Description:

Explore how the realities and principles of environmental sustainability can be applied to museum situations. The course includes discussions about the philosophy of going green, and how it affects institutional policy and planning. Students will be required to keep a journal, collect photographs, and to visit two museums -- one not your own. Upon completing this course, students will be able to: 1. apply principles of environmental-sustainability to work and personal decisions 2. identify and test facts, understand trade-offs, and recognize mission-effects related to environmental sustainability when they make choices at their museums for programming, and operational projects 3. encourage others to adopt sustainable practice within a museum context; and support others in bringing about change in an institution and in the field

Course Outline

1. Why Environmental Sustainability in Museums

2. History of green in the museum field

3. Applying Green Concepts to and in Museums

4. Vocabulary -- Hardware and Software

5. Implementing Green Changes: Choosing

6. Implementing Green Changes: Doing

7. Consumption & Waste: Incoming

8. Consumption & Waste: Outgoing

9. Energy Basics

10. Water Basics