The Sustainable Museum (Routledge Guides to Practice in Museums, Galleries and Heritage)

The Sustainable Museum is the first book to outline a coherent strategy for the direction of museums, as it relates to sustainability in the museum and heritage sector.

Arguing that museums must place sustainability at the centre of all their activities, if they are to become key actors with a clear societal role, Garthe considers the issues that museums will likely face as they take on their new roles. Presenting case studies from a wide range of museums around the world, the book considers different ways of implementing sustainability in different types and sizes of institutions. Whilst the book clearly outlines the need for change, it also provides guidance about how to change. Garthe does this by considering specific concepts and approaches to sustainability in relation to the different aspects of museum operations. The book includes a hands-on manual for implementing sustainability management in a museum, whilst also considering the challenges practitioners will encounter and considering what the future of the sustainable museum might look like.

The Sustainable Museum will be essential reading for museum and heritage professionals around the globe. The book will also be of interest to academics and students engaged in the study of museums, arts and cultural management, business administration, change management or sustainable development.

Christopher J. Garthe is creative director and consultant for sustainability in museums and exhibitions. For museums, visitor centres and science centres he develops exhibitions related to sustainable topics and supports them in the implementation of a sustainable operation. He has studied geography, landscape ecology and regional planning in Hanove, Germany and Grenoble, France, adult education and lifelong learning as well as journalism in Berlin, Germany and received his PhD on education and tourism in protected areas. Since 2009, he has been working at studio klv in Berlin/Freiberg, Germany and is active as a lecturer, author and speaker on sustainability in the cultural sector.