“This achievement follows a two-year effort and reflects a deep, staff-wide commitment to minimizing our environmental impact,” said Sarah Lester, director, Maplewood Memorial Library. "We are incredibly proud that Maplewood Memorial Library is the first public library in New Jersey to be both LEED Gold-certified and now a Certified Sustainable Library. I'd like to thank Irene Langlois for her leadership and our entire library staff for making this happen.”

Maplewood Memorial Library has no shortage of accolades for the thoughtful sustainable redesign of its Main Library branch. In March, the library was awarded with the 2026 U.S. Local Leadership Award for Project Excellence in New Jersey. Last year, CBS News did a segment exploring the new thoughtfully designed space. 

Aside from the impressive building, the library serves as the heart of its community with exciting regional environmental programming, free tutoring through a partnership with the local education foundation, and participation in the Maplewood Farmers Market behind the library’s Hilton branch from May through October. 

“A few months ago, I toured both branches and saw firsthand that staff had embraced sustainable thinking long before launching their formal certification journey in 2024—through small, intentional choices made every day,” said the library’s SLI mentor Jennifer Ferriss, Assistant Director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library in New York. “While much of the spotlight shines on the LEED Gold Main Branch, the Hilton Branch stands as a strong proof of concept in its own right. Together, both branches serve their communities with care and consistency. A heartfelt congratulations to the entire library staff.”

Sustainability is embraced by Maplewood’s community with open arms. At the library’s sustainability fair on a cold day in January, the library saw more than 1,000 visitors. 

Following certification, the library sustainability committee aspires to continue building community partnerships, increase green purchasing and staff education on sustainability, and equip their community with the knowledge and resources to prepare for the drawbacks of climate change.  

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