Icon Environmental Sustainability Network celebrates Earth Day
Icon’s Environmental Sustainability Network, AIC’s Sustainability Committee, Ki Culture, and with support from international colleagues through IIC, hope you will join us in celebrating Earth Day today, 22th April!
Earth Day originated in 1970 in the United States as a day to recognize both the negative impact of human consumption on the planet and the growing environmental movement. Since then, the celebration of Earth Day has spread around the world. Today it is recognized as a day of communal, social, and individual action and education honoring the Earth and combating the climate crisis.
In our field, we have come to understand the continued climate crisis is affecting not only the health and wellbeing of all who live on Earth and the ecosystems that connect us, but also the cultural heritage we are dedicated to preserving. Tangible and intangible heritage across the world is at significant risk due to these unmitigated changes. Unfortunately, though the burden of these negative changes will be felt by all, they will not be experienced equally by all. As organizations situated within some of the wealthiest nations in the world, we recognize that our countries are responsible for outsized contributions to climate change.
Sustainable action, growing research, and increased social awareness are providing direction for the continued preservation of community and cultural heritage that is so deeply valued by our field and across the globe. There are many avenues for positive action and hope every day from both individuals and communities. Through this statement, the above organizations would like to highlight projects, resources, and institutions that inspire us. We invite you to join us in celebrating the work being done by these groups.
Icon's Environmental Sustainability Network shares:
- STICH - A resource full of tools to allow you to make informed sustainable choices about your day to day work, your business and your institution. It includes case studies, information sheets and carbon calculators. It allows you to see the impact of your current working practices and make decisions about how you can reduce your impact and work more sustainably
AIC’s Sustainability Committee shares:
- The Australian Museum in Sydney is an institution in the heart of Australia, one of the countries hardest hit by the climate crisis. The institution recognizes the climate crisis is the key issue of our times and is addressing it through not only their internal practices, but through exhibitions and education and outreach. They prioritized a route to carbon neutrality and have committed to an ambitious sustainability plan in which they have dramatically reduced their energy use, waste production, and dependence on single use plastics. Information on their Sustainability Plan can be found here.
Should you or your institution want resources on ways you can be more sustainable, we recommend the Sustainability Committee Wiki as a great place to start.
Ki Culture shares:
- Ki Futures, the international network of cultural actors for sustainability, showcases a holistic approach to climate and social issues and highlights the incredible work being done at institutions around the world. In Argentina, Museo Moderno in Buenos Aires demonstrates building community resilience by inviting the homeless community to come in and create art for an exhibition, while European museums are learning about how colleagues at the National Museum Lagos, Nigeria, are caring for their collections without climate control. This global collaboration and cooperation streamlines implementing sustainable practices and knowledge sharing, connecting us all in a common thread of culture supporting climate.
IIC shares:
- A Time for Action in Cultural Heritage Conservation — Google Arts & Culture inspiring stories from amazing conservators around the world, from Sudan to Egypt, UK to India and Antarctica, showcased in IIC’s Climate film for the UN Climate Conference at COP26. It demonstrates both the peril our cultural heritage faces from the climate emergency, and the steps the conservation profession is taking to address it: Nothing is Stable: Conserving Cultural Heritage in a Changing World
We hope the work being done here inspires you to apply the same determination and creativity to sustainable efforts at your own institutions. We know the climate crisis can feel daunting, but we encourage you to take advantage of the resources each of our organizations have provided and invite you to reach out with questions, concerns, problems, and, most importantly, ideas and solutions.
Together we can make a difference.
Contact Icon’s Environmental Sustainability Network here: [email protected] Website | Twitter | Instagram
Contact the AIC Sustainability Committee here: [email protected] https://www.culturalheritage.org/membership/committees/sustainability
Contact Ki Culture here: [email protected] [email protected] www.kiculture.org | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | WDHT
Contact IIC here: IIC Office: [email protected] or access Sustainability and Climate Action Community Challenge Programme | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (iiconservation.org)
