Clackamas County honors Sandy Public Library for sustainable business practices

The Sandy Public Library was recently recognized for excellence in recycling, waste prevention and sustainable operations with a BRAG (Business Recycling Awards Group) award, presented at a recent Sandy City Council meeting by Shannon Martin from the Clackamas County Office of Sustainability.

The Sandy Public Library showcases how public facilities are leading the way to manage resources efficiently while providing a valuable service to the community.  The library’s many sustainability programs and actions include:

·         Reusing an existing building for expansion of the library

·         Remodeling the site to LEED standards to maximize efficiency in building design and energy and water consumption.

·         Installing a solar PV system that generates enough power to meet its lighting needs.

·         Setting all printers to default double-side print to reduce paper use

·         Collecting hard to recycle items and taking them to a private recycler.

·         Purchasing recycled-content office paper

BRAG Awards go to Clackamas County businesses that recycle all relevant materials regularly, prevent waste with at least three ongoing activities, consistently buy recycled-content products, and demonstrate an on-going commitment to sustainable operations.

The Clackamas County Recycling Partnership is a cooperative of local garbage and recycling companies; the cities of Barlow, Canby, Damascus, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Molalla, Oregon City, Sandy, West Linn and Wilsonville and Clackamas County.

For more information, call Shannon Martin at 503-742-4458.