German museums study carbon emissions with Federal Cultural Foundation

The Federal Cultural Foundation in Germany has launched a study involving 19 cultural institutions to assess and reduce their carbon emissions. Participants include the Lenbachhaus in Munich, Museum Folkwang in Essen, Dresden State Art Collections, and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial, as well as theaters and libraries. The foundation provided a total of 120,000 euros for building audits and operational changes. Key areas of investigation are travel and transport of artworks by air, land, and sea, as well as energy use in buildings. The study also examines how frequently museums should loan works, how to organize transport more sustainably, and how often curators and staff should travel. The project began in November 2020, and results will be published by spring 2021. The foundation states that the goals of the Paris Agreement require participation from all sectors of society, and that the climate impact of the arts in Germany has been a blind spot that more actors now want to address.