For Immediate Release
August 25, 2025

Harrison Public Library is Certified Sustainable
The Sustainable Libraries Initiative recognizes Harrison Public Library
as a leader in sustainability.

Suffolk County, NY –August 25, 2025 – Harrison Public Library located in Harrison, New York has been designated as a Certified Sustainable Library through the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP).

For the past 2 years, the Harrison Public Library has committed itself to telling its sustainability story by working through over 200 benchmarks of the Sustainable Library Certification Program. 

“As Chair of the Harrison Public Library Board of Trustees, I am proud that our library has taken a meaningful step toward a more sustainable future by completing the Sustainable Libraries Initiative’s Certification Program,” said Randi N. Gray, Harrison Public Library Board President. “This decision reflects our commitment to environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic resilience in every aspect of our operations. Since beginning this journey, our staff and leadership have adopted a thoughtful and strategic approach to sustainability, guided by the conviction that libraries play a crucial role in shaping a better future.”

Harrison Public Library’s site management plan is detailed and specific, wholly focused on sustainability. Resultingly, the library has a variety of impressive indoor and outdoor spaces. Boosting community awareness on local flora, the library’s native plant landscaping initiative worked with community botanists to choose plants that do not rely on chemical fertilizers or heavy watering: supporting biodiversity and publicly demonstrating eco-friendly practices. 

Indoors, a tower garden grows a variety of healthy and delicious greens that patrons and staff are encouraged to harvest. Occasionally, products of their tower garden are delivered to local restaurants or the West Harrison Senior Center, with whom the library has a partnership that also provides various programs to the aging population such as concerts, craft events, holiday parties, and computer literacy courses. One such program, called “Cyber Seniors,” provided all 25 course completers with a free Chromebook and Wi-Fi hotspot.

"Through thoughtful planning, community investment, and the dedication of a diligent board and staff, the Harrison Library is building a stronger, more sustainable future—from stable finances and fair wages to diverse collections and responsible environmental practices,” said Jill Davis, the library’s SLI mentor and director of the Hendrick Hudson Free Library. “They should be proud to be a library that not only serves the present, but safeguards the future."

With this achievement, Harrison Public Library becomes the twenty-eighth public library to earn SLCP certification: an award-winning benchmarking system and community of practice designed to provide public libraries, academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians with exclusive resources and guidelines to become leaders in sustainability and community resilience. 

Upholding their commitment to a sustainable future, Harrison Public Library has plans to continue optimizing library spaces, building partner relationships, and analyzing data to better meet the needs of under-served groups in the community. Additionally, the library is celebrating the official completion of a new reading garden with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September. 

“This certification marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to lead by example and motivate our community to think and act sustainably. We are honored to join a growing network of libraries working together to build a cleaner, greener, and more equitable world," added Gray.

For more information, please view Harrison Public Library’s final presentation. 

About the Sustainable Libraries Initiative

The Sustainable Libraries Initiative is a member-driven organization that empowers library professionals to be leaders in triple-bottom-line sustainability (environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic feasibility) both within their organizations and in their communities. The Sustainable Library Certification Program is now enrolling public and academic libraries, library systems, and school librarians.