The Leddy Library actively supports the university's commitment to fostering a sustainable and resilient campus, and has taken many actions in support of the University of Windsor Sustainability Framework. These actions reflect our commitment to sustainability across operations, academics, and governance. Some recent initiatives include the following:
Integrate sustainability in academics and research
- Developed research guides on environmental sustainability (ongoing Winter 2026) and on open access resources related to climate justice. These guides help students and researchers navigate the information ecosystem related to environmental issues.
- Deliver programming on the emerging issue of the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence (ongoing Winter 2026).
- Sponsor and host a Climate Fresk workshop at the University of Windsor (ongoing Winter 2026).
Reduce our environmental impact
- Modernized library lighting by installing LED fixtures with motion detectors.
- Encourage recycling by removing all single-stream waste bins (landfill only) in the library and replacing them with three-stream waste bins (with options for recycled paper, recycled containers, and landfill), along with updated signage (ongoing Winter 2026).
- Implemented new dispersal options for physical materials that are withdrawn from the library's collections, prioritizing re-use over recycling.
Protect and conserve natural resources
- Switched to using copy paper made from sugarcane fibre instead of tree pulp for all public and staff printers and photocopiers. This change will save approximately 89 trees and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 23,000 kg annually1.
- Switched to using recyclable receipt paper for transit slips in place of full-sized copy paper.
- We’ve transitioned to fully digital acquisitions workflows, reducing paper and toner use while improving efficiency and financial controls.
Embed sustainability in policy, governance, and accountability
- Lead a cross-institutional task group amongst Ontario's university libraries to research and recommend actions to reduce the environmental impact of interlibrary loan services (ongoing 2026).
- Incorporated environmental sustainability as part of our collection development policy and approach.
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