Walk the talk: sustainable travelling exhibitions
Travelling exhibitions have recently been criticised for their environmental footprints. Most of them transit their crates via trucks or shipping containers, which use fossil fuels, and often use plastic wrap to palletise the items. Works of art and artefacts most often transit via special air cargo. While the pandemic pushed for “digital” exhibitions to be printed locally, which may seem more sustainable, what happens with the waste if no one else reuses it? With science centres and museums becoming more and more involved in climate action, is there a way to reduce the carbon footprint of these important educational offerings?
The aim of this reverse session will be for the speakers to share their experiences, and question together how we can make travelling exhibitions more sustainable. Speakers will be both live and virtual, reflecting the considerations given to the carbon footprint of travel by our panel.
This session is part of the Biodiversity and climate crisis conference track.
Session speakers
Canadian Museum of History
Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation recently committed to buying the carbon offsets to go carbon neutral for all of Ingenium's Travelling Exhibitions shipping. Julie will share her experience with getting an organization on board with greening initiatives and the sustainability challenges when working with clients in remote areas.
As a for-profit company, Tim is showing leadership by delivering fully climate neutral touring exhibitions as part of Nomad’s pledge to the UN’s “Climate Neutral Now” initiative. Nomad has developed innovative techniques to meet this pledge and shares this knowledge widely with other similar stakeholders and organisations.
As a museum veteran, and being the voice for smaller museums, Michael has been advocating for sustainable exhibitions “without waying it”, by using the 3 R: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
Tobias will give examples of the use of durable materials in the scenographic design of exhibitions. In the travelling exhibition "Up to Space", a system of poles and joints is used. It allows maximum flexibility, can be used far beyond the end of the exhibition and thus reduces the material input.
