For Immediate Release

January 16, 2026

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

Suffolk County, NY – January 16, 2026 –Windsor Public Library located in Windsor, Vermont has been designated as a Certified Sustainable Library through the Sustainable Library Certification Program (SLCP). 

Windsor Public Library exemplifies responsiveness to community needs, inspires sustainable action in its tight-knit service area, and innovates programs and strategies to best represent the population. 

“We at the Windsor Public Library are so excited to achieve certification through the Sustainable Libraries Initiative,” said Library Director Barbara Ball. “This has been an involved, transformative process. We’ve learned a lot, and have been able to really amp up our efforts to be sustainable: financially, socially, and especially environmentally sustainable, which is so important as we face climate change."

By hosting a monthly mending group to keep damaged clothing out of the trash, participating in a biannual event to encourage town residents to re-home unwanted items, and using temporary book sleeves made from old underwear elastics on books borrowed from the state, the library produces minimal physical waste and leads its community to do the same.

In April, the library created an interactive civic display publicizing the Micromoo, Windsor’s free on-call microtransit option, encouraging the use of public transportation. The library’s three staff members also demonstrate cleaner transportation options: two of them walk to work almost daily and the third, living 20 miles away, bicycles to work or the bus stop as often as possible. 

 “Over the past two years, Barbara has been asking thoughtful and important questions about how to right-size the program for her small rural library, run by three dedicated part-time staff members. Not only did they find a way forward, but they also brought the community together to create a new strategic plan that will guide the library toward a vibrant and sustainable future. I’m truly inspired by their commitment to putting the community first — what an incredible example of collaboration and vision," said Jennifer Ferriss, the Library’s SLI mentor and Assistant Director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library in New York. 

With this achievement, Windsor Public Library becomes the thirty-third public library to earn Sustainable Library Certification through the SLCP: 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 shift towards a cleaner, greener, and more equitable future. 

Looking into the new year, Windsor Public Library intends to become more involved in community emergency planning, explore grants to install photovoltaic panels on the library’s roof, expand information literacy training to include hot topics such as artificial intelligence, and continue working toward a living wage and healthcare coverage for library staff. 

For more information, view Windsor Public Library’s final presentation or reach out to SLI Staff at sliadmin@suffolknet.org.

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.