Be publicly committed to sustainability.Commit to reduce the impact of transportation.Commit to reduce materials consumption and waste.Commit to understand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Commit to increased use of renewable power.Our framework was built around a set of “commitments”: Based on a review of these examples, it made sense for us to follow their approach. A white paper from Museums Australia had a very similar list. Sarah noted that others had used this list as a framework for creating their own sustainability plans. One especially useful resource for us was the WASI list of commitments. She provided positive feedback on our goals, an invitation to join with other cultural institutions as part of We Are Still In, and some great links to useful resources. Luckily, we had some prior experience working with Sarah Sutton, who helps places like ours through her organization Environment & Culture Partners. We had lots of questions about scope, level of detail, what kinds of goals we should have, and even how we should define “sustainability” for our organization. One of the first things we decided to do was look for advice and guidance. Recognizing this, we knew we needed a plan. We wanted to more visibly “walk the talk” as a critical element of our educational approach. The goal is to motivate families to adopt more sustainable viewpoints and practices at home and support environmentally sound public policy.
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Having laid this groundwork, we have increasingly wrestled with how to take concrete steps to be visibly and demonstrably sustainable in our own operations as a key strategy for inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. The Carbon Inventory Project and Collective Climate Action in the US Cultural Sector The Limits of Neutrality: A Message From The Natural History Museumįrom the President and CEO: Meeting the Climate Change Challenge Skip over related stories to continue reading article
We have also taken steps to advocate publicly for the values of sustainability and stewardship, including signing the We Are Still In (WASI) pledge, a joint declaration of support for climate action signed by more than 3,900 CEOs, mayors, governors, tribal leaders, college presidents, faith leaders, health care executives, and others joining America Is All In, a coalition to develop a national climate strategy supporting the Town of Acton in declaring a climate emergency becoming a member of the Acton Climate Coalition and presenting programs addressing environmental topics through our Discovery Museum Speaker Series. Over the last decade, our environmental work has focused on the goal of connecting kids with nature, both to raise awareness and promote the physical and mental health benefits of outdoor play. Encouraging appreciation of nature and operating sustainably have long been important goals for us. Building on a Foundation of Environmental Focusĭiscovery Museum has a strong focus on science and nature, with 4.5 acres of accessible, outdoor exhibit space adjacent to 180 acres of town-owned wooded trails that we program. I share our experience in the hope that any insights it yields will help us all take more action and inspire our visitors to do the same. Hope, Fraser says, “is a targeted way of seeing the future and taking steps to get to that future.”įor that reason, at Discovery Museum, a children’s museum in Acton, Massachusetts, we have begun to emphasize the actions we can take as organization to directly impact climate change. In the face of it all, how do we create hope? According to noted conservation psychologist John Fraser, the answer is by focusing on solutions and actions. The news about climate change, the environment, and the state of our planet is frightening and discouraging.
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