Sustainability | Eesti rahva muuseum
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HomeEMYA 2022Sustainability

Sustainability

ERM is one of the most sustainable venues in the area. Our management team follows sustainable practices and tries to achieve greater resource efficiency while maintaining respect for the environment:
  • The most important developments of energy efficiency involve the half-passive climate systems ised in collection storage. 
  • ​It is possible to control the humidity and temperature separately in the exhibition area and the work rooms. 
  • Air quality is one of the main priorities. 
  • The sprinkler system of the new museum building uses steam sprinklers that consume 92% less water compared to the traditional solutions. 
  • We are implementing energy saving systems and using LED technology as much as possible. Our public and staff areas are bright with natural light.
  • The museum is part of the city of Tartu district heating system which mailny uses waste and wood remains. 
  • We have a paper-free system of management.
  • Recycling is a common practice, we reuse our advertising materials as much as possible. 
  • In our restaurant we serve fresh food as much as possible from local suppliers.
  • We measure the energy costs of events, i.e. their ecological footprint.
  • The People and the Environment special exhibition highlighting the influence humans of nature is a part of the permanent exhibition. 
  • The museum promotes natural biodiversity. In front of the museum building there is a diversified meadow landscape, characteristic of Estonia, where naturally occurring flowers are maintained thanks to infrequent mowing. 
  • The museum is easily reachable by public transport, by city bikes or on foot, minimising waste and emissions due to travel.
 

Construction process

The construction of the ENM building started with great adjustments to the landscape including the mitigation of a potential environmental crisis. The area, which had been a Soviet military airport, was first cleared of various remains: 15,000 cubic metres of construction waste, 200 tons of waste, 13,000 cubic metres of soil contaminated by oil pollution, 50,000 cubic metres of aeroplane fuel in underground tanks. Lake Raadi was also cleaned and 15,000 cubic metres of soil with PCB pollution was removed. Other waste was then removed from the lake with the help of volunteer divers.
 

Recycling

Recycling is at the heart of what the museum does, from daily waste to the collections. Only used boxes were used to move the collections, and in the collections various materials are also reused whenever possible (for example in the tapestry collection storage tubes made of fabric, and greenhouse plastics, are in use), after the materials have been tested by the conservation department.
 

Energy efficiency

For the museum, energy efficiency is highly important. The most important developments here involve the semi-passive climate systems in the collection storage area. For lighting LED technology is used as much as possible. The fire system of the new museum building uses steam sprinklers, which consume 92% less water compared to the traditional solutions.
The People and the Environment special exhibition is part of the permanent exhibition and highlights the influence of humans on nature.
 

Involvement

Today the ENM offers a feeling of continuity and tradition. The museum is the generator and developer of cultural dialogue that links the past and the future. The activities of the ENM support development of civic competences and attitudes, contributing to equal opportunities for people from different cultural backgrounds. Participatory strategies have great potential, while analysis of our participants' motivations has shown that the possibility to contribute to the museum collection with one’s knowledge and experience being presented at the museum exhibitions or giving expert advice to the museum are highly regarded. The ENM’s collections and exhibitions that focus on everyday life help to prioritise and acknowledge the personal stories and experiences of museum audiences. The exhibitions' multimedia solutions are developed so that people can continuously interact with the content and provide new content for the exhibition as well as the collections. In addition to existing traditional volunteering possibilities, clubs for seniors and youth are in development to increase the possibilities these age and interest groups have to cooperate with the museum.
 

Proud of the city

The city of Tartu is becoming greener every year. In 2022, Tartu wants to participate in the "100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030" mission.