The Alliance has compiled this set of environmental sustainability resources from throughout the nonprofit and museum sector.
Proceedings of the Smithsonian Institution Summit on the Museum Preservation Environment
This March 2013 summit was the result of Smithsonian collections and facilities management staff desiring a written standard and best practices document for the management of environments in spaces where collections are housed. It addresses the contradictions that controlled environments of many of the Smithsonian’s collections were based on commonly held notions of environmental “standards” (i.e., 70°F/45% RH with ± variations) are at odds with current and even historical research findings and not understood by stakeholders to be the final and best preservation environment for all collections. (Proceedings edited by Sarah Stauderman William G. Tompkins)
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Green Scientific Advisory Group created this Sustainable Practices Toolbox to share resources designed to raise awareness of ways to conserve natural resources.
Sustainability in Science Museums Planning and Promotional Guide
The National Informal Stem Education Network (NISE) provides this guide for museums and other science-related institutions to help plan for integrating STEM sustainability activities into existing programs and provides a set of toolkits, which include hands-on activities, training materials, and other resources to promote learning about sustainability science and practice. (PDF, 18 pages)
In cooperation with Botanic Garden Conservation International the Phipps Conservatory developed the Climate Toolkit as a collaborative opportunity for museums, gardens, and zoos to learn how to aggressively address climate change within their own organizations and communities. The Toolkit incorporates twenty-four goals for addressing climate change under the following categories – energy, food service, transportation, plastics, landscapes and horticulture, investments, visitors, and research.