately neglected 1998 DreamWorks animated retelling of The Book of Exodus, the "Prince of Egypt", Egyptian Prince Moses -- voiced by Val Kilmer -- upon discovering his roots, as the Jewish slave embarks on a quest to free his people from bondage. When his plea is denied by his brother Ramses -- played by Ralph Finnes -- the new pharaoh, a series of horrific plagues strike Egypt. Moses finally leads the Israelites to freedom by parting the Red Sea and drowning the Egyptian army. God then gives Moses the 10 commandments, a list of rules for his people to live by. Music by Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz.

From a suggestion by one of my fellow podcasters and in honor of Earth Day, I present "FernGully: the Last Rainforest", a 1992 independent animated film. the magical inhabitants of a rainforest fight to save their home, which is threatened by logging and polluting force of destruction, called Hexxus. An interesting discovery I made about Robin Williams and some of the Disney Studios' darker sides. I quote from Wikipedia: "the film marked Robin Williams first animated role with the character Batty Koda being created specifically for him. Williams provided 14 hours worth of improvised lines for the part, which had been originally conceived as an eight minute role. Director Bill Kroyer was so impressed with the voice work he ended up tripling the screen time given to the character. Williams went on to provide the voice of Genie in Disney's "Aladdin" later that same year, receiving critical acclaim. Williams had already signed to voice Batty Koda before being approached to do "Aladdin". Jessie Katzenberg, then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, tried to force Williams to withdraw from "FernGully" on the grounds he did not want him voicing two animated characters around the same time, but Williams refused. According to Wayne Young, Disney repeatedly interfered with the production of "FernGully", twice, taking over spaces that producers had rented by offering to pay more. When the producers eventually set up a studio and a former brewery. In the San Fernando Valley, Disney attempted to purchase it."

In "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" from 1986 Ferris Bueller --Matthew Broderick -- has an uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it and tending to make one last duck out one glorious spring day before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, borrows a Ferrari and embarks on a one day journey through the streets of Chicago. On Ferris's trail is high school Principal Rooney -- played by Jeffrey Jones -- determined to catch him in the act. Directed by John Hughes, in addition to Broderick, this great 80s comedy stars the beautiful Mia Sara as Ferris's girlfriend and Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey as his sister.

in honor of the upcoming end of March Madness, I highly recommend "Hoosiers", where failed college coach Norman Dale -- played by Gene Hackman -- gets a chance at redemption when he is hired to direct the basketball program at a high school in a tiny Indiana town. After a teacher Barbara Hershey persuaded star player Jimmy Chitwood to quit and focus on his long neglected studies, Dale strong struggles to develop a winning team in the face of community criticism for his temper and his unconventional choice of assistant coach: Shooter, played by Dennis Hopper, a notorious alcoholic. Release in 1986, it was directed by David Anspaugh, who also directed another based on a true life sports story, "Rudy" with Sean Astin. "Hoosiers" was selected for the National Film Register by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Finally, a very personal film for me. In the 1980s, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina. I remember when I first arrived riding buses and hearing a strange dialect, which I later learned was Gullah, a mix of Creole, English, and West African languages. I have since forgotten so much of what I learned of Gullah but in Julie Dash's amazing film, "Daughters of the Dust", I can experience it again. At the dawn of the 20th century, a family and a Gullah community in coastal South Carolina. Former West African enslaved people who adopted many of their ancestors' Yoruba traditions suffers a generational split. Young Haagar -- Kaycee Moore -- wants to move to the main debt -- mainland--  away from tradition bound matriarch Nana -- Cora Lee Day. Former prostitute Yellow Mary -- Barbara-O -- gets a cold shoulder when she returns to the island with her female lover, especially from her sister, Viola -- Cheryl Lynn Bruce. This is a low budget piece of love and art set in the islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. It has won many awards, and this spring is my choice to represent hope and new life.

It is an honor this year for yours truly to be asked to judge for the 13th annual Latino and Native American Film Festival at Southern Connecticut State University. I have been watching submissions from around the world. Even Antarctica is represented. The festival will run this month between April 13 and 28th. The website is lanaff.org. Check it out.

Ariana Davis  
My name is Arianna Davis and I work as a library page at Hamden Public Library. I also have the privilege of being a contributor for our Hamden Public Library Podcast. I'm delighted to interview today, Miss Lorrice Grant. Miss Grant is the director of operations for Haven's Harvest, a nonprofit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut. She has a background in culinary arts, a bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics studies, and has been working in underserved communities for more than 12 years. She is a New Haven County native and is passionate about community building, providing healthy food for the community and being part of the solution of food going to waste in our state. Thank you so much, Miss Grant for joining me today.

Lorrice Grant  
You're welcome. It's my pleasure.

Ariana Davis  
So my first question for you is for our listeners who may not be familiar. Can you please share the mission of Haven's Harvest, as well as story behind the founding of the organization?

Lorrice Grant  
Yes, absolutely. The mission of Haven's Harvest is to build community and reduce food waste one food rescue at a time. It's very important for the people at Haven's Harvest to make sure that they're responding to our environmental crisis in some way. Our organization got started -- the idea that started about seven years ago with the founder, Lori Martin. She is a busy mom, and she wanted to encourage her son to do something that would be helpful for the environment. And she told him, go to Trader Joe's and ask them what they're doing with their food and 7 years later, we are picking up from that grocer, as well as many other places, seven days a week, from seven in the morning until about eight or nine pm at night. So last year, we recovered a million and a half pounds of food. And we're hoping to do more this year.

Ariana Davis  
Wow. That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that story, and giving us more information about the start of the organization and the work that you're continuing to do. My second question is: your work model is structured by three specific programs; food recovery, food advocacy, and product development. Can you please explain the details of these programs, and how they individually contribute to the outworking of your mission?

Lorrice Grant  
Yes, our food recovery, it's our mission to find out where there's excess food that would otherwise go to waste, and where are the closest mouths to eat that food? So we look for places that have large concentrations of food, like universities, big box, grocery stores, and places that don't have a place to distribute food, that is still good, healthy food to eat. We look for nonprofit partners, daycares, senior centers, people that are congregating in large groups that can easily be shared out in the community. And as far as product advocacy, we look to advocate, it helped change law and policy so that it's easier to donate food and people don't have to be concerned about if they're going to be sued, or if there's going to be a problem with donating foods. And the laws in Connecticut truly support people being able to donate food to organizations like Haven's Harvest and other food recovery organizations so that that food can be shared. That's important because environmentally, leftover food creates greenhouse gas emissions, that affects most of the people that we're trying to help that are suffering with food insecurity. So we want to do pretty much a dual duty so that the food can get shattered in areas, in organizations with -- that are in areas that normally create the most harm if there was a climate event.

Ariana Davis  
Thank you for explaining that and going into detail. I'm sure that's a question that many people wonder, with food and quality of food that a store or perhaps a business is not able to offer. What are they able to do with that leftover food? Does it go to waste? Now we see how beneficial the work of Haven's harvest is and repurposing that food and keeping it within the community so it can benefit those who are in need. 

Ariana Davis  
My next question is the welcoming of spring and the fast approaching celebration of Earth Day provides a foreground for conversations on sustainability and environmentalism. What is the relationship -- which you did allude to in your previous question -- what is the relationship between food and environmental justice, and the impact of climate change on agriculture and food supply?

Lorrice Grant  
The correlation is a delicate dance. You know, we have food and it takes so much energy and so many gallons of water and use of landmass and then trucks to drive food around from stores and places. And even all of the energy it takes to cook and prepare the food. And 40% of the food that we prepare in the United States is going to waste and going into landfills or in Connecticut into incinerators, which affects the environment. The greenhouse gas emissions that are generated from the wasting of food, and the burning and incineration of leftover food is causing health disparities in certain neighborhoods, creating a lot of greenhouse gas emissions and co2 in the air. And that's why we're passionate about taking that food that would otherwise go to waste and giving it to people that could really need it. You know, in Fair Haven, almost 50% of the people in Fair Haven section of New Haven are food insecure, and it's ridiculous for us to throw food away and pollute their neighborhoods when they can eat the food and the fruits would go to good use. And we're not talking about just bread, but we're talking about produce and fruits and vegetables. Protein items like meats. So we get food that might be at the last stage and get it on to dinner tables tonight. And we're very careful about making sure that food is handled well. So that people are safe, and feel comfortable donating the food, and also eating and enjoying the food with their families.

You know, we feel like a lot of the communities that are affected by food insecurity, especially black and brown communities are very people that don't have any say in the environmental problem of food being wasted. So we target those those people first, as for sharing the food, because we want them to have the good food, because it's healthy for them, it's good for their health. And it's better for their environment, if we're able to save that food from going into the waste stream.

Ariana Davis  
We really see how poignant, the work through Haven harvest is for for our local community. In addressing not only the physical and environmental needs, that we we see and that are apparent, but also the social needs as well. So thank you for forgiving us those details and providing the information. My next question, it's a perfect segue. Our previous questions a perfect segue into this question. Can you please explain how supporting food sustainability also addresses the crisis of food insecurity on a local and national level?

Lorrice Grant  
Yes, we partner with Food Rescue Hero who use their app and their technology. So nationally, we have partners that are Food Rescue Hero, organizations that nationally want to make an impact on food insecurity by taking the food that would otherwise be gone to waste, or throw it away and share it with people that could really use it. You know, locally, we like I said, we target areas where there are many people congregating seniors, people at daycares. And we don't have questions that other people have. We're not asking people to fill out a questionnaire or fill out a lot of information. You know, we don't have any qualms about sharing food with everyone. Because at any given moment, any one of us could be food insecure. You know, if you're living and you're working hard to take care of your families, you know, you never know the person sitting next to you at a desk, and they're all dressed up working their jobs. You never know whether they had breakfast today, or they have anything for dinner tonight. But they're doing the best they can to care for their families. And maybe they have to make hard choices like, well, am I going to pay for housing costs, or energy costs or transportation to get to work or having a meal. So we don't, we try to de stigmatize the fact that people need food and food sharing, and make it so that food is good for everyone. We say anybody with a mouth deserves that food, because it's good food. And we cover food as a community resource. 

So we try to share the food with many people that could use it from all walks of life, because we want everyone to feel good about sharing this food. It's a resource, this is -- this food would otherwise be thrown away, and tearing up our environment. So eat the food, it's great food. We can do almost a banquet every single day on the food that we get. We get pans of cooked food that otherwise people wouldn't know what to do with and they're grappling at the end of the day, you know, to share out the food. When we show up at Yale University to their kitchens and their their campuses, their cooks are so happy that we're going to take that food and do something good with it. No one wants to go to work and work over a hot stove all day preparing gorgeous meals, and then think that that food is going to go into the trash after their hard work, after all the energy and all the money spent to create those meals. So that the morale of the staff is so lifted, because then they know that food is going to go to families and people in the community that can really use the food. So it's a win-win all the way around.

Ariana Davis  
Wow. Thank you for providing that insight and information about not only the -- some of the companies that that provide you with the resources that are then redistributed. But really the benefit, again, to emphasize is the benefit to the community, addressing the needs environmentally as well as socially. And really helping those who are in need within the community. My last question is how can our listeners and other interested members and organizations within the community connect with, support, and/or volunteer for Haven's Harvest?

Lorrice Grant  
That's an excellent question. I would love to direct any interested listeners that would love to volunteer or partner with Haven's Harvest to go to our website at HavensHarvest.org. We're happy to have a page for you to sign, up for you to donate. You know, funding food rescue organizations is a little bit tricky. So, people always think that we're well funded by the state in the city, and we're actually grappling to get the state in the city to support our work. Because even though we we recover three times the amount of food as the busiest pantry in New Haven, it's hard to get the city of New Haven, or even some of our other partners to fund our work. So funding our work is one of our challenges and we really would appreciate some support with that. We have a host of volunteers that do volunteer work, but without workers to be able to direct the volunteers and create -- still create partnerships with the donor sites, and manage the nonprofit recipients sites. Because if a food comes up, available for recovery, it's a quick turnaround with the food. You have to figure out where's it going. Where's, where's the closest place that has a group of people that can use this food? What type of food? because different organizations can't take the same items. So there's a lot that goes into making sure this food is recovered, is then safely handled, and brought to the right party to be shared. So we would love to have more volunteers, more partners that would like to donate, and also more advocates to help go to the state capitol with us and work on the laws and the legislation to make sure that these laws stay in place, and that people can continue to benefit from the work of Haven's Harvest.

Ariana Davis  
Well, thank you so much Miss Grant, not only for the privilege of your time today, but for all that you, the employees, and the many volunteers and partners that you have under Haven's Harvest. We thank you for all that you do each and every day to benefit the environment, but also to address social and other important needs within our local community. We thank you again.

Ryan Keeler  
This is Ryan with the Hamden Public Library, and joining me today is Rebekah Smith-Aldrich, and I'm gonna have Rebekah introduce herself now.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
Sure. Hey, Ryan, I am the Executive Director of the mid Hudson library system in New York. That's a cooperative Public Library system that helps 66 public libraries, go further and do better. And then I have kind of, that's my day job. And then I do a lot of volunteer work both with something called the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, of which I'm the co founder and board president. And with the American Library Association, I do a lot of work to help libraries connect with the new core value of sustainability. So I wear a couple of different hats. But I met you thanks to a course we did at the American Library Association.

Ryan Keeler  
Yeah, so it was an important course that I was really looking forward to, and I'm glad that I took it. And it led me to meeting you, which is great. And why don't we start with talking about sustainability as an ALA core value?

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
Yeah, it's pretty exciting. Actually. It's like the newest core value that's been added to the American Library Association's list for libraries in several decades. And I think it was really brought upon by the urgency that was being felt around the work with the sustainable development goals and the acknowledgement by some leaders in our world, that we need to do more faster to combat climate change, and really think differently about our economy, and how we treat the environment and some of the key things that have to get done. It really indicated that we all need to embrace the responsibility to do work in this area. And so thinking about how to mobilize an association with 55,000 members to A, understand what we're talking about and how systemic the issue of climate change is, and then help them see how libraries are going to play a role in that has been, really, a seven year effort on my part to help introduce that topic, get support for it, and then start to educate folks in our profession about what this looks like. Because I think while we have a lot of really like minded folks in our profession, we didn't have everyone pulling in the same direction on climate action. And libraries are super influential in their communities, on campuses and in schools. And if we could get every librarian in the country thinking about climate action, that would be a really powerful thing, with not only short term immediate effects that would be positive for communities, but I think long term generational effects of helping to educate new generations that are coming forward about how the world works, and the need for attention to climate action. So having it positioned as a core value of our profession meant that it gets kind of embedded in the education of library professionals, it gets talked about at the association level. So as a professional association, we're trying to lead by example, by running conferences that are carbon neutral and thinking differently about how the association invests its money to make sure it's around for the long haul. So we're trying to lead by example, at the association and then inspire library folks on the frontlines of our communities to think differently about what their role is in climate action. So that's been the goal of having it named as a core value of the profession. And it's taken a little while, but I think we're getting some traction on the issue now.

Ryan Keeler  
Yeah, now we and now we have the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, which was the organization that partnered with the ALA to develop the sustainable librarianship course, can you talk a little bit about that organization?

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
Yeah, so it's obviously a passion of mine. And, you know, we're talking with a lot of friends here in New York that I work with in the library world and from different parts of the state. And we were talking about how concerned we were about climate change, and how there was really no clear direction for libraries and what to do. And we started to come to the conclusion that we just couldn't wait for some organized body or government or IMLS -- the Institute of Museum and Library Services -- to tell us what to do. And we could maybe come up with some ideas on our own, because we're smart people. And we've worked in libraries a long time. And so through the New York Library Association, we convened a retreat with 25 like minded library people, just volunteers who got together to think about this stuff. And as a result, we decided that progress was more important than perfection. And we started brainstorming about what library professionals might need to do better work in this area. And we came up with some ideas and decided to create something called the Sustainability Initiative, which has evolved now into a national project called the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. So over the past eight years, we've built tools. So educational components and communities of practice for library professionals who want to do interesting work and climate action and more maybe organized work in climate action. And then we've created something called the Sustainable Library Certification Program, which really methodically walks people through all the work in libraries from policymaking, you know, the behind the scenes stuff, the public doesn't really understand what it takes to run a library from developing collections and designing programs and all that stuff that goes on behind the scenes, so that when we produce the forward facing things like programs, and collections and partnerships, they're all going in the right direction when it comes to climate action, whether that be reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or helping our communities be more resilient in the face of climate change. So it's a passion project. As I mentioned, we're all volunteers. And we have been for many years, we don't make any money off of the work. But we have a new fiscal sponsor that now supports a paid staff person that helps us with the work, which is great. So we have over 70 public libraries across the country doing work and the certification program. We have an academic program for the academic libraries that are starting later this year. And we have a school librarian program that's specific to New York, that uses the well it uses some frameworks we have here in New York to help school librarians be successful, but overlaid with the idea of sustainability and climate action and integrating that into curriculum and student activities. So we're really trying to think about the influence of librarians in their world and where they sit in organizations and how they can behave as if their job is a climate job. Because we really all need to embrace that idea that we all have to do something and we better start doing it in a collective way. If we're going to have a difference on the timeline that will matter.

Ryan Keeler  
Right, absolutely correct. And during the course that I had taken with you, you touched on specific characteristics of sustainable libraries. So I wanted to run through those and have you talk about the four -- there are four of them. And the first one is strong and authentic institutions.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
Yeah, I'm a firm believer -- you know, I spent 25 years as a library consultant before I became the Executive Director here at Mid-Hudson. And so what that meant was thinking about how to make sure libraries are around for the long haul, right? Libraries are really important to democracy, to lifelong learning, to creating community and various settings. And we really need to think from the inside out that we ourselves as institutions, from how we run our buildings, how we treat our staff, how we purchase things, that all needs to be done with an eye toward sustainability, if we're going to be successful and authentic and work in our community. So the first tenant of sustainable libraries is to think about how you do this work from within, how do you take personal responsibility and professional responsibility and spend the money that has been entrusted in our organizations in a way that respects the work that has to get done to be impactful on the climate action front. So that's the first tenet of sustainable libraries is you need to be strong as an institution, because you need to be here because your work is essential. And you have to be authentic and how you carry out that work. And that's really what the sustainable library certification program speaks to you of how to build policies and budgets and collections that really are going to underpin the work that needs to happen in our communities.

Ryan Keeler  
Right. And the second is a catalyst for social cohesion and civic participation in communities.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
Yeah. So you know, sustainability and climate action are really complicated issues. And the more you learn about it, the more overwhelming it can feel, right? From, you know, reading the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and realizing their 17 categories of work, or trying to really untangle the kind of legacy of our economic choices over decades, if not centuries, that have led us to this point in climate change. And a lot of times, it means people just kind of shut down and don't do the things they're supposed to do. Or they can become factionalized in the conversations and get distracted by politics or their way of life and their life experiences. And it's been interesting over really, at this point now, 12 years that I've been doing work in this area, at the end of the day, honestly, one of the most important things is that we have respect, empathy, and understanding for each other. Because if we can gender [sic] that in our communities, we're more likely to work together to solve problems, like climate change, that are caused by climate change. So for libraries to position themselves and own the idea that part of our work is not just about being educators, but bringing people together to learn together and have more -- let's say it again -- empathy, respect and understanding for each other, and strengthen the social fabric of our communities, we're more likely to find people that are understanding of the challenges that might look different from neighborhood to neighborhood or house to house, and then maybe think a little broader, not just about themselves, but about the entire community as we make decisions about where resources go, where emphasis needs to be. So social cohesion is about bringing people together so their work together better. And civic participation is asking people to pay attention, to understand what's going on, and how it's going to impact not just you and your family, but the entire community. And really educating yourself not only as a voter, but perhaps as a participant in our democracy, whether at the local, regional, or you know, higher levels. And we need more people participating that are really educated about what's happening in our world today. And libraries can be impactful in both those areas.

Ryan Keeler  
And we hope to be impactful in those areas for sure. And the third one is working on climate mitigation, which is essentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
And this is kind of the traditional climate action. Like when you ask someone what does climate action mean? We're talking about trying to turn the tide with climate change, right. And the number one thing we can do is reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So we can stop super heating the Earth, which is creating the severe weather or droughts or flooding all of this crazy weather that we're experiencing, in addition to the other really dire effects of climate change. And, you know, I think it's something that when you look at the data from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies that have studied this for so long, when you look at the emissions and where they come from, it's human driven, it's the built environment, it's transportation, its food production, or waste cycles. So as we think about the choices we make about our buildings, whether they're existing or we're building new, of how we choose to move ourselves and stuff around this globe, that's where we can have some of the biggest impact.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
So we want to see libraries modeling good behavior in this area, that they are producing or managing more energy efficient buildings that they're transitioning to renewable energy, that they're helping to support the infrastructure for electric vehicles. Libraries are a great place to locate electric charging for electric vehicles. So we really want libraries to see see the need for that work and prioritize it in their facility planning and the choices they're making about the built environment that they are responsible for, and maybe becoming kind of a living laboratory for people in the community too. Learn from like, oh, that's what that looks like, or why did you make that choice and, and explaining to people why these things matter in the face of climate change. So I think that's an important thing for libraries to prioritize and to help their communities connect with.

Ryan Keeler  
Right. And well, we want to use mitigation efforts to reduce or lessen the effect of warming, there's a certain amount of climate change that is baked in. And that's where this next one comes, is active participants and climate adaptation. Yeah.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
And this is something -- and I know you're very familiar with the United Nations work in this area on climate change and sustainability. But you know, in 2014, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, they changed the tone of how they talked about climate change and the impact it was going to have. And what really caught my eye was that they started not just saying, you know, "We have to save the earth", when it came to climate change. They started saying, "You know what, this is obviously going to be bad, we can't stop it completely. We need to start thinking about saving human lives, not just saving the Earth, but saving ourselves". And so as we start to think about climate adaptation, what we're really talking about are two things, which is community resilience -- how resilient is a community to work together to prepare in advance of severe weather or disruption that's caused by climate action -- but also finding justice in that work, and making sure that we're not just using traditional emergency management methodologies for preparation or recovery in the aftermath of severe weather events that are supercharged by climate change. That we have to consider whether it be you know, the equity of our solutions, are we truly considering, you know.

I like to use the example of hurricanes, which is something that's impacted us here in the Northeast. And a lot of times, it'll be an evacuation order for people who live in the coasts or in the mountains, and you have to think, like, not everyone has a car. Not everyone has easy or affordable access to leave the area and flee that weather. So our our preparations in the face of what's coming, really taking into consideration all of the different life experiences of the folks who live in our communities. And can libraries help to amplify the voices of folks that maybe have been marginalized in these conversations in the past, or to help convene conversations that address some of these issues in a way that brings more justice into the work of adaptation, because adaptation is going to take a lot of different forms, whether it be you know, preparing for more severe weather disruptions in our food supply.

I know, I sound like apocalyptic here, but I think you can't deny when you see the kinds of effects in different parts of the country of what's going on here. We're talking about major disruption to human life here in the next few decades. And it's just going to get more intense. So how well can we work together? How prepared are we? And what's the role libraries are playing in that work, because we are well positioned to help with that?

Ryan Keeler  
Yes. And I really wanted to include the role of libraries and his discussion on climate and sustainability. And I'm so glad that you were able to join and I hope that everyone listening is able to take something away from this. So thank you so much, Rebekah, for doing this.

Rebekah Smith-Aldrich  
I'm happy to Ryan. It's a pleasure to be invited. And thank you for the work you're doing on this front as well.

Ariana Davis  
Hello, my name is Arianna Davis, and I'm a library page here at Hamden Public Library. For April 2020, today's podcast episode, I had the privilege of interviewing Miss Betsy Goldberg, certified Connecticut Master Gardener and coordinator of Hamden Public Library seed library. I encourage you to listen to the interview to learn more about this unique and special collection, its inception, details of how it works, and helpful resources for the new as well as the seasoned gardener. Listen in for a special update from this collection's curators. The seed library and Miller library is restocked with vegetable herb and flower seeds, which will be available through mid June. There has been a lot of activity already and interested gardeners will benefit from selecting their seeds early. They had hoped to have more flower seeds, but this year they seem to be in short supply, so donations are welcomed. Many summer crops are ready to be sown inside now so they can get a head start in the garden once the soil warms up. A few others can be sown directly in the garden in March. Others do best by being so directly into the warm late spring soil. While there is some flexibility as to planting dates, the planting calendar available on almanac.com is a helpful resource for garden planning. When selecting seeds from the seed library, please be kind in only take the amount you need. each packet can often be shared with several gardeners, which spreads the impact of our seed collection throughout the community.

There are many upcoming events and programs to look forward to. On Wednesday, April 19, from 6:30pm to 7:45pm, Brundage community library will be hosting a "Construct a Rain Barrel" program, with Frank Panzarrella a Community and Environmental activist who advocates for lower electric rates and promoting renewable energy, particularly solar and wind technology. For the past several years, Frank has promoted the use and distribution of free rain barrels with the assistance of the WPCA and the New Haven Bio Regional Organization. At this program, you will learn about the benefits of rain barrels, including how to conserve rainwater for your yard, as well as your lawn and many other outdoor uses. You will also be able to construct your own rain barrel with a kit that will also be provided for registration is required, and can be done by visiting our library programs page at HamdenLibrary.org.

Looking out even further ahead, on Wednesday, June 7, from 6pm to 7:30pm, Brundage Community library will be hosting an in person workshop on container gardening. Brundage Community library will also be celebrating the upcoming construction of a rain barrel and butterfly garden with an evening festival. On Thursday, August 3. Several environmental organizations will be on hand. More details will follow as a special event approaches. To stay connected and find the latest information on programs, resources, and much more, please visit the Hamden Seed Library page, which can be found under the Special Collections heading in the Books and More tab at HamdenLibrary.org. you can also subscribe to receive email updates from HPLSeedLibrary@gmail.com. Thank you for participating in this library initiative.

Ryan Keeler  
This is Ryan with the Hamden Public Library podcast and joining me today is Joe DeRisi. He's the Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator for the town of Hamden. How's it going, Joe?

Joe DeRisi  
Okay. I think we're all set.

Ryan Keeler  
Yeah, it's great to have you, you were on last year as well discussing similar topics. And we're gonna get to some of the events that are coming up in town towards the end of this discussion. But I wanted to start with having you explain the recycling process, like what happens after the bins are picked up.

Joe DeRisi  
Okay, so we have, of course, what's called single stream recycling, for our household, packaging and whatnot. And the materials that are put into the blue bins are picked up by our hauler. Same folks who pick up the trash. But the recycling goes to its own facility, which is in Berlin, Connecticut. In fact, it's separated into different types. And then depending upon what what item we're talking about, that material is sold to another vendor. And that's, that's the very simple explanation of how it works. It's picked up and brought to Berlin, and it's sorted into different components.

Ryan Keeler  
With single stream recycling, there's quite a bit of material that can be put into the bins, what items can people feel confident that ended up being recycled?

Joe DeRisi  
Well, let me start with one item that shouldn't go into the blue bin, but can, which is your containers that have a deposit. So if you have a water bottle that has a return, you know, returnable one, you can bring that to the reverse vending machine and get your money for it. And those systems are changing, and the recycling per unit is going to go up, and more containers hopefully will be included in that. Because if you bring those containers for your deposit, they are handled separately, and the quality of the plastic that they get from those bottles is better than what you get when you put it into the blue container. So the bottom line is, even though you're getting paid for that bottle, there's more money on the other end if you put it in there because it's -- For one thing, it's cleaner, because people tend to put cleaner things in there, and it's much more consistent, because the bottles that have deposits on them are certain types of plastic. Right? And once you put that deposit bottle into your blue bin, it gets mixed with all the other kinds of plastic, so it decreases its value. So that's one thing that you shouldn't put in, unless you have to. 

As far as items that go into the blue bin, the so to speak easiest ones to recycle include cardboard, and paper. Back years ago, the ratio of cardboard and paper to other recyclables was higher, which made it easier to, in general, to recycle. We now have a lot more, shall we say, a complicated recycling stream because we have packaging, and we have a lot more cans and bottles, and especially plastic in comparison to to paper and cardboard. So paper and cardboard tend to have more value, but we have less of that in the waste stream than we used to. And we can get into the issues about plastic and things. So the best thing to do for single stream recycling is put the items in there that are supposed to be. And for an example of keeping -- it's, sometimes it's hard to know exactly what should go in, and what shouldn't. Those things change sometimes, but there actually is a website, RecycleCT.com. And that has the current list of items, if you will, that's supported by the state. So if you ever have to check an item, you can go there. But the main thing is, we don't want to put things that contaminate the load, because in the worst case, putting what's -- for example, if you put broken glass into the blue container, that could contaminate an entire load, if there's enough of it, because it's hard for them to separate it back out. And it's not safe. Because when that --when the recyclables go to Berlin, they're actually put on a conveyor and they're sorted, both by optical scanners and by people by hand. So it's important not to put things into the blue bin that shouldn't go in there. And in fact, it's better if you have a doubt about whether it should should go in, it's better to not recycle it and to throw it away than it is to put it in.

Ryan Keeler  
And now taking a step away from the recycling and more into the overall waste generation. How can people find ways to kind of minimize that waste generation?

Joe DeRisi  
Well, there's a number of ways and the best, but perhaps the most difficult is to buy things with less packaging. You know, one way to do that is to buy in bulk. Another way is to just pick your products, because a lot of them are just packaged differently. And there's a lot more options now to buy things in packages that are compostable. But you have to look at what you're buying and be careful about it. Another way is to when it comes to food, for example, is to buy smarter, so you're not wasting food, manage your food better in the refrigerator and how you use it. A surprising amount of food gets wasted because we don't utilize it. We buy it and then we throw it away. So that's an important step. And that's especially true, like, in restaurants and stores where there's really a program now to minimize food waste. And another thing you can do, of course, is you can compost food waste at home. Food waste can be over 20% of the total waste that we throw out. So if you can manage to get your food scraps, we've already saved 20%, right there, of our waste. Another way is to reuse things, bags, jars, clothing, whatever that may be, because all of those things tend to end up in the trash or recycling. And it costs a lot of money to recycle and to throw away trash. If you reuse things four or five times, you've just effectively reduced the cost of throwing things away. And then back to food, another -- another thing to do is garden. If you can raise some of your own food, it just eliminates the whole process of having to grow it in a large scale, faraway location and then transport it, which includes packaging and refrigeration and fuel to move it. So in theory, even if everyone produced 1% of their food that would have a huge impact overall.

Ryan Keeler  
And we've got a couple of relevant workshops on the horizon here in Hamden. So I wanted to give you the chance to talk about the composting and the recycling workshops that are coming up.

Joe DeRisi  
As part of the Earth Day celebration, which is April 22, we have of course, all of the activities on Earth Day, but this year we also have what I labeled as "off site events" that are in relation to Earth Day. And one of those is that at Brooksvale Park, there will be a workshop on composting on Saturday, April 15, from 12 to 2, and there will be someone there demonstrating their composting procedure. And residents can bring a pail and take compost -- finished compost -- back with them. And these are manure-based compost, so it's it's good stuff for your garden. That's one thing going on. There's also going to be a cleanup at West Rock Ridge State Park on the 15th, which is the Saturday before. We also have a recycling workshop, which is going to focus on, you know, what things can go into the blue container in which can't, so that would be a place to go to answer all of those questions. It's being put on by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and it's here at Miller Memorial Library on the 17th, at 7pm. We also have the Center for Eco Technology has grant money so that they can provide free consultations to businesses in town on energy use and recycling food scraps. The way that's going to work is you can sign up for a meeting with a consultant, and on April 25, they will set up appointments and come to your business and give you a free analysis about how you can save money and reduce your waste, both in terms of energy and trash and food waste, et cetera. We also -- if you don't make it to the recycling workshop on the 17th, the day after Earth Day on the 23rd, I will be talking about the same thing question and answer about recycling over at the Unitarian Society in Hamden at noon on the 23rd. We also have there is a film at Miller Library on the 18th, and the title is "A River Speaks". So those are just some of the off site events besides the Earth Day events themselves.

Ryan Keeler  
Alright, that's a lot of good stuff that hopefully people will utilize. And we're going to close out this discussion with the big event Earth Day 2023. The library will have a table there, so we will be represented. So I wanted to give you the opportunity now to kind of rundown what people should expect and why they should come and check it out.

Joe DeRisi  
Well, we -- I mean, there's there's two things about Earth Day, I think in general one is we hope people come and learn things about how we can better assist our environment. And also just to have a good time. So we have some just read a couple of things that are scheduled so far. We have at 11 o'clock. Kimberly Stoner will be talking about the Connecticut Environmental Rights Amendment. The mayor will be speaking at 11:30. We have environmental magic at noon. And we have birds of prey at one, and we have a rain garden tour at Town Center Park, and we're still working out the time on that. We also have all day the middle school clothing drive, the Quinnipiac Valley alpacas will be there. We tentatively have an electronics recycling truck coming. And we will have composting and recycling stations set up by the Center for Eco Technology. And let's see, we're also doing some extra what I call extracurricular activities this year, which includes a green scorecard, a scavenger hunt, and a recycling quiz. The scorecard is going to be a list of things that people can check off that are positive environmental steps. For example, using alternative transportation would be something that you check off on your green scorecard. The scavenger hunt we always do at Earth Day and we have questions that you have to find answers to at the various exhibitor tables, mainly geared towards younger folks. And we the recycling quiz is going to be an online quiz. And there is going to be prizes for people who complete answers. And we are still working on what some of those prizes are. Hopefully it will be sponsored by local Hamden businesses. So right now on Earth Day, we have some exhibitors signed up, we're still looking for more, and we are still looking for sponsors, because it's going to be a Town Center Park this year instead of inside the middle school. One of the things we're planning on doing is renting a large tent surface as a central point. And there's some of the events we have have costs attached to them. So local business sponsors are welcome. And you can this year actually do all of that online. If you go to the Hamden town website, and look under the earthday page, you will see links to exhibitor forums and sponsorship forms.

Ryan Keeler  
Excellent. It should be a great time. I know we look forward to seeing you there. And we hope that as many people listening will come and check it out should be educational, and a lot of fun and eerie. Joe, thank you so much for joining us today and running through these topics with us.

Michael Pierry  
No problem. Well, that's it for this episode of the Hamden Library Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. If you'd like you can drop us a line at HamdenLibraryPodcast@gmail.com. We always welcome your feedback. Next month, spring is in full swing, and we'll be talking about creativity in all of its many forms.