Rethinking Exhibits and Environments

What's the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

- Henry David Thoreau

If museums applied the visionary thinking of William McDonough and Ray Anderson, could we conceive of exhibit environments that rejuvenate the air we breathe, generate energy for our building's systems, and produce no waste or toxins, and contribute to the nutrition and health of our visitors and planet? What would a children's exhibit environment be like without Plexiglass, fiberglass, washable vinyl, plastic laminates, lightweight foam, or Gatorboard? While many of us have been working toward this vision, we are still not there.

Imagine a world where even large-scale exhibit components that were no longer needed could simply be composted, providing nutrients for the next season's vegetables. Imagine a world where large climbing structures were no longer made of plastics or fiberglass, but instead molded with injected soy or corn, that could be used as lawn fertilizer once their first purpose ended. What if our exhibits could be taken apart and reused for other things? What if our exhibits actually created energy and ran the systems of our facility? What if the smell of fresh paint was a distant memory? What if Interactivity in 2020 only highlighted exhibits that were 100% sustainable?