According to the NEMO guidelines on climate protection in museums, published by the NEMO Working Group Sustainability and Climate Action, museums are empowered to participate actively in global climate change and sustainability issues.
Museums can play an active role in protecting the environment by adhering to certain guidelines that help in measuring and reducing their carbon footprint. These guidelines include standards for conducting a climate impact assessment, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which can assist museums in reducing their carbon footprint. In addition, the guidelines provide several recommendations for energy-efficient museum air conditioning and sustainable procurement.
To make things easier, the guidelines also include a handy checklist along with practical solutions that cover every aspect of the process, from initial climate impact assessments to integrating sustainability into working mechanisms and educating on climate change. Here’s a brief outline:
Organise!: Focuses on the initial steps of sustainability implementation, including assessing resources, analyzing the environment, setting goals, and using sustainable development strategies as a guide.
Act!: Encourages museums to take action by defining ecological fields of action, setting facility-specific goals, and implementing sustainability consistently using the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act).
Mobilise!: Emphasizes the importance of mobilizing staff, introducing new processes, working ecologically, and communicating a new corporate culture to promote sustainability within museums.
Concluding with Ecological minimum standards for museums with a summary of the Guidelines, museums can use a checklist to streamline their climate protection processes and formulate their sustainability plans.
Our Take
The guidelines emphasize museums as vital drivers of sustainable development, as advocates of environmental protection, and as a source of inspiration for sustainable practices. Several practical tips are provided in the guidelines for reducing carbon footprints, implementing energy-efficient practices, and promoting sustainable procurement. By following the guidelines, museums can contribute significantly to positive change, align with sustainability goals, and lead by example in environmental conservation.
Through the adoption of sustainable practices, these guidelines strive to foster a culture of sustainability within museums, fostering a commitment to long-term ecological responsibility
I want to learn more:
NEMO publishes guidelines on climate protection in museums
