Today’s Post is by M. Christine Castle, retired museum educator and former member of the CMCJ’s founding Advisory Group 2017-2019.
The Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice is an amorphous blob of a group. How do you support something like that?! On this my final day as blog editor, I’m sharing my thoughts as to how you – museum worker, board member, volunteer, consultant, student, scholar or public servant – might do that.
#1 Read the Blog
Follow the CMCJ Blog! It’s an amazing FREE resource, written by your colleagues. [Special thanks to the over 50 folks who have contributed so far.] Recent posts include
- No more excuses -15 things your museum should be doing about climate change
- Positioned for Change – How the Missouri Historical Society fulfilled its commitment to stewardship and sustainability [Case Study]
- Un appel à l’acte des musées communautaires dans la lutte contre le changement climatique [A call for action by community museums in the fight against climate change]
- Going Green Exhibitions Survey – Where are we now, 10 years on?
- Life in Plastic: It’s … Fantast-ick? Fleming College student exhibit addresses sustainability and collections care
Going forward the Blog will be managed by Viviane Gosselin, Lorenzo Schober, and their colleagues at the Museum of Vancouver.
#2 Join the Facebook Group
Scared of Facebook? Or just sick of it? Take heart! The Coalition’s Facebook presence is a very active “closed group,” open only to those willing to support the goals of the Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice. Recent posts include:
- A live video chat on museums & climate justice
- The 2019 Artists & Climate Change Incubator – New York City
- New course on Social Relevance: Environmental Sustainability in Museums
- Land and Blood: Samoan Identity and Climate Change
The Facebook Group is co-administered by Amy Hetherington and Paige Dansinger.
Apply here to join the Coalition’s Facebook Group
#3 Follow us on Twitter
Museums4Climate @Museums4Climate
Mobilizing & supporting Cdn #museums #museumworkers in building public awareness, mitigation & resilience re #ClimateChange. #Museums4Climate #Heritage4Climate
The busiest of the Coalition’s social media platforms. Join over 1,000 followers to stay up to date on museums, heritage, and climate change action worldwide. Amy Hetherington manages the Twitter Feed.
#4 Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
Yes, there is one! Check out a growing list of videos advocating for museums’ role in taking climate action.
#5 Share your stories about museums building public awareness, mitigation and resilience in the face of climate change
Big or small, your efforts to take climate action are important and will be inspirational to others. Now is not the time to be modest. WRITE about what you are doing and the impact your work is having and SHARE IT on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or even screw your courage to the sticking post and … write a blog post! You can do it. We all can. We all must.
Chris Castle is a retired museum education consultant. She worked and volunteered in the museum field for over 40 years as, variously, historical interpreter, curator, consultant, and board member. After two exciting years on the Coalition’s Advisory Group, she is leaving to focus on climate action closer to home, which is just outside Toronto, Canada.
