Our commitment to Climate Action

We recognise that the Climate Crisis poses a critical threat to the future of our planet and have prioritised it as one of the five key challenges we will seek to address as part of our Mission.  

Our strategic aims to help tackle the Climate Crisis are:   

• To embed environmentally responsible practices and processes throughout our operations   
• To ensure environmentally responsible behaviour from our workforce   
• To encourage environmentally responsible behaviour from our visitors, partners and stakeholders.

Our Environmental Policy outlines the seven priority areas we will focus on across our work to achieve these aims: 

• Energy Management 
• Materials and Waste 
• Procurement 
• Transport 
• Food and Drink 
• Biodiversity 
• Inspiring Change.

Two projects are in development to put a lens on environmental issues:  

• Steam to Green at Discovery Museum tells the story of North East England’s role in the UK’s energy story, from the industrial revolution to the present day. The exhibition and events programme is delivered in partnership with Newcastle University and businesses working in the renewable energy sector.  
• The Woodland Walk at Stephenson Steam Railway is transforming two acres of unused scrub land into a nature sanctuary where flora, fauna and wildlife can thrive. The project is being led by volunteers from the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association and will provide the opportunity for people of all ages to enjoy the space. It is possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  

We encourage our staff and visitors to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to the museum rather than driving, to reduce their own carbon footprint and collectively to make a significant impact to reducing carbon emissions. 

We have a partnership with Tyne & Wear Metro which encourages families to use the Metro to visit our venues for a good value day out, as most of our venues are free admission and children under 11 travel free on the Metro with an adult.

Since we began monitoring our energy consumption, we have been able to implement changes to ensure a downward trend. In recent years we have begun monitoring our utilities data in even greater detail, with half-hourly consumption data being analysed. We work internally and with our local authority partners to implement ways to reduce energy consumption, for example by adjusting timers on heating boilers.  

In addition to this, we have also begun to expand our data collection and analysis into other areas (known as Scope 3 data) such as waste and travel. This will help us monitor our impact on the environment further in the coming years.  

We have also analysed our retail and cafe offer and supply chains to understand the environmental impact and we are introducing changes. We purchase products and packing materials made from recycled materials where we can. We encourage our cafe visitors to reuse and recycle and offer a discount to people who bring their own cup for hot drinks. 

We encourage staff to engage with our environmental objectives via a cross-organisation working group and regular information shared in our environmental staff newsletter ‘Green Matters’. We also provide opportunities for staff to attend conferences about environmental sustainability and we are developing a programme of Carbon Literacy training for all staff. 

Discovery Museum underwent a major decarbonisation project including installation of district heating, secondary glazing, and replacement lighting to reduce the building’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.  

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels have been installed at the Great North Museum: Hancock and are now producing power. Energy panels and new light emitting diode (LED) lighting has also been installed at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery. 

We lead the Environmental Records Information Centre for the North East. We are responsible for collation and management of species and habitat data for the region and make this available for environmental decision making such as planning and development or wildlife conservation. ERIC North East currently holds 4.4 million species records for the region.  

We have supported local and national government bodies with data services and responded to more than 1,200 requests to inform planning development. We have been working on a two-year project to improve the Ancient Woodland Inventory in partnership with Natural England and Woodland Trust. We have also supported the early development of four Local Nature Recovery Strategies in our area.