In celebration of World Earth Day, the Icon Sustainability Group is excited to highlight four brilliant ways we help the cultural sector make informed decisions towards more sustainable practices.
Icon Sustainability group collaborates with other Icon groups and beyond to provide rich and diverse content through:
- Conferences
- Webinars
- Resources
- Socials
Conferences
The Sustainability Group's largest recent event was held during COP29. Agents of Change: Heritage Professionals Adapting and Innovating Sustainable Solutions, brought together conservators from across disciplines to discuss sustainable practices on a wide range of topics including:
- Managing collections environments
- Packing and crating
- Risk analysis
- Outreach
- Mount making
- The adaptation of green solvent use in treatments
This international event inspired dialogue and offered actionable steps towards a more sustainable paradigm. Several of the presentations will be written up ahead of their publication on IConnect News.
We also held Twitter Conferences from 2020 to 2023, closing the account when the platform became X. You can now find us on BlueSky,where you can follow our latest updates and join the conversation!
Webinars
We have hosted 14 webinars thus far, 9 of which have been recorded and are featured on The Icon YouTube Channel. These presentations include:
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Green Solvents: Paintings conservator Mariana Escamilla-Martinez presents on the adaptation of new less toxic chemical alternatives, dubbed “green solvents” as alternatives to traditional chemical agents used in conservation treatments.
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Heritage Management for Climate Action: Henry McGhie, Consultant at Curating Tomorrow, discusses Disaster Risk Reduction, an approach to actively manage disaster risk, build resilience and capacity, and reduce vulnerability and exposure to hazards.
- Sustainability Curricula for Cultural Heritage Conservation: Research Facilitator and Program Manager Justine Wuebold describes models being developed to embed holistic sustainable practices into conservation education. This project has been published in Studies in Conservation as part of the IIC Wellington Congress Special Issue.
- Sustainability in Science, Labs, and Beyond: Co-hosted with Icon’s Heritage Science Group, Sustainable Research Advisor and Manager Martin Farley talks about applying the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) to conservation labs.
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Sustainable Heritage Science Labs and Conservation Studios – A Pilot: This webinar discusses an 18-month project piloted by the University College London (UCL) on applying the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) as a means to measure the sustainability of conservation labs and studios. Sustainability Group member Dr. Helen Wilson ACR, who is Sector Development Manager for London and Business Archives at The National Archives, was instrumental in trialling LEAF to establish whether it was suitable for conservators and heritage conservation studios.
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Conversations with Change Makers: Small Museums: Co-hosted with the American Institute for Conservation Sustainability Committee, this webinar was led by Lorraine Finch ACR, Chair of the Icon Sustainability Group. She discussed strategies used in small museums to reduce energy consumption with Elie Hughes, Curator at the Ely Museum, and Deborah Walton, Regional Conservation Officer at the University Cambridge Museums. Sarah Lewery, conservator at the Churchill Archives, also participated in the discussion via a pre-recorded presentation about the Archives’ trial of HVAC shutdowns.
- How Green is Your Money?: Holly Coyle of Climate Action Lewisham shares why entrusting your money to banks and pension providers who choose clean investments is one of the most impactful actions we can take in response to the climate crisis.
- Understanding and Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change: Dr. Paul Lankester, Climate Resilience Lead and English Heritage Trust, talks about a pilot project designed to identify the impacts climate change will have on the preservation of our cultural heritage.
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Sustainable Heritage Science Labs and Conservation Studios – A Pilot: This webinar discusses an 18-month project piloted by the University College London (UCL) on applying the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) as a means to measure the sustainability of conservation labs and studios. Sustainability Group member Dr. Helen Wilson ACR, who is Sector Development Manager for London and Business Archives at The National Archives, was instrumental in trialling LEAF to establish whether it was suitable for conservators and heritage conservation studios.
She is joined by Sustainable Research Advisor and Manager Martin Farley to discuss the project. Contributors to the pilot presented their experiences. These include: Conservator Alice Tate-Harte ACR and Senior Conservation Scientist Dr David Thickett of English Heritage Trust; Conservation Engineer Sarah Coggins ACR from the Mary Rose Museum; Senior Paintings Conservator Ailsa Murray from Historic Environment Scotland; and Book conservator Abigail Bainbridge ACR, Director of Bainbridge Conservation.
Upcoming Webinars:
Wednesday, 30th April : ‘Sustainability - What You Can Do’
Look at ways you can increase sustainable practices into our work, and inspire others in your respective communities to do the same. More information and registration is available here. Free to Icon Members, £10 for non-Icon Members.
Thursday, 17th July : A Celebration of Marsh Charitable Trust Award Winner, Alexandra Wade
One year after receiving the Marsh Charitable Trust Award for Environment and Sustainable Focus in Conservation, Alexandra Wade will be reviewing several accomplishments she has achieved since then, including the implementation of waste reduction initiatives in her previous role at the London Archives. She will also discuss current efforts looking at procurement, materials and environmental systems in her new position at the Historic DockYard Chatham. Please keep an eye out for registration information as the date approaches!
Resources
The Sustainability Group’s Resource Page includes tools to help guide sustainable decision making practices. Take a look at our offerings on:
- Climate Action Plans
- Net Zero Schemes and Carbon Footprint Calculators
- Energy Use
- Exhibitions and Transport
- Materials
- Recycling
- Money
- Funding and Training
- Climate Change and Heritage
- Social Sustainability
- Communication
- Sustainable Events
- Sustainability Rider for Institutions
- Cutting Optimization Software
The Resource Page also has links to webinars and podcasts on sustainability in conservation education, managing collections environments, and museum lighting.
Sustainability Socials
And don’t forget our Sustainability Socials, where all are invited to gather virtually and discuss issues related to sustainability in an informal and relaxed setting. Aside from meetings associated with COP (we held Socials for COP27 in 2022 and COP28 in 2023), we gather for Socials throughout the year as a way to stay connected.
We usually have a theme for each Social. Our most recent, held on 10th May 2024, was on Sustainable Transport– for People and Objects. Keep an eye out for an announcement for the next one in late June where we will share practical tips and tricks. We look forward to seeing you there!
Contact Us
Last but not least, we aim to tailor our events and activities to meet Icon member needs. If you have any comments or suggestions for future activities please do get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]
We look forward to hearing from you!
