The Power of Hope: Monarchs or GDP?

You can imagine Supergirl telling Superman "this constant saving the planet is hard work!"

We greenies feel that way too, and sometimes it is overwhelming.

Each time I get to that point where I wonder about the futility of hoping for global reversal required for human survival I come across that person who cheers me on, who makes a change I hadn't expected, or tells me of a great success story.  

Bob Beatty at The Lyndhurst Group and AASLH has saved me a couple times. When my mom

www.learnaboutnature.org

started recycling even when I wasn't around, it blew me away, and so did this speech from Mexico’s National Commissioner for Natural Protected Areas, Alejandro del Mazo Maza. He gave it at the Opening Forum Ceremony of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Congress earlier this month: This last season we received around 84.7 million Monarch butterflies and had a 255% increase from last season. This pair of small wings have already moved three countries. President Pena Nieto, President Obama, and Prime Minister Trudeau made a commitment to protect the Monarch butterfly across our countries. And we are getting there. When there is will, there is action, and where there is action there are results.

Del Mazo closed with this: Today most countries are measured by their GDP, in a few years from now, countries will also be measured by the amount and quality of their natural resources. Today the conservation of nature is see as a public spending, a luxury; conservation of natures should be a public investment.

We who work at zoos, gardens, museums, and heritage sites are in the business of public investment. We educate, inspire, and engage the people who grow up and do this work, the people who are grown up and still learning - and still voting, and the people who are grown up and choosing new ways to live and work. 

Every day we do this. We cannot stop, or rest, but we can certainly cheer for each other share our successes, and keep up the good work. 

Green Gift Shop Ideas: I

Along with the posts on water bottle ideas, and recycling options, here is the first on some green gift-shop ideas.

Maggie Stern's stitched items (the heron pillow (right, and yellow wren bag at bottom). There is a good variety, you can choose US-made and organic materials, and they are lovingly designed by a great gal and terrific artist. If you have a special design she may be able to recreate it for you.

I like the reusable bags that fold into their own pouch and end up looking like a fish (for aquariums or zoos), and a flower or fruit (gardens); now if there were just one that looked like a side-entry federal mansion the historic sites would be happy too!  Has anyone found these bags made in the US? So far I only know of China.

I also like Matchstick Gardens  - buy these great little items in bulk for $1.75 each or less, and use them as give-aways, promote them as stocking-stuffers or party favors, and sell them at the cash register. You'll be spreading flower and herb gardens everywhere! 

Maggie Stern's yellow wren

USDA: Historic Food Messages

Who knew the USDA had a visitor's center? It's small but active - had an orientation staff member who did a fabulous job, had good handouts and a great timeline and some very interesting facts. 



Specialcollections.nal.usda.gov

Specialcollections.nal.usda.gov






















Here are a few images to get you thinking about how historical materials can help you with your sustainability messages. If you are an historic house, a garden, or any other site promoting home-grown and home-canned, they could be a great resource for images.

And I picked up a packet of heirloom seeds - planting some "Abraham Lincoln" tomatoes, Lycopersicon esculentum, in just a couple months! USDA defines an heirloom vegetable as "introduced before 1951 that have been passed down from generation to generation". 
 

A Few Recycling Ideas II

Minnesota Science Center, St. Paul

The last post on this topic showed recycling systems - major installations of multiple streams (not multi-stream) of recycling in one well-signed receptable. Well if your museum has no appropriate space or need for the large bins, here are some smaller options to consider.
You can place smaller systems in small places, and larger ones in larger places. You need not choose a one-for-everywhere apporach. Green is very local sometimes.

Remember how we've discussed the importance of a trash bin with the recycling or you just end up with all the trash and recycling in one bin?  Well here are some examples of trash (or trash and compost) bins no one will separate:

US Botanic Garden, Washington, DC

 

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

My favorite is the blue/green bin at US Botanic Garden. It communicates well because its shape is an internationally-recognized garbage can shape; because the disposal opening shapes communicate the different types of appropriate items; and the blue/green split uses color coding we are increasingly recognizing as blue for recycle, green for garbage. And, of course, these bins, like the others do not get separated.

This option doesn't allow much branding by your institution becuase the sides are the tradiational anchored garban can holder, But then you may not need to generate andy more branding material, anyway.

The Science Center's option is a VERY close second because it has a composting section. Okay - maybe it's becoming my favorite. Composting is the Next Frontier for recyclers.

So - have you spotted any good trash/recycle pairings we should know about?

Quadruple Bottom Line Review

My Quadruple Bottom Line post has the highest traffic of any of my posts. Maybe it's worth revisiting. Except for a period where a comma is due, the post stands solidly after two years, but it could use a bit of dressing up...a few more examples, perhaps. 

The QBL approach is a riff on the standard Triple Bottom Line approach (People, Planet and Profit) which leaves out an organization's mission when making sustainability decisions - the fourth 'P' or Program.

QBL makes sure the the 'what' you do helps you make good green choices. When it comes down to choosing a one HVAC system over another, you wouldn't ignore the objects end of the decision, would you? Well, collections care is your Program. A QBL approach to choosing an HVAC system is critical.



Image from Brad Pouser

So, here's a simpler example. A museum converts the vacant lot next-door into a pizza garden and an outdoor teaching space. It could have been a parking lot. It could have been a tent venue. It could have been ignored. A QBL approach to choosing how to treat that space requires this type of thinking:

People: will users be safe, will neighbors be happy, will staff be able to support it?

Planet: what are the ecosystem services we can recreate, how can we limit impact or, better yet, be regenerative?

Profit: how can this be affordable and possibly an income source? Paving it or building a stormwater management solution for a parking lot is expensive; clearing, mulching and creating raised beds and a trellis is less expensive.  So is forgoing parking fees and party revenue.

Program: does a parking lot, a tent venue or a education space support our mission best? Can we program and rent the space to boost income while engaging more people at the museum?
QBL is not difficult. It is simply a valuable, but overlooked, way to approach a problem with all the values out front.

I'm interested in hearing about other examples of QBL thinking? Please share them here or at the  Green Museums Wiki. The more ideas we share, the more we have to call upon when we must make our own decisions.