Sustainable and Passive Ways to Improve your Collection Environment

As temperatures rise globally, we are seeing a greater push for our organizations to be more sustainable. From city ordinances to the White House 2030 Initiative, we are all challenged to do better, and now is the time to act.

Many cultural institutions use sustainable energy saving strategies to help them lower their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. This webinar will describe some of the energy saving strategies that cultural heritage organizations currently implement to help reduce energy use. These can range from mechanical system shutdowns to lighting adjustments.

Additionally, this webinar will discuss passive strategies that institutions can implement to improve collections environments. The strategies suggested representing some of the ways that spaces can be evaluated and monitored without significant cost or impact on the space.

By the end of this webinar, attendees will have a better understanding of varied, passive strategies they can implement in their collections spaces to monitor key factors such as humidity, temperature, and light exposure, and what information those strategies can provide. In doing so, participants will be better prepared to mitigate financially and environmentally costly issues for the betterment of their institution, as well as the global environment.

Note from the Connecting to Collections Care Advisory Group: The current temperature and relative humidity guidelines for international loans and general collections care are outlined in the ASHRAE Handbook Chapter 23: Museums, Libraries, Archives and Galleries.

Presenter

Christopher Cameron 

Christopher Cameron worked as a Sustainable Preservation Specialist at the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) for 9 years. During this time, he assisted over 60 institutions with projects ranging from evaluating collections environment and mechanical systems to establish environmental monitoring programs. He has hosted workshops on sustainability in cultural institutions and delivered webinars on a broad range of topics.
Prior to working at IPI, Christopher worked for over 12 years as a facility manager for a major real estate corporation. He is a Certified Project Manager and is trained in HVAC refrigeration. Recently he became a Certified Energy Manager. He has a passion for the cultural heritage preservation and believes that any institution, no matter how big or small, can have a significant impact on our carbon reduction.

Resources

Recording January 26, 2023 1 Hour