Super Eco

Photo credit: danjaeger, SXC

Gather round, good consumers of America ... Today, we'd like to urge you to reach into your wallet to pull out some plastic, for the good of our economy and the love of our environment. That's right: Super Eco is urging you to use your library card.

In an ironic turn of events, American libraries find themselves under the economic gun just as more Americans are turning to them for help finding jobs and filling in the gap now that retail bookstores feel like overpriced indulgences. The Philadelphia Library narrowly dodged closing in September when the Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill extending the library funding—a last-minute measure that only came about after the library was forced to announce the budget-related shuttering of every branch. Libraries across the nation are feeling a similar budgetary pinch.

At the same time, public use of libraries is climbing. Checkouts are up, use of job and employment reference materials has surged, computers boast waiting lines, and educational programs such as storytimes and lectures are more popular than ever. We need our libraries—and our libraries need us. Support yours while you still can.

More on libraries and greener ways of reading:

• Libraries test compostable corn library cards
• Be a greener bookworm with top ways to read sustainably
• Newspaper vs. internet: which is the greener choice?