Actively Green

In February 2015, the spotlight returned to the Vail Valley during the FIS World Alpine Ski Championships. This  event presented our community with a golden opportunity to elevate our sustainability performance, while further solidifying our reputation as a world-class tourism destination and event host.

Actively Green 2015, was an innovative community-driven program that transformed the Vail Valley into a globally-recognized sustainable destination which has evolved into an ongoing program.

Today, the Actively Green sustainable business training and certification program helps businesses:

  • Save Money
  • Become a Community Leader
  • Engage Employees
  • Become an Environmental Steward
  • Fuel Economic Development
  • Increase Marketing Power, Attract More Customers

Vail Public Library earned its certification in 2015 and continues to implement changes to become more sustainable. We have implemented more recycling procedures, including going to an online registration form instead of paper, recycling bins in all public areas and composting in all staff areas. We frequently evaluate our procedures and strive to make more sustainable choices where available.  

 

At Vail Public Library, we always care of our patrons and the little ones who join us for Story Time in the kids area, and we understand your concern during the flu season.
We recently purchased a product for the cleaning and disinfection of items in the children’s area called:

Turn common tap water (O2) into highly oxygenated water (O3).  Reduces 99.9% of common pathogens. Goodbye germs. Goodbye dirt, Goodbye odors, Goodbye spending money on chemicals.  Hello, clean.  Hello, savings.  Hello, healthy!

The cell is in the head of the trigger bottle right before the solution exits the spray head.  This ensures we are making aqueous ozone the moment the user demands it by pulling the trigger and out comes aqueous ozone.  No matter if you use it in the morning, night, the next week or even the next month, you will still get the same concentration of killer solution.

10 min. before closing, Library Staff sprays the toys from the Kids Area (train set, blocks and puzzles) and let them air dry, so they can be ready to play for the next day. Avoiding the use of chemicals and and protecting your system and health.

 

d211810d-4eb9-485f-9b30-366ae577ff1fJoin Us! in protecting books & DVDs from rain & snow damage and Join Us! in our efforts to be Actively Green.  Vail Public Library strives to protect the environment, our facilities and our collection. As the only library in Colorado to receive the Gold Level Environmental Leadership Award, we focus our efforts to protect the community, the collection and the facility with green choices. Starting in Dec., the library will introduce a new environmentally friendly, reusable bag designed to protect our items from rain and snow damage. Join us in this effort and pick up a bag on your next library visit, or bring your own reusable bag .

 

Did you know…

Vail Public Library celebrated its 32th birthday in 2015. When the library was built in 1983 and first opened its doors in the current location we had the largest green roof west of the Mississippi River and employed many of the best-practice green design principles of the time, such as day-lighting, an earth-sheltered roof with a thermally efficient structure, and fantastic integration with and visual connection to the wonderful site. The library won the National Biennial AIA/ ALA award in 1985. In 2011, the original architects, Snowdon and Hopkins Architects, P.C., were again asked to help with a remodel and renovation. The renovation included a small addition for an elevator and a new enclosed stairway to the south, additional space to the existing community rooms and to the newly relocated staff area on the lower level. The project also included a complete interior remodel with ADA upgrades. To even further bolster its green credentials, some of the changes included upgrading all the lighting with new energy efficient fixtures meeting the State of Colorado’s Energy Code, Shaw LEED certified carpet square tiles, re-use of existing concrete pavers for the new walkways, and the re-use of the existing oak wood slat ceiling panels which were cleaned and adapted to fit the new interior layout. The paint was VOC free. The library, now over 30 years old, is still a leader in green design and an important and beautiful icon for the Town of Vail.


Vail Public Library in the News

http://www.vaildaily.com/news/14490093-113/actively-green-vail-sustainable

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