Green libraries are local: sustainability is no fad, and libraries can lead the way to real change.(editorial)

YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE SAN FRANCISCO. GREAT views, great people, great food, great libraries. Now I've got even more to love. The city, the library--and the state--are on an environmental sustainability track that is a model for us all. The occasion that prompted this burst of affection was a trip there last month for LJ's Design Institute West, "Going Green," held May 9 at San Francisco Public Library's (SFPL) Main Library, in partnership with SFPL and the California State Library. (For videos, photos, resources, the program, and more, go to www.libraryjournal.com/diwest.)

Admittedly, I haven't always been able to think fondly about the new Main Library, which opened in 1996. Now I can say I …