Environmental Literacy through Go Green in Academic Libraries

Rising environmental destruction and human actions in global environments have contributed to the need to provide meaningful ecological awareness to educate present and future generations. Many governmental and non-governmental organizations and educational institutions have started community environmental awareness to make society aware of environmental conditions by going green for sustainability. In the environmental literacy movement, academic libraries can also play a critical role in building a sustainable community through green initiatives inside their spaces. Academic libraries can disseminate information on environmental protection and educate their user groups to play an important role in sustainably protecting the environment. Green libraries cover the environmental aspects of the building's structure, green practices, and facilities. However, going green in libraries does not necessarily entail constructing a new design to integrate green environments. Libraries are also urged to study their current buildings and facilities that can be made sustainable by going green and being a model for teaching the significance of environmental sustainability to increase environmental literacy. This paper aims to highlight the background and significance of environmental literacy and clarify how academic libraries can be environmental educators by going green. Besides, in this article, several recommendations are made to enhance library professionals’ environmental literacy efforts.