Rice University’s Office of Sustainability partnered with Fondren Library’s Green Team Oct. 27 to host a campuswide book swap, encouraging the Rice community to share books, reduce waste and give unwanted reading materials a second life.
The free event, held in Fondren Library’s Kyle Morrow Room, invited faculty, staff and students to exchange books while promoting sustainability through reuse. Organizers collected donations in advance to ensure a wide selection of books was available, including fiction, nonfiction, children’s books and textbooks.
“Circularity is a big part of what we do, and collaborative events like the book swap with Fondren feed right into that,” said Kristianna Bowles, associate director of the Office of Sustainability. “It’s something fun to do to bring our entire campus community together while educating them on sustainable practices.”
The event reflects the university’s broader efforts to reduce waste by extending the life of usable items. In addition to organizing campus reuse initiatives, the Office of Sustainability works with university partners on programs that encourage the Rice community to donate and repurpose items rather than discard them.
The collaboration also highlights how campus partnerships can make sustainability more accessible through everyday activities. Held during Campus Sustainability Month, the book swap offered the Rice community an opportunity to connect over a shared interest while helping keep usable materials in circulation.
“It was wonderful to collaborate on an event that had so much enthusiasm, and we look forward to future partnerships helping Fondren Library, and campus, reduce its environmental footprint,” said Abby Stovall, librarian and Fondren Library Green Team member
Over 550 books were acquired by attendees, and 1,145 pounds of remaining books are being directed to several outlets, including little free libraries on and near campus, a program that distributes materials to a women’s prison and other nonprofit organizations around Houston, including Butterfly Books founded by McMurtry College sophomore Lucia Noto.
To learn more about sustainability at Rice, visit the Office of Sustainability website at sustainability.rice.edu. Groups interested in partnering with the office for a sustainability event can reach out to Bowles directly at kb102@rice.edu.