Everywhere in the UMCG we try to take into account the consequences of our actions on the environment and climate as much as possible. At the Medical Library, we find making sustainable choices equally important, which is why we started Green Library. With this initiative we aim to make the Medical Library more sustainable, for example by placing stickers on the toilet buttons to save water, increasing awareness about optimal ventilation and heating in the office, and using sustainable catering in and around the library.

This library guide is also an initiative of Green Library. Do you have any questions or comments about this guide? Please let us know.

Do you have ideas on how we can make the Medical Library greener and more sustainable? Let us know!

Submit your idea(s) via this link, send an email to greencmb@umcg.nl, or put a note with your idea in our suggestions box at the library desk.

We thank everyone for sharing green ideas! 
Below you will find an overview of all suggestions we have received so far to make the Medical Library more sustainable. 
You can also see what actions we have taken:

 ongoing

Separating waste is the suggestion we received most often. The University Library has waste bins for different waste streams, so why don’t we have them at the Medical Library? We made inquiries about this and the good news is: new waste bins will be installed in the UMCG! A trial is currently taking place at the ERIBA research institute. If this is successful, bins will be placed throughout the whole Northpoint UMCG to collect waste separately.

done!

Green Medical Library helped to inventory which waste flows are most present in the library. Also, we have already installed more paper bins. At the initiative of student employees, a KWF collection point for plastic bottles has been placed in the hallway.

done!
An easy-to-implement tip that - we think - had a great effect was to place stickers on the toilet buttons that show the number of liters used for flushing. The small button uses 3 liters, the large button 6! In any case, we have noticed this makes us extra aware of our water consumption and we have received positive responses. Unfortunately, it is impossible to measure exactly how much water this saves, but we assume that it has an effect.
 

done!  

It has been decided across the UG (in 2022) to heat the buildings to a room temperature of 19ºC in winter. In summer, cooling takes place from 26ºC. These decisions have been made in order to save energy.

Because the temperature is centrally controlled, the most energy efficient approach is to leave the knobs in a fixed position. If the heating is turned up, the air conditioning comes on to cool the room back to 19 degrees! To create more awareness about this, Green Medical Library has placed information cards near the radiators in the office with the request not to turn the knobs and a few tips on how to be less cold at work. In the group rooms of the library, the radiator knobs are fixed so that they cannot be set higher than 2.

We received a suggestion to turn off the air conditioning in the winter, which seems the logical thing to do when it is not that warm to begin with. Unfortunately, we have no influence on this. It is, however, good to know that the air conditioning has two functions: cooling and dehumidifying. When humidity is high, for example when it snows or rains, the air conditioning will be turned on to reduce the humidity.

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A colleague from the facilities department walked a tour of the Medical Library and discovered that a lot of draft enters through the emergency exit. They are going to work on this!

done!  

Sustainability week was held at the UMCG from 9 to 13 October, and Green Medical Library contributed to this by putting our collection on Sustainable Healthcare in the spotlight. We showed a display in the Medical Library with physical books on the subject, including a poster highlighting our digital collection in the field of sustainability. We want to pay more attention to this in the coming year by further developing this library guide and poster, which we can show at events such as the next sustainability week.

done!  

One tip we received concerned deleting old emails, spam and documents to save energy. Inquiries revealed that the Green Team of the Communications department was already working on two articles: one about sustainable e-mailing and one about sustainable data storage at the UMCG. These articles appeared in the E-magazine of ‘Duurzaam UMCG’ (Sustainable UMCG) and are included in our library guide.

ongoing

Green Medical Library has provided input for these articles, paid attention to them on social media, and will investigate the possibility of paying more attention to this next year, if possible in cooperation with the IT department (IM-MIT).

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One of the suggestions we received was to 'make everything plant-based'. It is good to know that all catering available for order at the UMCG is completely vegetarian, with a large vegan offering. Since last year, a new caterer has been contracted who uses products from the region and opts for healthy, sustainable food.

The UMCG catering is used for activities in and around the Medical Library, such as (Christmas) drinks and Medical Library lunch sessions.

done!  

Another point that is taken into consideration as part of the Medical Library's business operations is the purchase of sustainable gifts. For example, when new colleagues join the team, a bouquet is ordered from a certified sustainable florist.

done!  

In 2023, we removed all disposable cups from our office kitchen and everyone switched to using their own mug or glass. A thermos flask is regularly filled with tea, so that it is no longer necessary for everyone to make individual cups of tea.

Good to know: from January 1, 2024, the use of 'plastic-containing, dimensionally stable disposable cups and containers' is no longer permitted in offices, companies and (healthcare) institutions in the Netherlands. Reuse of cups, tableware and packaging will become the new norm.

done! 

A suggestion was made to run the tap in the men's toilets for a shorter time.

It was also advised to repair a soap dispenser in the men's toilet. There was a delay in the soap dispensation, resulting in a lot of soap being wasted.

We reported both cases and it has been fixed.

done! 

We have taken this suggestion as a suggestion for the Green Team to delve deeper into these concepts, for which we thank the submitter of the suggestion.

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One of the tips submitted concerned placing a giveaway cabinet in the Medical Library. Students and employees who still have usable books, notebooks and desk accessories can place them here to make someone else happy.

We have already found a cabinet and will place it in the Medical Library soon. A sheet with usage rules and instructions will be attached, so that it is clear what the cabinet is and is not intended for.

ongoing

Several tips have been received about installing desk bikes, standing desks (sometimes in combination with a treadmill), or bicycles that generate electricity. We are currently investigating which different devices we can rent and what their advantages and disadvantages are.

We have already tested a 'chair bike' in our office, but came to the conclusion that it is not suitable for the Medical Library. The tables are too low, causing your knees to hit them while cycling. The combination with an office chair on wheels also appears to be inconvenient.

The next step is to find out whether placing a high table in (or outside) the Medical Library with a number of desk bikes is possible. We understand that exercise while studying is a good idea and are happy to look at the possibilities. We try to take the sustainability aspect of the equipment into account as much as possible and our preference is to rent rather than purchase.

ongoing

A suggestion was made to stop using paper receipts in reserved books. Instead, the suggestion was to let students collect the reserved books themselves and check them out with their student card. However, allowing students to borrow books themselves requires an investment in other (self-scanning) equipment. Given the number of books borrowed from the Medical Library, this is not desirable and also not a sustainable choice, due to the production of the equipment. Moreover, the amount of paper books that are being borrowed is decreasing, while more and more use is being made of the digital collection.

In the current situation, it is preferable that paper receipts continue to be used. This so that we are able to place the books in alphabetical order by the name of the borrower, and can keep track of the date on which the book became available (after two weeks, the book goes back on the shelf or to the next borrower). After a book has been loaned out, the personal information is cut off the paper and thrown away, so that the rest of the paper can be used as scrap paper by students.

A suggestion was also given to place the scrap paper (including that from the reserved books) in several places in the Medical Library, so that it is more visible to students. We think this is a good idea and we will also start placing scrap paper in the giveaway cabinet.

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It was suggested to reuse the RFID chips in the books after discarding of the books. The possibility of this will be discussed in the staff meeting.

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Several suggestions were made to reduce electricity use in the Medical Library, for example by using power strips to prevent standby power, or by switching off lights and PCs centrally after closing time and possibly (in part of the library) during quiet hours.

Completely cutting off the power to the PCs is currently not possible because the motherboards of the PCs require to have continuous standby power. However, all PCs and screens are turned off manually by the library staff around library closing time. The possibility of centrally shutting down the lamps and PCs will be investigated by the facilities department.

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Feminine hygiene products are currently available in the toilets next to the espresso bar. It is being investigated whether this can be expanded to the entire building. In case of emergency, hygiene products are also available at the Medical Library desk.

ongoing

A suggestion was submitted to hang birdhouses for different bird species and to install a (large) insect hotel. This is possible in the courtyard and the garden yet to be constructed next to the library office. We think this is a good idea and will investigate the possibilities.

 no (immediate) action possible

In the Medical Library we use printer paper with the EU Ecolabel, an FSC quality mark and the Nordic Swan certificate. It is produced CO2 neutral and is made from wood from sustainably managed forests.

From an environmental point of view it would be even better to use recycled paper. However, the RUG is responsible for the deals made regarding the supply of paper and we as Medical Library have no influence over this. The advice to use recycled paper has been passed on to the facilities department (via the manager of the library), so that this can be taken into account in a future deal.

 no (immediate) action possible

Research has been done into the possibilities of installing more windows or skylights. Unfortunately, this is not a possibility.

ongoing

We will investigate whether there are any options for improvements in lighting through the use of lamps.

 no (immediate) action possible

We discussed this suggestion in the staff meeting and understand that students would like to study quietly. However, the Medical Library is not a "silent study place" and talking at the desk must remain possible. Students looking for a quiet space can make use of the silent study area.

More study places will also be created in the new building (these won’t be silent study places, by the way).

 no (immediate) action possible

Although we like this idea, we don't think it is very suitable for the library. We recommend that students organize this themselves.

In the monthly meeting of the Green Medical Library team, the suggestions we have received are a recurring item on the agenda. We look at which ideas can be implemented immediately and which ones require more research or preparation first. Some ideas can only be implemented long-term or they are already in the pipeline, because another department is already working on them. Unfortunately, some ideas cannot be implemented at all, because they concern matters we cannot influence.