museums for the future: developing museums as centres for sustainable communities an introduction to...

Museums for the Future:Developing museums as centres for sustainable communities

An introduction to make this happen in your organisation!

This is a legacy of the Renaissance South East’s Green SLIME Initiative, part of the MLA funded Strategic Commissioning Science in your World programme

Part of a Toolkit developed by Flow Associates with the SLIME network

About this workshop

• Who is it for?The workshop has been created for staff and/or supporters from one museum, or from a group of museums or a wider cluster

• What is the aim?To kick-start the process of transforming your museum into a centre that supports your community and visitors to become sustainable.

• What does it mean to be sustainable? • ecologically literate • stewards of nature• climate smart• to have the means to be happy and healthy

Museums for the Future 2

Green World

Green museum

Green

People

Why are Museums for the Future?• Museums take a long view – protecting the past for the future

• Given this, there are 3 reasons why sustainability and museums need to get acquainted:

The viability of Earth as a habitat for human society and biodiversity i.e. our future is threatened by the scale and mode of human activity Museums are uniquely effective at helping us understand our complex world, by putting objects into context and stimulating curiosity Government requires all public bodies to cut emissions by 25% by 2016.


Where does Museums for the Future come from? The story so far ...

>> Renaissance South East set up SLIME network (Science Links in Museum Education) and …

>> held a consultation with young people, and then ...>> Green SLIME projects explored ways museums can engage learners

with sustainability

This Development Toolkit aims to give this a legacy and wider reach.It is funded by MLA Strategic Commissioning: Science in Your World, a partnership with the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.


How can this workshop help?

It kick-starts you to consider:• reasons why we should do this• what assets you can bring to this from the museum and beyond

It suggests a practical way forward:• a staged approach• possible themed pathways • examples of good practice • action points for next steps


People struggle to leap the gap from changing their values to taking action


External influences:

Crises, Teachers,

Examples

PEOPLES’ VALUES > a wish to be less selfish and understanding becomes more systemic

Internal influences:

Fears/hopes, personality

PEOPLES’ INTENTIONS > more oriented towards green & humanitarian action

PEOPLES’ ACTIONS > change lifestyle, teach others, protest, change institutions

The Value-Action Gap

Thinking about values, intentions and action• Everyone has different values, and diversity is good. We also need

to find motives in common to aid action together. • Which quote (in your handout) resonates with you?• Personally, what drives you to think or act in this way? • As a group, what key motive do you hold in common? • What barriers or worries do you hold in common?


The aim is for a collaboration to create a ‘learning society’ rather than museums trying to change behaviour through messaging.

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Green World

Green museum

Green People

How can museums do this?

What can museums contribute to making a sustainable community?

•The hard stuff: what assets do museums offer?

•The soft stuff: what values and approaches can you bring?

• What can you start with? You could return to this when you meet again



HUMAN ACTIVITYLand use changes: e.g. Deforestation

Extraction & fossil fuels

Population + consumerism

RESOURCE SCARCITYOilWater FoodBiodiversity =More conflict

GREENHOUSE EFFECTSea level rise

Climate disruption

Temperature rise

DISASTERSCoastal & fluvial floodsSevere storms DroughtForest firesEarthquakesPollution risksCrop losses

MORE GLOBAL WARMINGFeedback effects. Plus, storms, extreme temps & pollution damage ecosystems = More greenhouse effect.

IMPACTS ON HUMANSEconomic lossesMigrationsFamine & diseaseConflict & less capacity to adapt = more ecosystem damage

IMPACTS ON BIODIVERSITY Extinction risk to vertebrates and many non-vertebrate species

The urgency of action – some videosIf time, and you can access the web easily now, you could watch some video evidence about:

• Biodiversity losshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1VYmpTikgw (till minute 3.33)

• Global climate disruptionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG41xDxrzI8

• Resource scarcity (oil and water > food)www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w

• Poverty and conflicthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrb-89Af8A

These URLs are in your handout for watching later


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1VYmpTikgw



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrb-89Af8A

Group discussion: What may be key impacts of environmental change in our community?

Some pointers: • it is impossible to predict the future exactly, but we must try to

anticipate change• it can be frightening to face this picture • think proactively: how will you need to adapt to change?• think openly about your community (see next slide).


Some dimensions of your community


Making change in stages

“Between the doing and the done there is a whole eternity that must align itself, moved only by your passion, faith and longing.” Shekhar Kapur

• But passion, faith and longing are helped if you have a staged plan!

• What follows is the 5 A’s model, borrowed from a framework called ‘Becoming Climate Smart’


What do the 5 A’s mean to you?

16Museums for the Future

Developing awareness: ecological literacy ‘Ecoliteracy’ helps us feel more confident to jump the value/action gap. It joins the dots:• ecology of local places • ecosystems of climate and economy

Not trying to change behaviour through one-way messaging! It’s about:• Action: People gain skills through

problem-solving • Reflection: Ecoliteracy underpins

all learning


Eight pathways

You and your museum can’t do everything! It helps to focus by choosing a path e.g.1. Materials and things 2. Wellbeing3. Biodiversity stewardship4. Green your museum with people 5. Place-making and adaptation6. Energy and new technology7. Transition to sustainable economy8. Food, farming and horticulture


An example - one step on a pathway: Awareness about Materials and Things

• A good pathway for most collections• Collections usually show different ways that humans have related to

‘stuff’ • Materials and things have been grown, exploited, traded, crafted,

invented, recycled and disposed of• It has happened in ways that are both damaging or healing to the

environment.


Try a sample activity for the Materials pathway: How are materials connected?

• Each group has 4 or 5 artefacts (or pictures of them).• Use string and labels (or draw on large sheet) to make links

between any of them.• How do they relate to each other as part of a dynamic

ecosystem?• Each participant then chooses a role (e.g. farmer, banker, child,

scientist, craftsman).• In role, how does each of you see the artefacts and the links

between them?


• What would have most impact? What would engage and motivate people?

• What assets could you use? (People, collections, places, relationships?)

• If you decided to take one step on this path, what would it be?

Some examples follow...

Taking a step: what if Materials was your first chosen pathway?


Idea for pathway on wellbeing: put it the heart of your plans


You could organise a plan of action around NEF’s Five Steps to Wellbeing:•Connect•Be active•Take notice•Keep learning•Give

Idea for pathway on biodiversity:let children look after an outdoor space


• Haslemere Museum invited a local school to manage the museum’s hay meadow

• Children did a biodiversity audit• Drew species, explored history of

meadows and put on an exhibition• What practices will help the

biodiversity?

Idea for pathway on greening your museum: let students sort your marketing


Tunbridge Wells Museum invited a secondary school group to audit all their marketing and print materials•Learned about carbon footprints, FSC paper and impact of different inks•Worked with an expert printer•Came up with ways to reach all •audiences in greener ways

Idea for pathway about placemaking: be a centre for participation in local planning


Rochester’s Guildhall Museum worked with a school to explore the regeneration plans for the riverside.•Explored archaeology of the site•as Roman burial ground•Made links with current urban •development•Devised their own Imaginative plans

Idea for pathway on energy: can students solve problems with old buildings?


Anne of Cleves Museum in Lewes worked with a college. How could theyincrease the winter temperature of Tudor building in a low impact way? •Worked with an eco architect•Learned about old buildings and contemporary solutions

Idea for pathway on sustainable economy: create a social enterprise

27Museums for the Future

• Museum of East Anglian Life• Runs a successful social enterprise• Trainees develop skills for work and wellbeing• Products are sold in museum shop • Full involvement in developing

the museum

Idea on pathway about food, farming and horticulture: create a garden


Brading Roman Villa worked with volunteers, a primary school and Youth Offenders Team to create a herb garden, including a mosaic.•Explored Roman herbs & gardens•Working in stages to design, buildplant and grow•Celebrate with a feast

These examples show you’re not alone

All public organisations must reduce emissions by 25%. Collaborating can help:• Reduce consumption• Recycle (or ‘upcycle’) with others• Grow your ‘ecoliteracy’ together


Example 1: Green Works


• Award-winning social enterprise: diverts unwanted furniture from landfill and redesigns it to create unique items• Could you work with a similar enterprise, use your scrap and collect from visitors, sell designs in your shop?

Example 2: Bricolage


• Collective of sustainable artists• Work in spaces like empty shops• Sell their textiles and run workshops

in quilting, darning, restoration etc

Could you host sessions like these?What else could you do?

• Work with people > to green organisation > to green the planet

• Next steps: Get together again• Make a plan: Your handout has a

Planning Tool

Wrapping up


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