December 22, 2025
Sustainability News in Heritage Conservation & Committee Updates
We don't know about you, but 2025 has gone by SUPER fast for us here on the AIC Sustainability Committee! As the year draws to a close, we look back on some of the great work being done across the globe. It has been inspiring to see challenges turned into opportunities as relationships build across disciplines, geographies, and perspectives.
Highlights:
In April, The International Museum Conference on Climate Change took place in Vienna, Austria. The meeting, organized single handedly by Dr. Pascal Querner, an independent entomologist, brought together a wide array of disciplines. Art conservators, conservation scientists, engineers, architects, entomologists, climatologists, biologists and other specialists from around the world presented on how climate change is impacting museums and heritage. The merging of environmental sciences and cultural heritage preservation has the power to transform how we work.
Image credit: museumclimate.org
The American Alliance of Museums held their annual meeting a month later in Los Angeles, where locals were reeling from the devastating January fires. The general theme of the meeting, "Museums & Trust" came down to connecting with community. Despite the latest federal funding withdrawals, hope was in the air! Camille Kirk and Whitney McGuire organized a brilliant pre-session workshop on Recovery and Resilience: Cultural Institutions in Response to Environmental Disaster. Other presentations throughout the conference were equally inspiring. Samantha Owens and Annie Farrar spoke about a vast range of sustainable practices at Glenstone. Leslie Tom, Korzell Coe, and Douglas Flandro talked about using Digital Twins (and their ingenuity!) to create eco-friendly exhibitions. Wendy Claire Jessup, FIIC, Sandra Vicchio, and Gordon Umbarger presented on the Power of the Plan: A Pathway for Building Trust (and re-modeling the National Museum of Women in the Arts).
A couple of months later, a landmark opinion issued by the International Court of Justice established that countries have a legal obligation to protect people and ecosystems from the "urgent and existential threat" posed by climate change. As climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe points out, "even though this is an advisory opinion with no legal mechanism for enforcement, it represents an important precedent that will carry weight in other courts as litigation continues".
Then in October, The Climate Toolkit hosted their first symposium at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. Both the venue and the meeting were awe-inspiring. Leaders from institutions across the country discussed how they have implemented decarbonization strategies, engaging the public with programming on climate change, advocacy, and more. Recordings of all the presentations and associated resources are available on their website. To learn more about the Climate Toolkit, check out this interview AIC Sustainability Committee member and Green Tea Podcast host Roxy Sperber had with the Toolkit's Andrew Lampl and Jennifer Torrance.
Earlier this month, The International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation (ICOM CC) held their "Focus on Conservation" online conference, titled "Routes to Resilience". Speakers, including Sustainability Committee member Mariana Valdez, presented on various ways we can cultivate flexibility and adaptability in the face of ever growing threats due to climate change.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic and beyond, two initiatives to build more regenerative practices around exhibitions are gaining momentum:
In the UK, a new online platform and pilot exchange scheme is being developed by the Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI), supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Launching this month, "the platform will give museums and heritage organisations a practical mechanism to share materials, resources and exhibition infrastructure."
And in Morocco, a similar platform, called the Green Museum Hub, is currently being developed thanks to seed funding from the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC). According to a recent IIC News article, "the project is a collaborative digital platform that centralizes resources, connects stakeholders, and empowers museums to transition toward sustainable exhibition practices. More than just a database, it represents a vision for transforming how cultural heritage institutions engage with the environment in Morocco, with the hope of extending to neighbouring countries and, eventually, further afield."
COP30, the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, took place in November in Belem, in the middle of Brazil's Amazon forest. We will go into more detail on this meeting in a future post. But one important point to share is that Creatives for Climate, a non-profit geared at "transforming influence to drive climate action" launched The Creative Integrity Playbook. Written primarily for agencies and brands, many of its ideas apply directly to work in cultural institutions.
A call to action:
One of the easiest and most important climate change actions people can take is to talk about it. Although most Americans are concerned about climate change (63% on average according to one study), relatively few engage in discussions with family and friends. This has created a "climate silence". According to a recent report, incorporating learnings from the media into conversations can help us connect and share perspectives. It might feel scary at first, especially since part of the messaging we are getting from the media is that climate change is a polarizing topic. But why not reach out during the upcoming holiday gatherings and see how it goes? If you're looking for tips on how to get the conversation started at the dinner table, check out this article on the connection of food and climate change.
Cool new research…
We saw this on the Biomimicry Institute's Ray of Hope Accelerator Newsletter, AskNature and had to share!
"Using inspiration from the superhydrophobicity (extreme water repellency) of the microtexture on a lotus leaf, Cellulotech's new green chemistry technique uses bio-based reagents to change the quality of materials from water-loving to water-repellent. Improving the function of the material's surface through this process, without the use of toxic coatings, maintains its original feel, as well as its recyclability."
In case you missed it…
The AIC Sustainability Committee's Green Tea Podcast continues to amaze and inspire. Episodes over the last few months include:
Coming up…
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Don't miss our Sustainable Labs monthly meet ups! This group offers peer to peer support and resources as we implement practices that lessen our impact on the environment. Stay tuned for a future meet-up, where we'll be discussing a sustainable alternative to toluene. Send an email to aicsustainability@gmail.com with the subject line "Join Sustainable Labs Meet Up" if you'd like to get on our mailing for these gatherings!
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Save the dates for our upcoming webinars!
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February 4 at 9amPST/12noonEST: Sustainable Practices in the Lab, hosted in collaboration with Book & Paper.
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March 5 at 8amPST/11amEST: How to Use AI Sustainably (working title), hosted in collaboration with the UK's Institute for Conservation (Icon) Sustainability Group on AI
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Keep an eye out for the General Sessions Post-Prints! The Sustainability Committee has an article on the panel discussion we hosted at AIC 2025 on centering context vs the physical life of an object.
Looking forward to AIC 2026 in Montreal…
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We updated the Green Attendee Pledge. Don't forget to take it when you register! (Preliminary program is here).
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We are organizing a "Community Partnership Project" in collaboration with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) and the Canadian Association for Conservation's Emerging Conservator Committee (ECC). This is a volunteer opportunity taking place at Redpath Museum, McGill University's museum of natural history on Wednesday, April 29. It will include hands-on experiences and discussions about sustainability. Space is limited so be sure to sign up when registration is announced.
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We are working on a lunch panel session in collaboration with the Health & Safety Committee, following up on some of the topics touched on in last year's discussion. "Sustaining the Conservator: Happiness Hacks & Healing from Burnout" is scheduled for Friday, May 1. Registration will be opening soon.
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We are in the early stages of coordinating a pre-session cultural landscapes program in connection to a conference presentation. More details coming soon!
Connect with us!
We now have a mailing list to connect with people directly. We will continue to post on the community forums, but if you want to get our updates directly into your inbox, please email us at aicsustainability@gmail.com with the subject "Join AIC SC Blog Mailing List".
As always, we want to hear from you! Ideas, topics, and questions to explore are always welcome.
In gratitude,
The AIC Sustainability Committee
Yadin Larochette, Co-Chair
Justine Wuebold, Co-Chair
adrian hernandez, Outreach Officer
This post can be referenced on our Sustainability Forum blog here:
https://www.culturalheritage.org/blogs/adrian-hernandez/2025/12/22/sustainability-news-in-heritage-conservation-commi
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adrian hernandez
AIC Sustainability Committee Outreach Officer
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