Sustainable Futures for Museums and Heritage Sites
 

Sustainability goals 

 

The "GreenMuseumHub" project focusses on the topic of sustainability, which is internationally known in the museum sector as the "Green Museum". The United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development back in 2015. At its core are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which combine three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental/ecological and economic/economical. Their implementation represents a new global paradigm for museum and cultural work in Germany and in the MENA region, which calls for the social responsibility of museums, as emphasised by the new museum definition adopted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in summer 2022.

Due to its inherent objective of strengthening ecological, social and economic sustainability in the cultural sector and in civil society, the project aims to achieve sustainable effects beyond the funding period. They relate specifically to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:


SDG 4: quality education

Thanks to the strong network of participating universities, Egyptian, German and Tunisian museums, private sector agencies, non-governmental organisations, state authorities, higher education institutions and an educational institution with state and municipal sponsorship, the GreenMuseumHub brings together expertise from various high-ranking educational institutions. This expertise is not only passed on to young academics, but also has an impact on civil society, particularly through the planned exhibition project "Green Culture: Sustainability and me". Through the measures of the cultural supporting programme and accompanying museum education programme, target groups outside the educated middle classes will also be able to receive high-quality further education. This will also be made possible by an accompanying YouTube channel and a digital exhibition beyond the funding period.

SDG 5: Gender equality + SDG 10: reduced inequalities

A diversity agent will critically monitor the course of the project with regard to anti-discrimination and intervene if necessary to ensure that all genders have equal access. Through the experiences of young academics in connection with the project activities, these approaches will also be multiplied beyond the funding period.

SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

By communicating sustainability strategies to museums and heritage sites, cities and municipalities improve their sustainability structures. On the one hand, these places are important sites for cultural policy, and on the other hand, visitors anchor what they learn there more deeply in the society of their home country. This in turn has an impact beyond the funding period.


SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production +    SDG 13: Climate Action

The ecologically and economically sustainable pop-up exhibition (e.g. environmentally friendly materials, minimised carbon footprint, use of the network's resources) creates a role model for sustainable consumption and production that remains effective even after the funding period.



SDG 16: +  Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions              SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals

These aspects are guaranteed in particular by the strong network "Museum Network Germany-MENA Region". Measures such as a workshop on intercultural cooperation, a diversity agent and cooperation on an equal footing provide the basis for peaceful and equitable coexistence between numerous network partners from Egypt, Germany and Tunisia. The network provides institutions with partners who strengthen them against crises by providing expertise and resources. Thanks to professional and partnership-based cooperation, these contacts will remain effective beyond the funding period. Sustainability as a solution strategy against the major conflicts of our time will continue to exist after the end of funding in 2025, as will the contacts of the network working in partnership. By creating a joint digital platform for the GreenMuseumCamps events and providing the university partners with professional equipment for digital conferences, the foundations will ultimately be laid for continuing digital and hybrid collaborations as strengthened institutions even after 2025. The greatest risk for sustainable effects is certainly a break between the network partners.  After all, if those involved did not or no longer communicate and work together, all outputs and outcomes would be at stake. The network is therefore the central building block for the success of the project objectives. This could be triggered by various factors:

  • Intercultural conflicts: Preventive measures such as the workshop for intercultural cooperation or the diversity agent counteract these.
  • Personal conflicts: These can only be overcome through a trusting working relationship between all those involved. Mobilities and sojourns with joint excursions, cultural and culinary exchanges and shared personal experiences make a significant contribution to this.
  • Economic and energy crisis: mobilities and residencies could become unaffordable as a result. Numerous planned digital components of the cooperation counteract this risk, although the applicants are aware that physical meetings are hardly a substitute for trusting cooperation. Should a partner country even be threatened by a large-scale blackout, the project would probably fail, as a strategy for solving a national or global crisis of this magnitude is beyond the scope of the network partners.