museums for the future: developing museums as centres for sustainable communities an introduction to...
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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People struggle to leap the gap from changing their values to taking action
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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?
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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
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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
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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).
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Some dimensions of your community
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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’
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What do the 5 A’s mean to you?
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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
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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
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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.
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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?
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• 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?
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Idea for pathway on wellbeing: put it the heart of your plans
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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
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• 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
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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
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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?
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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
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• 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
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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
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Example 1: Green Works
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• 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
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• 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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