The Round Lake Area Public Library is dedicated to creating a greener library and reducing its carbon footprint, with new additions and technological upgrades in many areas.
 

•     Rain barrel in the courtyard
•     Recent round of duct cleaning
•     Compost bin for staff
•     Programs and displays promoting green ideas
•     Kids' garden in the courtyard
•     Computers are on an automatic timer to shut down and start up.
•     We recycle ink cartridges at Office Max.
•     We use Better World Books to redistribute our discarded books.  Through this program we have saved 21 trees, 14,958 gallons of water, 2,961 lbs of greenhouse gases, 4,575 kwh of electricity, and 2 cubic yards of landfill space.
•     The Friends of the Round Lake Area Library sell donations and discarded books.
•     We recycle waste.
•     Reuse of office supplies
•     Occupancy detecting lights in certain offices and a policy of having lights off anywhere that is not occupied
•     Duplex printing on all staff computers, and reusing one-sided prints for scrap paper
•     Maintenance personnel use green cleaning products.
•     Auto-flush toilets in the public washrooms
•     Automatic faucets that shut off when there is no motion in front of them
•     Use of rags and cloths instead of paper towels whenever possible
•     Have a library van to carpool
•     Use of smaller slips, wrappers and applications to minimize paper use
•     Plants throughout the building to filter the air and add oxygen
•     Participate in SWALCO/Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe recycling program
•     The library replaced every light bulb and/or ballast with energy efficient equipment, significantly reducing our electricity use.
•     Wildlife habitat in the courtyard