The last program on Saturday is called "Healthy Museums" which I am going to try and get into. What do you think we could do on the second floor (with the children's museum concept) that would meet the city's new "Healthy Rancho" commitment and/or would meet the "Green Rancho" commitment? (design elements, construction, exhibits - what are your ideas?)
Michelle
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I will leave the programming stuff up to people who know more about this stuff but at least in the area of construction, being "green" is getting much easier! Without compromising a whole lot, there is a lot of carpet or flooring material that is recycled. Same with a lot of furniture (although I don't necessarily see a lot of furniture on the second floor. But then again, I don't see why display board and things like this couldn't be made from recycled material).
Finally, after visiting the Highland Library (which is LEED-certified), having a "green" HVAC system not only is possible, but also visually very attractive! (You have to see it).
These are just some things off the top of my head.
I guess I posted this question at the right time. Today, during the preconference there was a lunch session on green buildings. During the program I asked a question about best practices in green exhibit design and the speaker (RK - it was Dennis from Denver Children's Museum) mentioned this website - Greenexhibits.org.
Michelle
This website definitely targets the second part of your question - design elements. Who knew museums were leading the pack in going green? I just took a cursory look, but this seems like a site with practical ideas at the perfect time for us. I think programming "green" has to start with the basics, teaching and showing kids about nature, the earth, climate change, but needs to go way beyond that. One idea: storytimes/clubs that meet regularly around specific topics (eg. "All for Astronomy Club" or "The Earth Lovers Club").
On another note, I love the Storyville name. It's a great connection to the whole idea of the library. I really think we should keep that connection in mind as we theme and name our 2nd floor.
I noticed that Storyville has a marketplace where children can pretend they are buying and selling goods. In keeping with the Healthy Cities' theme, we could have a little market area in our museum and fill in with healthy food items only. Maybe there could also be an exhibit showing healthy food choices vs. unhealthy ones. (This is something everyone could learn more about!)
Here is a health initiative from the Association of Children's Museums. http://www.goodtogrow.org.
Michelle
This targets the green more than it does the healthy, but i think it'd be cool to have some sort of nature exhibit with live stuff, so that people would want to keep coming back because it'd be different every time. Stuff like ant/worm farms, aquarium, chickens in an incubator, or maybe a sealed garden of some sort. Californians are pretty separated from nature, so any little bit would be cool. And kids love animals. But you could always tie in the aspect of how living green, is good for the environment, which is good for humans. Hopefully People will value green living because they'll have more of an appreciation for the things living in nature.
Obviously i'm skipping a lot of the logistical issues, but you would be able to rotate out the animal/plant subjects, which would keep the exhibit fresh and new, without having to reinstall a whole new exhibit.
I can't wait to check out the Highland Library when it opens! I really want to see their rooftop gardens. Is that open to the public? They have housing at Cal Poly for students where they live an environmentally sustainable life. The John T. Lyle Centeris right off of Temple which is a really busy street, but since it's on top of the hill and hidden by trees it really feels like you are somewhere other than Pomona. The design for the buildings is really interesting. They don't have to use heating or AC and it is always at a comfortable temperature. One side of the building is all glass so that when it's cold, the sun will warm the building. Around springtime vines are grow to create shade and keep the building nice and cool. There are windows that are really low to the ground to let in the cool breeze, and windows very high to let out the hot air. Believe it or not, I once thought about being a Regerative Studies major.
I think an exhibit on different types of energy would be lots of fun for the children. I've seen those stationary bikes where kids have to pedal to make a light bulb turn on. After seeing how much of our own energy it takes to turn on a light bulb, they might think twice about sleeping with the lights on. =) The "healthy" aspect to this can be the exercise the kids will get from pedaling.
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