Proposal for Italy's first national sustainability prize for museums

Massimiliano Tonelli, editor of Artribune, proposes the creation of a national award for the most sustainable museum, cinema, and theater in Italy. The article criticizes Italian museum directors, specifically James Bradburne (Brera) and Eike Schmidt (Uffizi), for not taking a public stance on energy saving and sustainability in cultural institutions. Tonelli notes that while energy costs are soaring (gas prices approaching €300 per megawatt-hour) and the European energy crisis deepens, Italian museums remain silent. He questions how museums will heat, light, and operate their energy-intensive buildings this winter, and how they will use the millions allocated by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for cultural sustainability. Tonelli suggests the new Minister of Culture should establish a prominent national prize to encourage and showcase best practices in ecological transition, with Artribune offering to partner. The article was published in Artribune Magazine #68 in September 2022.