Professional Resources for Sustainability

Sustainability means healthy people, communities, and environments, now and in the future. The NISE Network has created a variety of professional development resources for museums and similar cultural organizations. 

SUSTAINABILITY & MUSEUMS

Workbook for improving operations, engaging communities, and creating partnerships for sustainability.

PLANNING TOOLS

• What is Sustainability? Overview of sustainability for museums and similar cultural organizations.
• Why Sustainability? Summary of the potential benefits of incorporating sustainability into your organization’s operations and program.
• Sustainability and museums. Slide deck introducing sustainability and the role museums can play in creating a sustainable future.
• Conversation Guide. Discussion guide to help your organization get started with sustainability planning.
• Planning Table. Tool to assess your organization's current sustainability efforts and organize future ideas for sustainability-related projects
• Impact-Resources Chart. Tool that weighs the anticipated impacts and required resources of potential sustainability related projects.
• Logic Model. Guide and worksheets to plan a sustainability project or initiative.
• Sustainability Resources. Selected resources for developing sustainability-related projects at museums and similar cultural organizations. 

STAFF AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Cards for Humanity. Card game designed to help professionals at museums and similar cultural organizations identify ways to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of their work. 
• Connectagons. Collaborative construction challenge to help professionals build relationships across their institution or with other community organizations.
• Introducing Values. Conversation prompt that allows professionals to consider and share the values they think are important to creating a sustainable future.
• Photovoice. Process of observing, sharing, and reflecting that can support insight and collaboration among professionals who work in cultural organizations such as museums and their community partners. 
• Snap! Improvisation exercise that helps participants become familiar with concepts that other people associate with sustainability.
• SDG Brainstorm. Activity that introduces professionals to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and helps them to understand the breadth of sustainability and the wide range of activities their organization might undertake to support sustainable development. 

Suggested citation:

Weller N. and R. Ostman (2021). Sustainability and Museums: A Workbook for Improving Operations, Engaging Communities, and Creating Partnerships, Tempe, AZ: Arizona State University. https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/sustainability-professional-development-resources