Sustainability – Page 6 – AIC Blog Archives: Conservators Converse

The AIC Committee on Sustainable Conservation Practice Seeks Member

The AIC Committee on Sustainable Conservation Practice
Seeks Member

Term: May 2012- May 2014

The committee aims to:
• Provide resources for AIC members and other caretakers of cultural heritage regarding environmentally sustainable approaches to preventive care and other aspects of conservation practice. Resources may be provided via electronic media, workshops, publications and presentations.
• Define research topics and suggest working groups as needed to explore sustainable conservation practices and new technologies.

Membership Parameters:
• The committee is comprised of 8 voting members.
• Members serve for two years, with an additional two-year term option.
• One member is a conservation graduate student.
• One member serves as chair for two years.
• During the second year of the chair’s term, another member serves as chair designate, assisting with and learning the chair’s responsibilities.
• As needed, corresponding (non-voting) members and non-AIC experts will be invited to guide research on special topics.

Tasks:
• Telephone conference calls with the committee members- about once a month.
• Research, write and edit the AIC Wiki Sustainable Practices Page.
• Participate in researching and writing any group presentations or publications.
• Guide related working groups.

Please submit a statement of purpose (1 page maximum length) and your resume by March 18, 2012 to Sarah Nunberg, committee Chair.

Contact:
Sarah Nunberg
snunberg [at] aol [dot] com

Sustainability Survey

The American Institute for Conservation Committee for Sustainable Conservation Practices (CSCP) has created a short survey to find out what sustainable practices are currently being undertaken. We hope to get a sense of what is occurring as well as to try to identify possible speakers and case studies. The survey will be only be open during the month of November, 2011.

In 2008 the Green Task Force sent out a survey to the AIC community concerning “Green Conservation Practices” The CSCP realizes that internationally changes are quickly happening, with new practices and energy savings being adapted daily. The results of this 2011 survey will be shared during a lunch session at the 2012 AIC meeting in Alburquerque and in a future article in the AIC Newsletter. We hope to sharing how conservators in institutions and in private practices are making sustainable choices will inspire each other to keep moving ahead with sustainability in our field.

Please take the time (less than ten minutes) to complete this survey.

www.conservation-us.org/sustainabilitysurvey

Thank you,

The Committee for Sustainable Conservation Practices

Sarah Nunberg, Rose Cull, Betsy Haude, Robin O’Hern, Denise Stockman, Melanie Brussat, Mary Coughlin, Melissa Tedone, Patricia Silence, and Catherine Hawks

If you have any technical difficulties with the survey please contact Ryan Winfield at AIC.

Green Task Force 2010 AIC presentation available online

The Green Task Force presentation at AIC’s 38th Annual Meeting, May 11-14, 2010, addressed how conservators add to burgeoning landfills, place stress on waning resources, use toxic products that pollute our environment, and set standards that increase our carbon footprints.

We are faced with a complex challenge when we set out to reduce the amounts of energy and materials we use as we try to work in a sustainable manner. The environmental impact of the treatments we choose and the exhibition and storage systems we devise must be taken into account as we make our professional decisions and recommendations. Options for material choice, and methods for recycling and disposal are evolving as we gain a greater understanding of our environmental impact.

In this presentation, the Green Task Force does not tell conservators how to work, instead it begins to provide information so we can make environmentally conscious decisions with the goal of reducing our collective carbon footprint. Through sound practices and decision making, we can make a positive impact.

Visit the Green Resources page on the AIC website to download the pdf version of the PowerPoint and accompanying text.

AAMD discussion on environmental conditions and loan guidelines

Attention AIC members:

A summary is being disseminated on the AIC blog to keep conservators informed about ongoing discussions regarding changing environmental standards in response to sustainability, economic woes, reducing carbon footprints and simplifying loans. This discussion is only one small part of addressing all these issues.

Download and read the summary>>

Information on LEDs

The AIC Green Task Force 2008 membership survey revealed that making environmentally conscious choices for lighting is one of the ways in which conservators have made efforts to “green” their labs and institutions. In 2010 a series of postings on the Conservation DistList and other preservation forums raised questions about the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as an appropriate choice for museum collections. While LED illumincation might be considered a “greener” form of lighting, its impact on collection preservation has not been well understood. The GTF tasked Steven Weintraub to investigate this issue and provide information to the conservation community.

Access the information from AIC’s Green Resources page

Help your colleagues go green!

The AIC Green Task Force would love to hear about treatment methods or materials that you have found are more environmentally sustainable than traditional ones. Even very small ideas can make a difference.

Please write to green@conservation-us.org with your suggestions. We are presenting a paper at the AIC 2010 Annual Meeting concerning sustainability in conservation. If you have photos illustrating sustainable practices and treatments that we can use in our a PowerPoint presentation, we will be sure to credit you. We are also looking for photos of waste that is produced in conservation treatment such as a large trash can full of paper towels, gloves, solvent use or styrofoam. Those photos can be anonymous if you wish.

Check out AIC’s Green Resources page for more information