Environmental Sustainability

Protecting Earth’s Heart

By Claudia Pineda Tibbs

Monterey Bay Aquarium is doing its part to cut emissions and waste to keep the effects of climate change from further affecting oc…
Museum as Lightning Rod: Innovation and Invitation—An #AAM2022 Keynote by Jake Barton

By American Alliance of Museums

Jake Barton, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Local Projects, opened the Innovation focus area of the 2022 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo with his keynote, “Museum as Lightning Rod: Innovation and Invitation,” …
The Library of the Great Silence: A Space for Beings Throughout the Universe to Explore Shared Challenges

By Elizabeth Merritt

I have a special place in my heart for exhibits and installations that explore potential futures in creative, immersive ways. As I compiled a collection of such work, at some point I noticed that an awful lot of them originated with one …
Looking Ahead: Embracing Sustainability and Resiliency for a Better Tomorrow

By American Alliance of Museums

The United Nations (UN) Climate Week provides a platform for organizations which include museums and cultural institutions to come together to discuss how an understanding on environmental sustainability and climate action can be advanced …
Microclimates: A Greener Future for Collection Care

By Joyce Lee & Kelly Krish

There are many options available for museums to address climate action and become more sustainable, but recent work at two institutions has highlighted the value in one particular method: creating “microclimates” which confine …
The Peabody Essex Museum’s Climate + Environment Initiative Seeks to Create a Different Climate Future

By Jane Winchell

As the director of an interactive art and nature space, I’ve included climate change as a topic in many shows and programs over the years. But until recently, I had convinced myself that focusing an entire exhibition on climate change …
The Key to Conservation

By Elif M. Gokcigdem, Jim Wharton, Michele Miller Houck, Kristin Dean, and Laurie Stuart

Three zoos and aquariums are designing environmental empathy into …
AAM’s Environment and Climate Network Announces Six Sustainability Excellence Awards

By American Alliance of Museums

For immediate release Arlington, VA—In a uniquely challenging year, six museums have been recognized by the American Alliance of Museums’ Environment and Climate Network as exemplars in the field of museum sustainability. The …
Endowments: Considering Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) Factors

By Cecelia Walls

Endowments are unique to institutions including museums. And today, museums are no longer limited to achieving missions through programming alone. Increasingly, investment committees look to their sizable endowments to affect social …
The Sustainability Excellence Awards Environment and Climate Network

By Cecelia Walls

The Sustainability Excellence Awards is a signature program of the Environment and Climate Network that educates, facilitates, and encourages green practices in museums. The Environment and Climate Network views the award as an opportunity …