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Museums for the Future: Developing museums as centres for sustainable communities An introduction to make this happen

Museums for the Future: Developing museums as centres for sustainable communities An introduction to make this happen in your organisation !.

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Museums for the Future: Developing museums as centres for sustainable communities An introduction to make this happen

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  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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. Museums for the Future

  4. 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. Museums for the Future

  5. 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 Museums for the Future

  6. People struggle to leap the gap from changing their values to taking action The Value-Action Gap External influences: Crises, Teachers, Examples PEOPLES’ ACTIONS > change lifestyle, teach others, protest, change institutions PEOPLES’ VALUES > a wish to be less selfish and understanding becomes more systemic PEOPLES’ INTENTIONS > more oriented towards green & humanitarian action Internal influences: Fears/hopes, personality Museums for the Future

  7. 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? Museums for the Future

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

  9. 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 Museums for the Future

  10. HUMAN ACTIVITY Land use changes: e.g. Deforestation Extraction & fossil fuels Population + consumerism GREENHOUSE EFFECT Sea level rise Climate disruption DISASTERS Coastal & fluvial floods Severe storms Drought Forest fires Earthquakes Pollution risks Crop losses MORE GLOBAL WARMING Feedback effects. Plus, storms, extreme temps & pollution damage ecosystems = More greenhouse effect. Temperature rise IMPACTS ON HUMANS Economic losses Migrations Famine & disease Conflict & less capacity to adapt = more ecosystem damage RESOURCE SCARCITY Oil Water Food Biodiversity = More conflict IMPACTS ON BIODIVERSITY Extinction risk to vertebrates and many non-vertebrate species Museums for the Future

  11. The urgency of action – some videos If time, and you can access the web easily now, you could watch some video evidence about: • Biodiversity loss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1VYmpTikgw (till minute 3.33) • Global climate disruption http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG41xDxrzI8 • Resource scarcity (oil and water > food) www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-J91SwP8w • Poverty and conflict http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrb-89Af8A These URLs are in your handout for watching later Museums for the Future

  12. 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). Museums for the Future

  13. Some dimensions of your community Museums for the Future

  14. 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.” ShekharKapur • 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’ Museums for the Future

  15. What do the 5 A’s mean to you? Museums for the Future

  16. 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 Museums for the Future

  17. Eight pathways You and your museum can’t do everything! It helps to focus by choosing a path e.g. • Materials and things • Wellbeing • Biodiversity stewardship • Green your museum with people • Place-making and adaptation • Energy and new technology • Transition to sustainable economy • Food, farming and horticulture Museums for the Future

  18. 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. Museums for the Future

  19. 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? Museums for the Future

  20. Taking a step: what if Materials was your first chosen pathway? • 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... Museums for the Future

  21. 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 Museums for the Future

  22. 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? Museums for the Future

  23. 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 Museums for the Future

  24. 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 Museums for the Future

  25. Idea for pathway on energy: can students solve problems with old buildings? • Anne of Cleves Museum in Lewes worked with a college. How could they • increase the winter temperature of • Tudor building in a low impact way? • Worked with an eco architect • Learned about old buildings • and contemporary solutions Museums for the Future

  26. Idea for pathway on sustainable economy: create a social enterprise • 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 Museums for the Future

  27. 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, build • plant and grow • Celebrate with a feast Museums for the Future

  28. 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 Museums for the Future

  29. 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? Museums for the Future

  30. 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? Museums for the Future

  31. Wrapping up • Work with people > to green organisation > to green the planet • Next steps: Get together again • Make a plan: Your handout has a Planning Tool Museums for the Future

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