California Association of Museums

 CAM 2008 Conference logo

See the 2008 "Greening the Conference" booklet HERE.

See the 2007 "Greening the Conference" booklet HERE.

About the Green Museums Initiative

In 2006, the California Association of Museums (CAM) took the forward-thinking step to develop a Green Museums Initiative (GMI) to inspire California museums to develop green business practices, eco-friendly facility management, and sustainable programming.

Across the nation, business and industry are realizing the importance of adopting business practices that do not harm the environment, or ideally, are ecologically beneficial. CAM realizes the important role that museums must play in educating the public, solving these problems, and achieving a sustainable future.

Staff and volunteers from CAM member museums and others will be able to look to the Green Museums Initiative (GMI) as a resource of best practices as well as current information and trends. It is our goal to provide CAM members with the resources and the information to make a difference.

The initial goal of GMI is to "green" the daily operations, conferences, workshops, and events of CAM. By changing the way it conducts its own operations and programs, CAM will provide a model for other institutions and decrease its ecological footprint.

CAM's Green Conference

The 2007 CAM Conference was GMI's first step in achieving this initial goal, with sessions on sustainability and several eco-friendly practices. Ultimately, and thanks to sponsorship support from Bon Appetit Management Company, John F. Kennedy University, and Atthowe Fine Art Services, CAM provided the following green practices:

  • 100% organic cotton tote bags;
  • Conference program printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper;
  • Sustainable cuisine whenever possible;
  • Use of real tableware and linens at meals;
  • Corn plastic plates and recycled paper napkins at some evening events;
  • Created a Carbon Neutral event by offsetting conference greenhouse gas emissions;
  • Flyers printed on 100% PCW paper with vegetable inks;
  • Printing eco-audit; and
  • Recycling at events.

A booklet describing the greening of the conference was given to all conference attendees and additional copies were mailed to CAM institutional members and other museum associations. This booklet is now available to download at http://www.calmuseums.org/conferences_and_workshops/Greening_The_Conference_2007.pdf. (pdf, 10.37 MB)

For 2008, Green Travel Tips were added to the Conference Registration Program and Sustainable Cuisine Guidelines were given to the host hotel and event planners as CAM continues its efforts to deeply green its conference and workshops. A Two-Part GOING GREEN program will be presented at Seeds of Change 2008 CAM Conference in Fresno, February 25-28, 2008. For additional information on GMI & the conference, see http://www.calmuseums.org/conferences_and_workshops/2008extras.html.

Thank you to the GMI Committee and Sponsors for their support of this effort.

GMI Committee

  • Chair: Kate Davies, Executive Director, Downey Museum of Art
  • Alan Baker, Executive Director, Charles Paddock Zoo
  • Sarah Kennington, Registrar, Fowler Museum at UCLA
  • Barbara Long, Vice President, Government Relations and Special Projects Aquarium of the Pacific
  • Adrienne McGraw, Director of Programs and Interpretation, Filoli Center
  • Tim McNeil, Assistant Professor and Director of the UC Davis Design Museum

2007 GMI Sponsors
Bon Appetit Management Company
John F. Kennedy University
Atthowe Fine Art Services

2008 GMI Sponsors
Gaylord Brothers
Others TBA

Future GMI Programs and How You Can Help

GMI is currently working on a webpage and, over the next few years, GMI’s goal is to provide CAM members with the resources and the information to make a difference. Let us know what information would be helpful to you in your efforts to “green” your museum and your work. We are currently planning the GMI webpage and want to be sure to include information that you will find most useful. We enjoyed talking with many of you at the 2007 Conference in Long Beach and hope you will continue to update us on your progress and your challenges. Many of you asked for the Greening of the Conference booklet to take to staff and Board members. How can we continue to help you? Sharing our stories builds community and broadens our understanding of our world. Join us in the “greening” of CAM and the museum community. Contact GMI at gmi@calmuseums.org.



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