Climate and ecology - Horniman Museum and Gardens

Climate and ecology - Horniman Museum and Gardens Skip to content We are in the midst of a global climate and ecological emergency unprecedented in human history. We believe that there is still an opportunity to mitigate against this crisis and that the Horniman has a moral and ethical imperative to act now. Our Climate and Ecology Manifesto outlines the steps we will take to mitigate against the climate and ecological emergency, to help shape a positive future for generations to come. Our pledges include the intention to be greenhouse gas neutral by 2040. Read our manifesto: Horniman Climate and Ecology Manifesto (pdf, 295.03kb) Our 2024/25 impact Our primary carbon footprint was 489 tonnes of CO2e. This is equivalent to the heating and electricity used by 148 households for 1 year (average). CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) includes all four greenhouse gases, although our emissions are primarily CO2. Our primary emissions arise from: direct emissions (scope 1) from on-site use of energy (gas) indirect emissions (scope 2) from purchased energy (electricity) Other indirect emissions from our activities are referred to as Scope 3. Some Scope 3 emissions we can estimate, while some are more difficult. Scope 3 includes emissions: resulting from business travel, waste, and water use (estimated at an additional 13 tCO2e). from extracting and transporting gas and generating and distributing electricity (estimated at an additional 121 tCO2e). from visitor travel and staff commuting (estimated at >1,000 tCO2e). embodied in our building structures, our vehicles and equipment, and the products we use on site. 48% of daily waste recycled (31.9 tonnes) – that’s more than 187 Horniman Walruses, and up from 42% the previous year 8km of drip irrigation hose installed in the Gardens to water plants in a sustainable way 15 tonnes of excavated concrete re-used in new xerophytic beds in the Gardens instead of going to landfill one air source heat pump installed at the Study Collections Centre four contributions to scientific publications by Aquarium staff 43,763 kWh/year electrical saving from upgrading Fijian reef, reverse osmosis and saltwater pumps and reconfiguring filtration four weeks of fieldwork delivered as part of ‘Development of sustainable livelihood and upscaling reef restorations in Palau’ grant, secured from the European Union of Aquarium Curators in 2023 124 members of staff completed Carbon Literacy Training 2,500+ Environment Champions Community subscribers 79% agree that visiting increased their curiosity about the natural world 84% agree that visiting has made them appreciate the natural world more 85% perceive the Horniman as extremely or very environmentally conscious. Work in progress We are fully underway with our Nature + Love project, thanks to funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund. Over the next two years we will be redeveloping and improving access to two areas of the Gardens and the Natural History Gallery – with love for the natural world at the heart of the project. We will continue to promote active travel to our visitors, alongside encouraging them to Ditch the Drive and choose public transport over cars. We are currently in the midst of a significant project to decarbonise our Butterfly House and Centre for Understanding the Environment building, by replacing gas heating with electric heat pumps and improving the building fabric. We are upgrading and reviewing the use of our Building Management System, which should significantly improve our energy efficiency. We have received a comprehensive report on the work and costs involved in retrofitting the main museum building, to reduce its carbon footprint, and now are looking at ways to implement these recommendations. Our community What have we already done? A cross-departmental Climate and Ecology Action Group drives our work towards our manifesto goals, and champions environmental issues across the Horniman. Our staff are all taking part in Carbon Literacy Training, which includes making pledges to take a personal and a work-based action to reduce your carbon footprint. Our Environment Champions Community (ECC) encourages communities and families to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours. 40 dedicated and enthusiastic people from our local community are Gardens volunteers, giving their time to help us with a variety of initiatives in the Gardens. We are a Green Flag venue and part of the Green Chain Walk , and our Gardens are regularly visited by the Lewisham Healthy Walks group. Our estate Our electricity is from guaranteed renewable sources and all the bulbs in our Aquarium display tanks are LEDs, saving over 11,000 KWh per year of electricity (the equivalent of boiling 100,000 kettles). Almost half of our total waste (around 48%) is now recycled, including composting; only around 1% of waste ends up in landfill; the rest is incinerated to create energy. We’ve made changes to minimise our water use, and reuse ‘waste’ water from our Aquarium to keep our Gardens watered. Saving water at the Horniman – Horniman Museum and Gardens Our cleaning products are environmentally considerate ones, which we buy in bulk to reduce plastic packaging. We use reusable, washable cleaning cloths and have reduced paper usage and waste by updating our dispensers for toilet paper and paper towels. Our exhibitions and events Our 茶, चाय, Tea (Chá, Chai, Tea) exhibition explored the many stories of Britain’s national drink, spanning millennia and connecting communities across the world. One section of the exhibition looked at sustainability in tea production – and the exhibition design reflected this, using repurposed and recyclable materials, wherever possible. In 2023, our Matters of Life and Breath display focused on a cornet belonging to Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi Debrah, the young girl from Lewisham who was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed on her death certificate. The display marked the progress through Parliament of the historic Clean Air Bill, also called Ella’s Law, which establishes the human right to breathe clean air. We worked with our Youth Panel on the Sustainable Way display in our World Gallery, which raises awareness of the environmental impact of the cotton industry, inspired by the Hopi people and their respectful and sustainable farming of the land. In summer 2023 the Horniman Gardens displayed five art boards featuring work from local children, as part of The Wild Escape , a UK-wide creative project for museums and schools led by Art Fund. The artworks were inspired by the Horniman’s Natural History collection and explored creatures, their habitats and the threats posed by the climate crisis. Our Gardens Our Gardens and Nature Trail are a haven for wildlife. We have birdhouses, bat boxes and bug hotels, and our award-winning Bee Garden provides habitats and food sources for multiple bee species. Thousands of flowering bulbs supply food for early pollinators as well as some colour for us to enjoy in late winter and spring. Reduced mowing in some areas reduces our fuel emissions, and in some areas we don’t mow – leaving the grass to grow long creates a safe haven for insects and encourages indigenous wildflowers. Our densely planted micro-forest is growing quickly and will create a ‘green screen’, absorbing CO2 and air pollution from traffic on the South Circular, blocking noise pollution and providing additional habitats for wildlife. We are making changes around the Gardens to plant in a more climate-aware and ecologically friendly way. The deeper pond and its ramp in the Sunken Garden allow us to grow more water plants and sustain more wildlife species, and we’re moving to longer-lasting planting around the pond, which benefits soil health and wildlife. In beds alongside the Butterfly House and close to the Clocktower, we’re using plants from around the world, chosen for their drought tolerance and resistance to warmer temperatures caused by climate change. Our shops The weekly Horniman Market sells products direct from independent and local producers including seasonal fruit and veg, and organic meat, plus stalls specialising in zero waste, ethical crafts and eco clothing and design. See the current stallholders Our quarterly Second-hand Sundays have a repurposing, reusing and recycling focus and run alongside the regular Horniman Market. Our shops no longer offer single-use bags for customers’ purchases, and we have reviewed and reduced our ‘pocket money’ products. The shops stock a number of fair-trade items, as well as working with UK artisans and makers to create unique products inspired by the Horniman’s collections. The Horniman Cafe, run by Colicci Coffee Notes Coffee Roasters are supporting some of Brazil’s most innovative and sustainable coffee farms. This includes Daterra Coffee Farm, the first Rainforest Alliance Coffee Farm in Brazil and the first coffee farm to be accredited B Corp Status. In 2023 60 tonnes of coffee grounds were captured, collected and recycled. The grounds are used to create products like bio-fertiliser. Materials Through the use of Graphenstone Paints at The Horniman Cafe, The Pheasantry Cafe, and RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023-24, Colicci saved circa 302kg of carbon. Drop4Drop Colicci has funded the construction of eight clean water projects through the purchase of Life Water. Drop4Drop funds sustainable clean water solutions to countries that need it most. They demand accountable, effective and efficient provision of clean water. Drop4Drop achieve this by employing local labourers and heavily involving the community in the project, creating a sense of ownership and pride. They also provide maintenance training and hygiene education to ensure maximum longevity. Join the Environment Champions Community Sign up to our mailing list to learn more about what we can do to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. Find out more Continue exploring Top tips for tackling the climate emergency By our Visitor Hosts, 20 December 2019 We’re in a climate emergency. Species and habitats around the world are threatened by human-made climate change and pollution, right now. Our lives have to change, and everyone can do something to help. The Horniman announces Climate and Ecology Manifesto By Press Office, 30 January 2020 The Horniman has today (Thursday 30 January) announced our Climate and Ecology Manifesto, outlining our platform for action and the steps we will take to mitigate against the climate and ecological emergency, and to help shape a positive future for generations to come. Horniman reveals design for south London micro-forest By Press Team, 10 January 2022 We are sharing detailed plans for our new micro-forest, as planting begins on the site alongside the A205 South Circular road. About the Horniman The Horniman connects us all with global cultures and the natural environment, encouraging us to shape a positive future for the world we all share. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. If you accept "Essential Cookies only" some elements, like videos and maps by third parties, may not work. You can visit Customise Your Preferences to customise your cookie consent. Read our Cookie Policy Customise your preferences Accept Essential Cookies Accept all Cookies Manage consent Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorised as essential are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. For example, maps may not appear and videos may not play, as these rely on 3rd party cookies from Google and YouTube. Necessary Always Enabled Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Duration Description __cfduid 1 month The cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information. __RequestVerificationToken session This cookie is set by web application built in ASP.NET MVC Technologies. This is an anti-forgery cookie used for preventing cross site request forgery attacks. _GRECAPTCHA 6 months Google Recaptcha service sets this cookie to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks. .ASPXANONYMOUS 2 months 8 days 11 hours This cookies is set by ASP.NET and is used to track users within a ticket booking session without requiring the user to log in. ASP.NET_SessionId session Issued by Microsoft's ASP.NET Application, this cookie stores session data during a user's website visit. AWSALBCORS 7 days Amazon Web Services set this cookie for load balancing. cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics 11 months This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". cookielawinfo-checbox-functional 11 months The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". cookielawinfo-checbox-others 11 months This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement 1 year The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement". cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary 11 months This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance 11 months This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". CookieLawInfoConsent 1 year CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. incap_ses_* session This is an Incapsula DDoS Protection and Web Application Firewall cookie that is used to relate HTTP requests to a certain session. JSESSIONID session New Relic uses this cookie to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application. nlbi_* session This cookie is set to improve security and provide load-balancing to ensure that a client's requests are sent to the same origin server. reese84 1 month This is a security cookie used by Imperva Incapsula web firewall and bot protection service. This cookie generates a unique fingerprint for each user to identify and block bots. viewed_cookie_policy 11 months The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. visid_incap_* 1 year Incapsula sets this cookie to provide cloud-based website security services. Functional Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features. Duration Description __cf_bm 30 minutes This cookie is set by CloudFare. The cookie is used to support Cloudfare Bot Management. _donations_session 1 year Used by Donorbox to collect anonymous information to process your donation. sp_landing 1 day The sp_landing is set by Spotify to implement audio content from Spotify on the website and also registers information on user interaction related to the audio content. sp_t 1 year The sp_t cookie is set by Spotify to implement audio content from Spotify on the website and also registers information on user interaction related to the audio content. yt-player-bandwidth never The yt-player-bandwidth cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences and settings, particularly related to bandwidth and streaming quality on YouTube. yt-player-headers-readable never The yt-player-headers-readable cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences related to video playback and interface, enhancing the user's viewing experience. yt-remote-cast-available session The yt-remote-cast-available cookie is used to store the user's preferences regarding whether casting is available on their YouTube video player. yt-remote-cast-installed session The yt-remote-cast-installed cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. yt-remote-connected-devices never YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. yt-remote-device-id never YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. yt-remote-fast-check-period session The yt-remote-fast-check-period cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences for embedded YouTube videos. yt-remote-session-app session The yt-remote-session-app cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences and information about the interface of the embedded YouTube video player. yt-remote-session-name session The yt-remote-session-name cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY never Used by YouTube to store the last search result entry that was clicked by the user. This information is used to improve the user experience by providing more relevant search results in the future. Performance performance Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website, which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Duration Description AWSALB 7 days AWSALB is an application load balancer cookie set by Amazon Web Services to map the session to the target. TNEW session This cookie is used on our ticketing site to allow you to sign in and purchase tickets. VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE 5 months 27 days This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. Analytics analytics Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, pages visited on site, traffic source, etc. Duration Description ___utmvc less than a minute The cookie is installed by Google Analytics to gather data on the user's site usage. This data is then used to compile reports and improve the site. _fbp 3 months Facebook sets this cookie to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting the website. _ga 1 year 1 month 4 days Google Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors. _ga_* 1 year 1 month 4 days Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views. _gat_UA-* 1 minute Google Analytics sets this cookie for user behaviour tracking. _gcl_au 3 months Google Tag Manager sets the cookie to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. _gid 1 day Google Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. ajs_anonymous_id never This cookie is set by Segment to count the number of people who visit a certain site by tracking if they have visited before. ajs_group_id never This cookie is set by Segment to track visitor usage and events within the website. ajs_user_id never This cookie is set by Segment to help track visitor usage, events, target marketing, and also measure application performance and stability. vuid 2 years This domain of this cookie is owned by Vimeo. This cookie is used by vimeo to collect tracking information. It sets a unique ID to embed videos to the website. YSC session This cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos. Advertisement advertisement Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customised ads. Duration Description IDE 1 year 24 days Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile. NID 6 months This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users. PREF 8 months PREF cookie is set by Youtube to store user preferences like language, format of search results and other customizations for YouTube Videos embedded in different sites. test_cookie 15 minutes This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA 6 months YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain. yt.innertube::nextId never YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. yt.innertube::requests never YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen. Others others Other uncategorised cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Duration Description __cflb 1 hour This cookie is used by Cloudflare for load balancing. _cfuvid session Cloudflare uses this cookie to distinguish between users from the same IP address. cf_clearance 1 year A clearance cookie that stores the proof that a Javascript or Captcha challenge has been passed. debug never Pending hmt_id 1 month This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. loglevel never A persistent cookie that collects data on user interaction with our video-content. 2 years This Stripe cookie determines the device used to access the website. This allows the website to be formatted accordingly. Trinity-Session-collage_public-web session Pending Save & Accept