Sustainability in art and culture - examples, guidelines, aids

Plant values supports sustainable alignment and advises on implementation. This also includes the sectors Art, cultural creators and cultural institutions. We always work with practical, concrete examples, good practices for inspiration, as well as checklists, instructions and guidelines. This provides orientation and a basis for motivation for the management, the curators, members of the art association, art connoisseurs, cultural practitioners, artists, guests, employees, etc. Thus, ESG-Topics and Sustainability can be successfully implemented in art and culture.

In this blog post, we will share our knowledge and collection for sustainability in culture and art. Below, we will show and link to easy-to-use tools, assess sustainability guides, and provide practical positive examples for a sustainable orientation in the cultural sector.
For other areas and sectors, it is worth taking a look at our compilation of further specialist articles in the blog.

Content in this article the sustainable art business and sustainability in the cultural sector

• Exchange in the art and culture scene
• Specific sustainability tips for cultural institutions, museums and media professionals
• Positive examples, award-winning contributions and current art campaigns for sustainability
• Guidelines for sustainability in art and culture
• Conclusion: From small measures to the big picture

Sustainability in art and culture

Art and cultural institutions are confronted with many questions of sustainability or would like to lead the way as a role model. On the one hand, sustainability, Environmental protection and social issues can themselves be topics of art and culture. In the arts and culture sector, on the other hand, ecological issues typically centre on visitor travel, sustainable cultural and event management, the use and reuse of materials, energy and building management and much more. The social dimension of sustainability includes, for example, the in-house staff, freelancers and committed artists. At the governance level, i.e. the way the organisation is managed, the focus of sustainability considerations is on the use of financial resources, transparency and good leadership.

We have compiled the following helpful links and examples:

Exchange in the art and culture scene

• Exchange within the network:A contact point forExchange opportunities and knowledge about ecological sustainability and environmentally friendly eventsoffers theNetwork centre for the cultural sector from the nationwide Sustainability Action Network.
• Exchange of experience on climate balancing: In this nationwide pilot project, carbon footprints were drawn up for various organisations in different art and cultural sectors. The Documentation of the climate assessment procedure including evaluation, experience report and recommendations for action are as free download linked.
• Comparison CO2 calculator: One Overview of various carbon footprint calculators we also discussed in our sustainability blog from plant values: CO2 calculator in comparison  

Specific sustainability tips for cultural institutions, museums and media professionals

• Action tips for sustainability in cultural institutions: This further blog post of us provides an overview of what Ecologically relevant fields of action in cultural institutions are and are 13 concrete sustainability measures for art and cultural institutions.
• Instructions for film: Especially for filmmakers we have the following instructions for Sustainable film productions created.
• Sustainable museums: The industry magazine "Museumskunde" is dedicated to Sustainability in museums a whole issue. Here are Numerous specialist articles on sustainability for museums compiled. The issue can be read online.

Positive examples, award-winning contributions and current art campaigns for sustainability

• Award-winning contributions and art activities relating to sustainability: A steady Updated selection of art projects, forums, performances and much more can be found on the Page of the Federal Environment Agency. For over 20 years, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has been engaging in dialogue with artists who understand their work in the context of sustainability with the "Art and Environment" event series.
• Positive examples of sustainability reports: Cultural organisations also regularly Sustainability information available. On Professor Baumast's website, an ongoing inspiring collection on Positive examples with sustainability reports.

Guidelines for sustainability in art and culture

• Guide for umworldfriendly art and art business: For a first Orientation towards environmentally orientated sustainability in art and culture the publication of the Federal Cultural Foundation. The Guide "Ecologically sustainable production"to consider and communicate important ecological dimensions from the outset.
• Practical guide for Sustainability strategy in the cultural sector: With numerous examples, the city of Dresden this practical help on how to use sustainability as a Mission statement anchored in own cultural organisation and can then be analysed by means of targeted Sustainability processes is implemented. At the end of the publication there are also links to numerous other checklists and guidelines for sustainable action.
• Guidelines for social and ecological sustainability in culture: International will be at the Guide to sustainable cultural management from the Goethe-Institut, whereby also explicitly included social sustainability is. The guide is underpinned by numerous concrete examples that serve as inspiration for sustainability in art and culture.
• Climate Protection Guide for Cultural Institutions in the State of Baden-WürttembergHere, the „Green Culture“ working group in the Baden-Württemberg region, consisting of state-funded cultural institutions Film, Museums, Libraries and Archives, Theatres, Orchestras and Artistic Education, a Action guide developed. This focuses on the ecological dimension of sustainability and, in particular, climate protection. There are practical guides and a collection of measures for the environmentally friendly operation of cultural institutions.

This collection will be added to on an ongoing basis. If you know of other good collections of examples or guidelines for sustainability in art and culture, please write to me!

From small measures to a holistic sustainability strategy in art and culture

For more Sustainability in the Kunstverein or in the administration of the cultural institution it is worth taking a look at our earlier article: Sustainability in the office - 26 tips from simple to comprehensive. In addition to this collection, we ourselves have a own guide created how to A step-by-step sustainability strategy in organisations for the common good is implemented. These guidelines can therefore also be applied to art and cultural institutions.

With this in mind, this article can be understood and used as motivation through examples, orientation for an approach and a source of inspiration. It is important to us that you take action yourself and examine where and how sustainability can be integrated in your own organisation (in operations) and in core processes (in offers, exhibitions, performances). This can then be implemented by means of structured sustainability measures through to a holistic sustainability strategy.

If you have any further questions or are looking for active support, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Further contributions:

• Ecological sustainability in cultural institutions: Tips for action for theatres, operas and exhibition spaces
• Sustainability in sport and sustainable sports facilities
• Instructions for climate-friendly film production
• Step-by-step guide for a sustainability strategy in social and community-orientated institutions
• Climate calculator in comparison
• Tips, help, guidelines: Sustainability in social institutions such as schools, care facilities and daycare centres