Libraries are amazing and special places. Our local library is in a small, dated building and I LOVE it. The only visual aspect that has changed over the decades is the card catalogues that have been replaced by computers. Admittedly, there have probably been many more changes but everything still looks and smells the same, and I've always felt like that inviting building is the heartbeat of our community.
A trip to the library can save you money and also world resources. According to the EPA, the U.S. uses approximately 68 million trees each year to produce paper products. We can reduce that number if we choose to borrow instead of buy. Live simply and be kind to our planet. Visit the library. Below is a list of services that most libraries offer, that will help you lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
You can check out your books instead of buying new ones and having Amazon send them to you in a box with extra packaging, and a few years from now you'll save yourself the chore of having to clean out your bookshelves. Unless you can't find the book you want at the library or it's one that you think you'll read more than once (let's be honest, how often does that happen?) then borrow your books from the library instead of buying new ones.
Another way to go it to skip paper books altogether and check out an audiobook. If it's an e-audiobook it can download straight to your phone and you don't even have to make a trip to the library. You can listen to it during your commuter, while you take a walk, or work out. They add a different dimension to the reading experience and they are the perfect solution for people, who struggle to read.
Books aren't the only resources your local library has:
Movies: if you’re wanting to have a cozy evening at home and catch up on some of the movies you have missed recently. Or maybe you want to see an old favorite, you have not seen in years. Don’t buy another movie, just check it out at the library.
Magazines: you don’t have to subscribe to magazines, that end up piling high in your home. Enjoy your preferred magazines at the library and maybe you will discover new ones you never knew existed.
Newspapers: enjoy local, state and national newspapers at your library. You can subscribe to them online or you can save the money and go to the library for an occasional special treat and enjoy a wide variety of newspapers from around the country.
Music: want to try out some new music without buying another CD or downloading something you are not sure you will enjoy? All you have to do is look at your library. They have a wide variety of music available.
Seed swaps! Local libraries sometimes have seed swap events that you can tae for your home garden with the promise of replacing them with some harvested seeds later in the season. Great way of saving money on veggie seeds!
Libraries are an amazing resource that our tax dollars pay for and we should all be taking advantage of everything they have to offer! Libraries are there to help you on your lifelong journey of learning in a more sustainable way. Why buy new? Share resources, save money, and borrow from the library!