Green is gaining momentum. Keep up with developments at Sustainable Museums, the blog and Green Museums, via Twitter @greenmuseum. If you have a story or resource to contribute, go to my Green Museum Wiki.
"Sustainable" is mainstream: common language, common metaphor, and almost common consumer behavior.
That means that the museums you're now living in must be operated in a sustainable manner: take steps to enhance your energy efficiency; control water runoff and reduce clean water use; reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible; and help your visitors and community do the same.
And it means that if you are building, renovating, or dreaming about either one, think sustainable. Without it you will be faced with retrofits and adaptations far sooner than you like. Fundraising for retrofits is worse than fundraising for operating support; it's like fundraising for debt: not what you want to be doing with your time.
Who's Doing What
AAM and APGA are both creating green special interest committees — be sure to join. Meanwhile California Association of Museums, the Virginia Association of Museums, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, and the Mountain Plains Museum Association are greening their conferences. MPMA has been doing that for three years already!
Sarah Brophy and Elizabeth Wylie have written a book
The Green Museum: A Primer on Environmental Practice came out in the summer of 2008 from AltaMira Press.
Olympic Sculpture Park Guide
The Seattle Times' great interactive map and description of the brand-new Seattle Art Museum's green Olympic Sculpture Park.
The Phipps Conservatory and Arboretum This is a most marvelous project: visitors center, innovative conservatory that doesn’t need HVAC, and plans for a Living Machine® (that means it treats biological wastewater onsite).
What You Should Know
Davis Langdon 2007 - 2008 The Cost of Green Revisited It doesn’t cost more to go green. This is an excellent report comparing the average costs of building green and traditional buildings—it’s the same!
What You Need to Know
Advice on Becoming Green
Board & Staff:
Welcoming the Green Revolution in Your Museum
Many members of your board and staff may not yet be green, so just how do they
'become' green? – Philanthropy News Digest
Advancing
Your Mission With a Green Message
How museums are modeling responsible environmental practices to benefit
the bottom line and beyond.
Why Build Green?
Massachusetts
Technology Collaborative: Green Buildings Overview
An
introduction
Environmental
Grantmakers Association: Resources
A resource page with excellent
articles on sustainability and environmental funding.
Funding Your Green Building
"Green" Money:
The Funding Landscape for Museums Thinking About Going Green
Funding
green museums – Philanthropy News Digest.
The Kresge Foundation
A
possible grant source for funding the planning of the green portion of
your building project.
Clean
Energy States Alliance
Links
to the 17 state funds that support clean energy implementation: some
grants, some rebates.
Information to Use Right Away
Association
of Zoos & Aquariums/Resource Center: Green Practices
How to Start a Green Team, Green Practices, and Standards for Environmental
Management
Restauranteur
Quiz
The Green Restaurant Association's
quiz for how green is your restaurant?
The
Shopping List of Green Ideas
The Green Engineer's
useful tips page – for your home and your museum.
What Do You Know?
If you have a museum project to tell me about, or a question to ask,
this is where to do it:
sarah@bmuse.net
Sustainable Museums
Copyright © 2009 bMuse, Sarah S. Brophy