The greenest buildings are the ones that already exist, and iconic places like the Hamline Midway Library possess both the infrastructure to support ongoing community needs and the historic and aesthetic values that enrich our neighborhood. Historic preservation is inherently sustainable and is a key reason to oppose the demolition and building of a new library. The most popular and truest phrase of historic preservation is that an "existing building is the greenest building," backed by a growing body of credible research.

Rather than building new, the question should be asked if there is an existing building that can be retrofitted to reduce carbon emissions. Although a newly built energy efficient library sounds like the greenest option, such construction fails to consider that it will take decades to overcome the embodied carbon emitted during demolition and construction.

The demolition of the only remaining Hale Memorial Library would only add to the city’s carbon debt and result in the loss of a historic resource. It makes no sense to create recycling programs and single-provider trash collection services to promote sustainability yet do nothing to stop entire buildings from being tossed away. Each demolition can create a massive carbon footprint and send hundreds or thousands of tons of debris to the landfill.

The 2019 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction identified that reducing demolition and increasing building reuse is a key action to increase sustainability outcomes.  According to the American Institute of Architects, “renovation and reuse projects typically save between 50 and 75 percent of the embodied carbon emissions compared to constructing a new building.”

Renovation of existing buildings will always have lower total carbon emissions than new construction, which is particularly important at a time when we are facing a global climate change crisis. An existing building, such as the Hamline Midway Library, has embodied carbon which are sunk costs, and renovation of an existing building can improve energy efficiency and integrate emissions mitigation strategies as a renovation is being done; to suggest that energy efficiency cannot be done through renovation is a myth. Given that nearly 40% of global carbon emissions come from building construction/materials and building operations, it is clearly the environmentally friendly decision to pursue renovation — and in so doing to renovate in way that reduces future energy use. We now have the tools to accurately measure the total carbon footprint of any construction project, and quite simply, maximizing the use of our existing assets is the smallest environmental impact we can make outside of doing nothing.

A previous Saint Paul Public Library Facilities Plan Progress Report (stpaul.gov), dated 2008, lists renovation over building new as a guiding principle that is notably absent today: “To be good stewards of the environment, we will first consider the effectiveness and cost of renovating or enhancing existing structures rather than building new facilities”. 

As noted in the Climate Action & Resilience Plan | Saint Paul, Minnesota (stpaul.gov), “The effects of climate change are apparent in Saint Paul and have a disproportionate impact on low-income communities, especially low-income communities of color. This plan identifies not only strategies to decrease emissions, but also strategies to mitigate negative impacts of climate change so that all community members, present and future, can experience a high quality of life.”

As part of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the City of St. Paul outlines its commitment to Heritage and Cultural Preservation: “Existing structures are important components of sustainable economic development, and the cultural landscapes that are integral to the city inherently connect this chapter with each chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. Through this chapter, Saint Paul strives to be a leader in preserving historic and cultural resources; engaging all stakeholders in education and evaluation activities that are inclusive, responsive, practical and respectful; and integrating preservation and related activities into the work of all City departments. This work must be mindful of demographic, climate, investment and technological changes that impact Saint Paul’s built and natural environments.”