Wardlaw Museum goes for gold

The Wardlaw Museum has achieved Gold status, the highest level, through the Green Tourism Business Scheme, recognising the museum’s continued commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism.

The museum achieved an average score of 86% across its submission, exceeding the 80% required for a Gold award. It scored above 80% in 14 of the 15 assessment categories, with scores above 90% in five categories and 100% for health and wellbeing.

The assessment highlighted the museum’s work to communicate themes of biodiversity and sustainability through its exhibitions and public programmes, as well as efforts to encourage visitors to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.

The museum’s retail offer was also recognised, including its approach to supplier screening and the use of an interactive display to share information about the sustainability of products sold in the shop. This includes products designed to support more sustainable choices, such as alternatives to single-use cleaning products.

The museum’s commitment to reducing waste was another key area of achievement. Over the past year, the average temporary exhibition has reduced its waste from the equivalent of a skip to around a single bin bag. A member of staff also acts as the museum’s Green Champion, helping to identify and support opportunities to improve sustainability.

Matthew Sheard, Head of Experience and Engagement, University Collections and Museums, said: “Achieving a Gold Award for Green Tourism demonstrates how we’re constantly striving to act sustainably.

“It means that visitors can be sure that our operations have minimal negative impact on our planet, and academics who want to collaborate with us can know that our projects will place sustainability high on the agenda.”

The assessment also recognised the contribution of the University’s wider sustainability work, including monitoring waste and carbon, reducing water consumption and the support provided by Estates. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how sustainability is embedded both within the museum and across the wider University.

The museum building itself incorporates a number of sustainable features. Solar panels on the roof generate electricity used to power lighting and the internal lift, while a ground-source heat pump draws heat from beneath the adjacent car park to provide underfloor heating in the galleries. Sustainability is also reflected in exhibitions and displays, including ecological showcases such as Rewrite the Future, which uses recyclable cardboard structures and other lower-waste design approaches to explore environmental themes.

Director of Sustainability Transformation, Karen Laing, said: “Congratulations to colleagues at the Wardlaw Museum. The Gold Green Tourism status is well-deserved recognition of the practical steps the team has taken to embed sustainability in the museum’s work, in line with the University’s Sustainability Strategy. We are proud of the work colleagues have undertaken here and across the University to help create a more sustainable institution.”