Focus on: climate action

LUCY: It’s great to chat with you today, Danielle; I’m looking forward to hearing all about your climate work! Can you tell me about the small actions that Aberdeen Archives, Gallery, and Museums is taking to tackle the biodiversity and climate crisis?

DANIELLE: It all began in April 2023 when we took part in ‘No Mow May’ at Aberdeen Treasure Hub Museum Centre to support pollinators. This project got us thinking about what else we could do to help make a difference.

This resulted in coming up with the idea of planting a wildflower meadow at the Treasure Hub. The plant species we chose for this meadow are in heavy decline around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

We also upcycle transport crates to create raised beds and planters for community growing projects, and support biodiversity by offering space for local beekeepers to house their hives.

It has been an exciting time, and we are learning so much. Now we are exploring opportunities for food waste reduction –we would like to give our waste coffee grounds from the Art Gallery café to a local wormery to eliminate any waste. We’re also working with colleagues who are members of the Northeast Scotland Heritage Network to recycle nitrile gloves, and are working hard to achieve Green Tourism certification for our venues.

LUCY: Fantastic. You’ve certainly got lots going on! How have you involved staff, volunteers and visitors with this?  

DANIELLE:  AAGM is part of Aberdeen City Council. Like all public sector organisations, the Council has a statutory duty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, introduce measures to adapt to our changing climate and to work in a sustainable way.

There’s an active network of Green Champions working across the Council.

They’re committed to growing an action-based community, to trying out new ideas, testing sustainable changes, supporting colleagues, and educating and advocating for sustainable working and living.

We use lot of different channels to share our developing green credentials, including social media and our weekly column in the Evening Express, a local paper.

LUCY: It’s great that you’re using lots of channels to develop and share as well. Have you received any feedback about the actions?

DANIELLE: We have received positive feedback on the projects we have been working on from our Museum team members, the Aberdeen City Council sustainability team, and visitors. Those who volunteered their time felt it was a worthwhile thing to do.

One of my favourite comments has come from David Hunter from The Habitat People, who guided us in the planting of the meadow: “This meadow will long outlive me, but I dearly hope that the message that nature shouldn’t be taken for granted lives on through this habitat for long after I am gone”.

LUCY: I love that quote from David, museums are all about preserving for future generations after all. What co-benefits have you found in your actions?

DANIELLE: The biggest co-benefits that we have found is the positive impact on the environment and community. Within the first year our meadow was teeming with life and pollinators. We have also seen the introduction of grasshoppers where there weren’t any before. Not to mention the huge importance for the community and environment on supporting the growth of plant species that are at threat of regional extinction.

In addition, it has really helped us to develop and strengthen relationships with our local beekeeper, Ruth Milne, and David Hunter at The Habitat People. We may not have made connections like these without stepping out of our comfort zone and trying something new.

It has been a total learning curve but such a positive one and has helped to brighten up a small patch of land, support the environment, and try and offset the effect of carbon emissions.

LUCY: Fantastic! So you’ve told us lots about the benefits, but what inspired you to get involved with climate action in the museum sector in the first place?  

DANIELLE: Our aim as a museum service is to make a positive impact on our community and environment. For me, it was about exploring how we could do that with a climate action focus. Then the thought came that, if we care for and protect collections for the community and future generations, why not the environment too?! The planet is equally as much of a treasure as our collections, and we are at a critical time where we need to act and help share information and continue to make a positive impact to our visitors and communities.

LUCY: “The planet is equally as much of a treasure as our collections” is such a powerful statement! Really inspiring, and for those feeling inspired: what advice do you have for any other organisations considering taking similar actions?

DANIELLE: Start small, do your research, and go for it! Some projects appeared really daunting at first and a few of us considered the reality of how we could get them started or if it was even possible.

My advice is to stick with it and remember that there is guidance and funding available – make friends in different teams and talk to people from other organisations. I investigated various community charities and companies such as One Seed, Cfine, and the Habitat People to name a few. You certainly won’t regret these projects; it is a total learning curve but an exciting and empowering one.

LUCY: Thank you so much for chatting with me about this work Danielle. It’s really inspiring to hear how your small actions are creating big changes.