Environment and Culture Partners (ECP), a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and broadening the environmental leadership of the cultural sector, has published the complete report and factsheets for the Culture Over Carbon research study.
The first comprehensive energy use analysis of the cultural sector, and the first assessment of the sector’s energy implications on climate change were developed by Culture Over Carbon: Understanding Museums’ Energy Use (2021-2023).
“Too few cultural institutions feel they have the resources to manage their energy consumption,” says ECP. “Yet the need to track this information is critical to planning for and complying with upcoming or existing building codes and policies.”
Supporting organisations to manage their energy use
ECP’s full report, and Recommendations for Cultural Institutions Factsheet and Codes and Policies Factsheet, support organisations in understanding and managing their energy use. The documents are available to download from the ECP website.
“Understanding the scale of the cultural sector’s total emissions is important for defining the scope of change necessary, attracting funding for changes, and reporting on the success of both funding and effort,” says ECP.
The Carbon Inventory Project is a key component of this work. This is the first, comprehensive effort to calculate the cultural sector’s carbon footprint and establish a benchmark for the sector.
Future opportunities
Using Culture Over Carbon data and momentum, the New Buildings Institute, Environment & Culture Partners, and the Environmental Protection Agency are now partnering on a survey to create a museum building performance category in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
“There is an opportunity for a great collective impact by the cultural sector,” ECP adds. “If all the cultural institutions in the U.S. reduced their energy use by 20%, the estimated annual carbon and other GHG emission reduction would be the equivalent of two gas-fired power plant’s annual emissions or taking around 180,000 cars off the road.”
Culture Over Carbon is funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant. New England Museum Association, New Buildings Institute, and Environment & Culture Partners are project partners.
Environment and Culture Partners (ECP) recently announced the extension of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative (FCI). The initiative is developed and implemented in partnership with RMI and Environment & Culture Partners. The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative is the biggest private national grant-making program of its kind supporting institutions focused on visual arts and arts education and has provided over $10.8 million in support so far.
