In the words of Heritage Declares:
The world faces a climate and ecological emergency. The scientific evidence is clear: we are on course for a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, and are destroying natural species, populations and ecosystems at a rate not seen since the great prehistoric extinction events. The 2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gives us until 2030 to avert the worst effects of this man-made environmental disaster.
Check the list of individuals who have signed the Heritage Declares declaration of Climate and Ecological Emergency and you will find the names of Icon members. Check out the list of organisations and you will find Icon.
In response to the Climate Emergency, a group of concerned Icon Trustees came together with our Chief Executive Sara Crofts to develop an Environmental Sustainability Action Plan for Icon. This plan has three parts:
1. To ensure that Icon, the professional body, acts in an environmentally sustainable manner
2. For Icon to take a leadership role in the wider cultural heritage world to advocate for environmental sustainability and create positive change on the issue
3. To support Icon members in their efforts to work in an environmentally sustainable manner
One step towards supporting and helping members to be environmentally responsible in their work is the creation of the Icon Sustainability Network.
The Icon Sustainability Network has several objectives including:
• Encouraging the take up of positive environmental practices in the conservation profession
• Supporting the global endeavour to halt biodiversity loss and reach net zero by 2030
• Disseminating knowledge and understanding of environmental sustainability
We want this to be a practical Network providing you with solutions, case studies on good environmental practice, crowdsourcing of ideas to solve those knotty environmental questions, 'how to' advice, and a way to share and recycle materials and equipment.
Join the Network and tell us what you want the Icon Environmental Sustainability Network to do. Follow us on Twitter @icon_sn, Instagram @icon_sustainability, or contact us via email at [email protected].
Credit banner image: Charlotte Nickels