Re-Purpose Those Snappy Spectacles
Posted August 28, 2017 at 5:50 am by Tim Dustrude
The Eclipse 2017 (and what happens now?)
The San Juan Island Library held several educational programs leading up to the eclipse. We had a solar eclipse prep day for children to make personalized San Juan Island pin-hole projectors, and Raena Parsons of the National Historical Park gave a talk and presentation.
The Library distributed more than 1,500 free solar eclipse glasses to island residents and visitors so people could safely view the eclipse on August 21. The glasses met the ISO 12312-2:2015 International Safety Standards for direct viewing of the sun.
On the morning of the eclipse, hundreds of people blanketed South Beach and the Library Youth Services staff hosted an activity booth to commemorate the day. Attendees made sun prints using special photo paper that created an image when exposed to sunlight.
It was a truly wonderful experience.
So what now? Well, if you have left over glasses, drop them by the San Juan Island Library. The Library is coordinating with Astronomers without Borders (AWB) to give used eclipse glasses a second chance through a voluntary collection program. AWB has partnered with Explore Scientific to send the glasses to schools in South America and Asia for when solar eclipses cross those continents in 2019.
The San Juan Island Library recently registered with AWB as a collection site for eclipse glasses. We have a collection basket at the front of the Library for your gently used glasses. If the glasses are scratched or torn or if the glasses are of questionable integrity, please simply remove the filter lenses and recycle the paper portion. Glasses in good working condition, however, can be dropped off at the Library for re-purposing.
AWB will be coordinating the collection of eclipse glasses and ensure that the glasses are certified as safe and are properly stored. AWB’s corporate partner Explore Scientific will be receiving, processing, and storing the glasses for distribution at a later date.
For more information about AWB and the eclipse glasses donation program, you can visit their website: www.astronomerswithoutborders.org. For more information about San Juan Island Library and our variety of programs and resources, please visit our website at www.sjlib.org.
According to AWB, “boundaries vanish when we look skyward. We all share the same sky, and Astronomers without Borders brings the world together to share our passion of astronomy and the wonders of the Universe. In the process of looking outward together, we learn about each other and create lasting bonds, regardless of country or culture.”
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