Greening Program

The Greening Our Science Centers Initiative is a solutions-based program designed to track, quantify and reduceenergy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The program offers technical assistance, facility assessments and peer networking. Through this initiative museums, planetariums and aquariums gain a unique opportunity to better “walk the talk” as they develop and implement a Greening Plan that addresses improved operations and the development of educational programs.

 

Background:

A true greening program takes a “whole system approach” that goes beyond evaluating energy use and construction materials to developing a green ethic among an institution’s leadership, employees, members and visitors.The Greening Our Science Centers Initiative assists science centers, museums, planetariums and aquariums in using one another’s expertise and experience to develop long-term greening, energy use or sustainability plans.  A combination of technical assistance and peer-mentoring is used to guide the process.

Many science centers, museums, planetariums and aquariums have already calculated their greenhouse gas emissions and are developing significant greening efforts. From this pool of expertise, the Initiative recruited its original steering committee - Peter Arnold, Chewonki Foundation; Sarah Hammond Creighton, Tufts Climate Initiative and author of Greening the Ivory Tower; architect Paul Leveille, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests; Joanne Morin, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services; Jenn Schroeder, Clean Air-Cool Planet; and Kurt Teichert, Brown University.Outside advisors to the project were: Barbara Bernstein and Mark Toussaint of New Hampshire WasteCap and Norman Willard, EPA Region 1–New England.

Based on the Waste Cap model of utilizing a network of resource conservation specialists to conduct free confidential site visits, the Greening Our Science Centers Initiative involves science center directors and facility managers in evaluating “next steps” for their facilities. As science centers and museums are in various stages of greening programs, we recruit the more advanced facilities to work with centers that have emerging energy efficiency and/or GHG emission reduction programs. In advance of a site visit a survey is administered and a Green Team is formed.  Next teams of 3-5 specialists conduct site visits to tour the science center facility and to interview staff.A typical visiting team may include a science center representative, a utility representative, and an outside expert to address a specific issue such as wastewater or HVAC upgrades. During the visit information is gathered for a report identifying proposed goals for the next year.  A one-year peer-mentorship is arranged to support the participating organization’s Green Team.


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