The collective response of our society to climate change will be one of the defining issues of this era. From strategies to improve the environmental performance of facilities to making a difference globally through programs such as We Are Still In, this session will explore the issues surrounding climate change and provide insights on how museums of all varieties can contribute to bringing positive change to their organizations and communities through interpretation and demonstration.

1. Declaration. Coalition.
Movement.

2. We Are Still In signatories comprise the largest and most diverse
Coalition ever established in support of the Paris Agreement and
climate action. These organizations use the power of cross-
sectoral partnerships to build local networks of support, ratchet
up their own ambition, and to reassure the international
community that this matters

3. #MuseumsforParis … We Are Still In
June 1, 2017
• The United States announcement of planned withdrawal from Paris Agreement.
#MuseumsforParis launches
June 5, 2017
• We Are Still In goes public without a category for museums
February 2018
• Cultural Institution sector adopted, providing much-needed public engagement
facet to the coalition
September 2019
• Climate strikes around the World demonstrate significant public support/demand
for climate action
October 2019
• Sixty-four institutions have signed-on: tribal cultural centers; zoos, gardens and
aquariums; historic houses; and all kinds of other museums from art to history

4. We Are Still In is led by a coalition of 23
organizations
• The Secretariat, made up of World Wildlife Fund, Ceres, and Climate Nexus,
manages the day-to-day operations
• The Leadership Team, made up of leads from each sector, coordinates the
participation of the more than 3,800 signatories from higher education, faith
organizations, health care organizations, business and investors, state and
tribes, and cities and counties, and now cultural institutions
• You may recognize these names: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ceres, Climate
Mayors, Climate Nexus, Environmental Defense Fund, Rocky Mountain Institute,
Second Nature, Sierra Club, The Climate Group, We Mean Business, and World
Wildlife Fund

5. Purpose of Cultural Institutions in WASI
• Align the abilities, resources, and influence of our sector, with the work
and resources of other sectors, to help our communities understand their
connection to environmental and climate, and to prepare for a changing
climate
• To use education, research, and communication to foster individual,
collaborative and collective action, from every sector, to pursue an
“inclusive agenda” for significant environment and climate impact
• There are 35,000 US museums and historical sites. Just think of our
environmental impact from tourist travel, energy use in collections care,
materials and waste in exhibits and collections care and programming…we
have quite an impact on the Earth; with a billion visitors to cultural
institutions annually, we can have quite an impact on the public.

6. The Purpose of Cultural Institutions:
To help Earth, to heal our World
Using education, research, and creativity
To mobilize collaborative and collective action
For significant environmental impact
So that health, justice, and cultures flourish.

7. Benefits for Cultural Institutions
• Demonstrate relevance to public concerns and interests
• Access better tools and information for advancing sustainability
within your organization
• Gain peer mentors to help you do this more effectively
• Share your progress and experience with museum partners and
outside the sector
• Raise your profile locally and nationally
Eventually, I believe this will increase your potential for funding from a
growing philanthropic interest in collaborative climate efforts

8. Who’s Signing On?
Associations
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
• Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)
• Museum Association of Arizona, AZ
Sample Western Museums, Zoos, Gardens, Sites
• Balboa Park Sustainability Program, CA
• Monterey Bay Aquarium, CA
• California Academy of Sciences, CA
• California Indian Museum & Cultural Center, CA
• Fleet Science Center, CA
• San Diego Museum of Man, CA
• CuriOdyssey, CA
• Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center, CO
• Manoa Heritage Center, HI
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, HI
• Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, OR

9. • You can sign on at any time
• Then create commitments at any time, changing as you go
• There are possible 12 commitments (any alignment with 12
commandments or 12 steps is purely coincidental)
• Fulfilling commitments is a process unique to each institution
and each setting
• Align commitments with your strategic plan
• Allow me to help (it’s free)

10. Commitments? Uh oh. Tell me more…
Set responsive, responsible goals
• You set the goals and the timelines
• The field can add or recommend changes to the commitments list
What current cultural signatories are doing
• 70% are committed to
• Understanding and reducing GHGs
• Reducing climate impact of transportation
• Increasing use of renewable energy
• 76% are committed to building resilience in their communities
• 83% are committed to community education and communication

11. What are the possible commitments?
Commit to Increase Your Use of Renewable Power
Increasing your percentage of renewable energy sources is a key
component of reducing overall GHG emissions. Installing onsite
renewable generation, like solar panels, is a good long-term strategy if
possible.
But renewable energy can also be procured through Renewable Energy
Credits, renewable power purchasing agreements (PPAs), and in some
locations from retail electricity providers or local utilities that offers a
high percentage of renewable power. Also consider becoming an EPA
Green Power Partner.

13. Another
Integrate Climate Change into Portfolio Analyses and Decision-Making
Commit to integrate climate change-related risks and opportunities in
portfolio analysis and decision-making processes through one or more of the
following:
• Analyzing and assessing climate change-related risks and opportunities
(e.g. through carbon footprinting, scenario analysis).
• Making commitments and setting targets (e.g. to carbon footprint
reduction, to enhanced portfolio resilience, to decarbonization, including
via the Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition).
• Investing in low carbon investment funds and other products (e.g. low
carbon indices, climate-aligned bonds).

14. Two More
Commit to Completing a Resilience Assessment in Partnership with your
Community
The Resilience Assessment is a key process to understand current strengths
and vulnerabilities of the campus and community. This should be completed
through research, in person forums, or other processes to engage your
stakeholders in this assessment.
Commit to Designing and Hosting a Cross-Sectoral Forum at your Institution
Commit to holding a public campus and community forum or workshop on
shared climate action plan goal setting and/or resilience assessments. These
forums will compare baseline targets and align the strengths of the
respective sectors to drive solutions.

15. Short Versions of The Rest
Understand and Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reduce Climate Impacts of Packaging and Reducing Waste
Reducing the Climate Impact of Your Transportation
Building Climate Resilience in your Community
Energy Conservation and Resiliency in Collections
Reducing Materials Consumption and Waste
Community Education and Communication
Becoming an Environmentally Responsible Cultural Institution

16. This is George. I met him in 2017. He was
the last known living individual
of Achatinella apexfulva.
The Hawaii Department of Land and
Natural Resources, The Honolulu Zoo, and
the Bishop Museum are working jointly to
protect Native Hawaiian Land Snail
habitat and to propagate more
generations.
George died earlier this year. We lost a
species despite our best efforts. So we
keep trying

17. Left: New England Cabinet of Marine Debris by Mark Dion [Lynam Art
Colony, 2019] Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art at
the Florence Griswold Museum in Connecticut, USA
Below: The Field Museum, Chicago: Rice and other native plants replace an
unsustainable front lawn.
Photo by student Thelma Halloran Photo courtesy of The Field & Head Photographer John Weinstein

19. Sarah Sutton
978-505-4515
sarah@sutainablemuseums.net
Principal, Sustainable Museums
WASI Sector Lead, Cultural Institutions
AAM Environment & Climate Network WASI Team Member