Green Museum

The Building Process

Construction of the ENM building began with major landscape changes, taking into account the need to mitigate a potential environmental crisis. The former Soviet military airfield area was first cleared of waste: 15,000 m³ of construction waste, 200 tonnes of other waste, 13,000 m³ of soil contaminated by petroleum pollution, and 50,000 m³ of aviation fuel in underground tanks. Raadi Lake was also cleaned, and 15,000 m³ of PCB-contaminated soil was removed. After that, volunteer divers retrieved large quantities of additional waste from the lake.

Environmental Principles

• The museum’s role is to value and protect the natural and cultural environment, and through its activities to support individuals and communities.
• Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and addressing it is everyone’s social responsibility.
• The ENM development plan has set sustainable and environmentally friendly operations as an organisational goal. The museum is accessible and inclusive—mentally, experientially, digitally, and physically.
• Environmentally sustainable solutions make the museum’s work more efficient, reduce real costs, and set an example for others.
• To address the challenges related to sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity, we have two lines of action:

Reducing Environmental Impacts

• We reduce the environmental impact of our activities and, in cooperation with RKAS, plan a transition to renewable energy.
• In planning and upgrades, we take environmental protection and biodiversity into account.
• We prefer services and products with a smaller environmental footprint and consider their long-term and indirect environmental impacts.
• We avoid unnecessary consumption of electricity and heat, use water and other resources efficiently, and plan our transport use wisely.
• We generate as little waste as possible; both in public areas and workspaces, we collect waste by type.
• We value reuse and the principles of the circular economy, using products through to the end of their lifespan.
• We recognise the significance of digital waste and the impact of our digital footprint.
• We follow the environmentally sustainable action plan for exhibitions and events.

Social Responsibility

• The museum has a social responsibility towards the future, its collections, and people.
• The museum supports visitors’ environmental awareness and draws attention to opportunities for sustainable development.
• We consider it important that our collections and knowledge remain valuable for future generations. We support this with user-centred solutions, offering ever new knowledge and opportunities to use the collections.
• Alongside environmental sustainability, we consider the principles of the collections’ preservation environment to be important.
• We plan our work long-term, systematically, and resiliently, and we support our employees’ mental and physical health.
• We organise training and environmental events to increase ENM staff awareness in this field.
• We follow the ENM environmentally sustainable employee checklist.

ENM employee checklist

At work

• Workplace safety first! I take care of my mental and physical health and avoid work-related stress.
• I rest my eyes from screen time regularly, and for sedentary work I stretch once every hour.
• When needed, I work remotely, and instead of travelling I take part in online meetings and conferences.

Engagement

• I can plan my workflows, involve colleagues, and include potential target groups.
• I support colleagues and, when needed, I ask for help myself.
• At the ENM there is an HR manager, a trusted person, and workplace environment representatives who can provide support when needed.

Transportation

• To get to work, I prefer environmentally friendly modes of transport (public transport, bicycle) or I walk.
• I treat ordering ENM transport responsibly and plan shared rides with colleagues.

Reusability

• I don’t buy new things if the old ones still work, and I consider their lifespan and necessity.
• Instead of buying, I consider borrowing or renting; I prefer reused materials and use products up completely.
• I pass on items and materials for reuse if they can find a new owner or purpose.

Waste

• The best waste is the waste that isn’t created.
• I am a skilled waste sorter: 1) clean cardboard and paper; 2) packaging; 3) bio-waste; 4) mixed municipal waste; 5) batteries.
• If I have questions—and especially regarding hazardous waste—I consult the facilities manager.

Digital Waste

• Vähendan digiprügi: kustutan regulaarselt üleliigsed e-kirjad (esmajoones mahukate manustega), tühistan tarbetute uudiskirjade tellimused, kasutan signatuuri kirjas vajadusel, tühjendan regulaarselt rämpspostkasti, kustutan vanad ja ebavajalikud failid arvutist ja serverist.

Paper and Printing

• I reduce paper use: I print less and double-sided.
• I reuse single-sided paper; I dispose of used paper in the paper recycling.

Electricity & Water

• I switch off unnecessary lights, and at the end of the workday I turn off all devices.
• I prefer drinking tap water.
• If I notice a dripping tap or unnecessary energy use, I contact the facilities manager.

ENM’s environmentally sustainable principles for organising exhibitions

When planning and creating ENM exhibitions, we must keep in mind social responsibility towards society and communities and take into account the environmental impact of our activities.

Social Responsibility

• We consider the interests and expectations of our target groups and value equal accessibility to exhibitions for visitors.
• We plan our activities well in advance so that work is completed on time and we can involve partners and visitors.
• We support visitors’ environmental awareness and encourage them to act accordingly.
• Exhibitions are a whole that begins with the website and the journey to the museum.
• We consider it important that the knowledge created through an exhibition can be presented again—every exhibition is archived so that knowledge remains even after the exhibition has ended.

Reducing Environmental Impacts

• When planning an exhibition, environmental sustainability must be assessed across all processes and activities. We prefer services and products with a smaller environmental footprint and consider the exhibition’s long-term and indirect environmental impacts.
• When choosing display materials, we take into account the principles of preserving museum objects and safety for visitors and staff.
• We follow circular-economy and reuse principles and choose durable, energy-efficient solutions.
• We keep museum-object packing materials and reuse them.
• We sort leftover exhibition materials that cannot be reused.
• We archive exhibition-related materials in a way that avoids creating excessive digital waste.
• Exhibition openings and public programme activities follow the ENM guidelines for environmentally sustainable events.

ENM’s environmentally sustainable principles for organising events

When planning events at the ENM—indoors and outdoors—we must keep in mind the ENM’s social responsibility towards society and communities and consider the environmental impact of our activities.

Social Responsibility

• ENM’s cultural programme is aimed at audiences with a wide range of interests, both near and far; it is up-to-date and accessible.
• Where possible, we organise events in hybrid form or record them so that people living further from Tartu can also take part.

Reducing Environmental Impacts

• When planning events, we prefer services and products with a smaller environmental footprint and consider the long-term and indirect environmental impacts of events.
• We use energy-efficient equipment and materials for event organisation through to the end of their lifespan, and then arrange waste handling.
• We follow ENM’s waste-sorting principles and, where possible, avoid generating waste altogether.
• We avoid single-use name badges, lanyards, and decorations, and value circular-economy principles.
• We share informational and content materials digitally whenever possible.
• For gifts and souvenirs, we prefer products that are edible, organically produced, or have a minimal transport footprint.
• We archive event-related materials, thereby reducing digital waste.
• We encourage guests to arrive on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport.
• We prefer reusable tableware for catering. If this isn’t possible at outdoor events, we use compostable tableware and sort waste.
• We offer responsible, seasonal catering and ask organisers to order quantities according to the number of participants. We pack leftovers for the organiser to take away.
• For ENM events, we also offer animal-free food.
• We are happy to share our environmental efforts and provide regular interim summaries of what has been achieved.