Hi Sarah-
I know that Rick Kerschner will be talking a bit about this November 12, 2009 at CCHA's Environmental Management: Stewardship and Sustainability conference in Philadelphia, PA. On CCI's website, the article by David Grattan and Stephan Michalski "Environmental Guidelines for Museums - Temperature and Relative Humidity http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/articles/enviro/index-eng.aspx and Stephan Michalski's articles "Incorrect Temperature" http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/articles/mcpm/chap09-eng.aspx and "Incorrect Relative Humidity" http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/articles/mcpm/chap10-eng.aspx are great starting points to inform this discussion.

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(Just got this news from Chicago Green Museum folks)

The EPA is hosting a webinar on how museums (which is included in
"entertainment industry") can use EPA's Portfolio Manager. See more info below.

I hope you can make it (via conference call)!

~~~~~~

EPA invites you to participate in a new initiative for the
Entertainment Industry

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new
ENERGY STAR initiative to help the Entertainment Industry save
energy and money, while reducing the Industry's impact on the
environment. On Wednesday, February 25 at 1:00 pm, the EPA invites you
to participate in a live webinar to learn about the ENERGY STAR
program and the benefits of energy efficiency.

Who Should Participate?
Entertainment venue owners and operators of buildings such as
stadiums, arenas, convention centers, theaters, museums, etc., as well
as entertainment related associations.

How to Register
To attend this session, you must first register.

Topic: ENERGY STAR for Entertainment Session
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Time: 1:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (GMT - 05:00, New York)
Session Number: 713 278 916
Registration password: This session does not require a registration
password.

Please click the following link to learn more and to register for
this session. Once you have registered, you will receive an email
message confirming your registration and providing you with
additional information on how to join the session.

https://energystar.webex.com/energystar/k2/j.php?ED=112555552&UID=1056478397&FM=1

For any questions regarding registration or ENERGY STAR, please
contact Jen Singer at jsinger@icfi.com.

We hope you can participate.

Thank you,
The ENERGY STAR Team

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Dear greenwiki members,

I am in the research phase of a dissertation at Cardiff University, UK (MSc. Care of Collections) on the environmental impact of museum loans.

I would like to know if any of your institutions have a sustainability policy that makes an explicit reference to "green" practices relative to 1. packing materials, 2. crates, 3. couriers, 4. transport.

I wish to thank you in advance for your help. Any copies of those policy documents would be greatly appreciated.

Simon.
simonlambert9@hotmail.com

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Save the Date! A one-day conference on "Sustainable Cultural Heritage" will be held on May 11, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Free, no registration required, and open to anyone interested.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Italy’s Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) will host "Sustainable Cultural Heritage" on May 11, 2009, in Washington, D.C., at the NEH, in the Old Post Office Building. The meeting will focus on preventive conservation and explore stewardship strategies that are economically sustainable and environmentally sensitive. Among the topics to be addressed are environmental standards for museum, library, and archival collections and emergency preparedness and response.

Speakers from the U.S. will include Michael C. Henry, Principal Engineer/Architect with Watson & Henry Associates and Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania; Debra Hess Norris, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Chairperson, Art Conservation Department at the University of Delaware; Jerry Podany, Senior Conservator for Antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum and President of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works; and James Reilly, Director of the Image Permanence Institute and Professor in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s College of Imaging Arts & Sciences. Speakers from Italy will be announced in mid-April when we send out the agenda for the conference.

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The California Association of Museums just launched their brand new Green Museums Initiative website -- looks like a great resource for all things related to sustainable museum practice:

www.greenmuseums.info

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This just came to my attention via the American Institute for Conservation. Please call your Senator NOW.


A Senate Amendment to Bar Museums from Any Economic Recovery Funds (Stimulus Package) could be offered today.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds in the economic stimulus bill from going to museums.

The language of the amendment, (Amendment No. 175, as filed) is, "None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture, zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas."
Please take a minute to call your Senators TODAY and urge them to vote NO on the Coburn "Limitation of Funds Amendment No. 175."

Most likely a staff member for your Senator will only record your opinion on the amendment, however if given the opportunity you can mention that nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year. Plus, every $1 billion spent by these organizations– and their audiences – results in almost 70,000 full-time-equivalent jobs.

To reach your Senators, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senators' offices. Or find the contact information for your representatives on this website http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Please call today as soon as possible. It is vital that we address these negative opinions regarding the economic value of museums. Urge your Senator’s to vote NO on the Coburn "Limitation of Funds Amendment No. 175."

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The last in the NPR “Museums in the 21st Century” series aired January 12, highlighting the Center for the Future of Museums’ (CFM) inaugural lecture by Dr. Jane McGonigal.

Listen to the NPR story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99244253

This fascinating, provocative lecture, “Gaming the Future of Museums,” will be webcast free on the CFM website ( http://www.futureofmuseums.org/ ) with associated online activities and discussions on January 28. Access more information and register for the webcast here:
http://www.futureofmuseums.org/events/lecture/index.cfm

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To get this page going, I'll start with a list of museums with green facilities. This is a very short list, and not exhaustive. If your institution is not on here, please reply and add your name to the list! Or start a new thread to discuss a museum's green facility in detail.

Green Museums with Green Buildings

California
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco - www.calacademy.org

Connecticut
- The Mark Twain House & Museum Center, Hartford - www.marktwainhouse.org

Illinois
- Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago, Normal - www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org
- Notebaert Nature Center, Chicago - www.chias.org

Massachusetts
- Boston Children's Museum - www.bostonkids.org
- Provincetown Art Association and Museum - www.paam.org

Michigan
- Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids - www.gramonline.org

New York
- Brooklyn Children's Museum - www.brooklynkids.org
- Natural History Museum of the Adirondack, Tupper Lake - www.wildcenter.org

Pennsylvania
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh - www.phipps.conservatory.org
- Children's Museum of Pittsburgh - www.pittsburghkids.org

Texas
- Carver Museum & Cultural Center, Austin - www.gwcmccphx.org

Vermont
- ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington - www.echovermont.org

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We recently ran into a problem with disposing our old latex paint from past exhibits and permanent collection galleries. I thought the local hazardous waste facility would take it, but they only deal with household waste and refused to take our paint. We have around 150 to 200 gallons in 1 and 5 gallon cans and buckets and none of the local charities would take it and believe me I called everyone. I called the local DEQ and they couldn't help either. I finally did a search on the internet and came across Amazon Recycling. They have facilities in California and Minnesota I believe and will have a facility open Jan. 1, 2009 in Oklahoma (where I am). The good thing about this company is that they take the paint even if it is dried out or has gone bad. Apparently they have different uses for the paint depending on its condition. So if anyone out there runs into the same problem I did, check the internet for your area to see if there is someone that will take your old paint.

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November 12, 2008
If your company owns or leases commercial buildings - which includes most types of buildings, including residential buildings with four or more stories above grade - and you have installed or retrofitted the property to be more energy efficient, you may be eligible for a deduction for part or all of the costs associated with the installation or retrofit. This opportunity allows for the potential immediate expensing of costs that would otherwise be capitalized and recovered through depreciation over 27.5 or 39 years.

Energy Efficient Commercial Tax Deduction:
If your company owns or leases commercial buildings - which includes most types of buildings, including residential buildings with four or more stories above grade - and you have installed or retrofitted the property to be more energy efficient, you may be eligible for a deduction for part or all of the costs associated with the installation or retrofit. This opportunity allows for the potential immediate expensing of costs that would otherwise be capitalized and recovered through depreciation over 27.5 or 39 years.

Those Who Can Benefit From The Deduction:
The person or organization that pays for construction is generally the recipient of the deduction. This is usually the building owner, but for some HVAC or lighting efficiency projects, it could be the tenant.

Government-Owned Buildings:
For government-owned energy-efficient commercial buildings, such as public schools, the IRS issued guidance on March 12, 2008 that allows the deduction to be allocated to the person primarily responsible for designing the property in lieu of the public entity.

Components Of The “Cost” That Can Be Written Off:
Includes anything that can be capitalized, including labor.

See the full report here:

http://sourcecorp.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/green-building-market-report/

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