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Inspiring the Green Genius: Envisioning Sustainability at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry

Are my efforts to recycle really beneficial? Can I experience the effects of global warming? Why is it so controversial?  Will climate change impact me? How does air quality affect my health?  Are my possessions slowly poisoning me by off gassing?  Who are “social entrepreneurs” and what impact can they have on our society?

Archeworks has over the past 12 years explored "green" materials with projects that produced exhibitions, explored landfills, proposed new reuse for old office furniture, and held forums and lectures on sustainability.

The Museum of Science & Industry (MSI) believes that sustainability in its many aspects is all critical to our future. As an educational institution, MSI wishes to be on the forefront of this issue, both by leading by example as well as getting the information to the public. Building on their mission "To inspire the inventive genius in everyone", MSI is dedicated to engaging their staff, visitors, and the public at large on issues relating to the environment. The MSI hopes to serve as a resource for other museums and institutions that are exploring the benefits of being "green."

Archeworks and the Museum of Science & Industry have partnered to lead a long range plan which will bring together a diverse group such as the Mayor’s office, local utility and oil industries, associations such as the Center for Green Technology, and the community at large to begin the process of addressing environmental questions and the "greening" of the Museum.  The 2010 Sustainability Plan will address many topics and their impact on the individual including climate change, global warming, recycling, indoor and outdoor air quality, daylight to employees and view of the outdoors to retain employees, economics of going "green", the growing value of social entrepreneurship and more.

The design goals will focus on design research and visual communication to bring answers to environmental questions which communicate to the individual.   

Design steps:

• Engage partners
• Research content, define topics
• Develop exhibition on one of the topics;
• Establish prototype exhibit to build on for all topics;
• Develop outreach through MSI, Archeworks, and partner programs in Chicago
• Help establish a LEED M (museum) program that MSI owns
• Educate and lead the initiative
• Investigate ways to participate in WIRED Magazine's "NextFest" which will beheld in Chicago 2008 and explore the possibility of doing a concurrent "GreenFest" at MSI

PROJECT UPDATE:
With partners at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), the Sustainability Group spent most of the year analyzing ways to green the museum, both at the exhibit and facilities level. The main deliverable that will be unveiled is a detailed manual focusing on creating a zero-waste MSI through systemic changes and exhibit ideas that will positively impact the museum environment and attract attention and recognition as leaders in the sustainability movement. The manual will be applicable to any institution, especially other Chicago museums (who will be receiving copies of the finished product.) In conjunction with the manual, they have been involved in several other initiatives, some of which will be demonstrated and displayed at the Final Student Presentation on April 26th 2007.

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