Our participation in the European Museum Conference NEMO 2023: Taking action for a sustainable future.

In the fascinating city of Lahti, Finland, part of the Natural History Museum team took part in the European Museums NEMO 2023 conference: “and… ACTION! Museums in the climate crisis, 19-21 November”. Far beyond the familiar meetings, this three-day event was a call to action for museums around the world to contribute to a sustainable future in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.

The conference aimed to stimulate discussions on how museums can reduce their negative impact on the environment, serve as model institutions and motivate their communities to engage in climate action. Representing our institution, the team actively participated in discussions among more than 300 museum professionals, from nearly 40 countries. Notable was the meeting venue, Lahti, a city committed to becoming climate neutral by 2025, recognized as European Green Capital in 2021.

NEMO, the Network of European Museum Organizations, successfully connects museums across Europe, fostering collaboration, sharing best practice and giving visibility to museums committed to a sustainable and socially responsible Europe.

“Culture can help us create the change needed to save the world from the climate crisis. If we join forces to stimulate collaborative action, we can unlearn bad habits to relearn and acquire new attitudes to be part of nature and create a better system.” Were some of the inspiring words of Dr Kirsten Dunlop, CEO of EIT Climate-KIC.

One of the highlights was the launch of the European interactive map, a project initiated by NEMO during the conference. This map presents the various actions that museums will take or are already taking to tackle the climate crisis. The map can be viewed here.

The participation of the Natural Science Museum in the conference 19-21.11. 2023, became possible thanks to this years creation of the membership to the European Museum Organizations NEMO and the project “Seasons” that won in 2022 to the National Fund “Culture”.

We are eager to use the knowledge gained from this conference to improve the work of our museum and make a meaningful contribution to global efforts to tackle climate change.