Sue Wilkinson director of policy, Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA)
"Yes, but growth shouldn't automatically mean new build. It can be about the growth of the service and new ways of taking collections to people.
"When new build is the only option, there is best practice we can learn from. The Lightbox in Woking was designed to be a showcase of sustainability. Energy efficiency, rainwater harvesting, sustainable local materials, and visitor transport were all considered when planning the museum.
"The MLA believes that a sustainable sector is one which: reflects and is embedded in the communities it serves; is continually improving; and contributes more than it consumes. This is growth 21st century style."
Stephen Foulger content director, Science of, Science Museum, London
"As we found with our Science of Survival exhibition, there is great scope to reduce the environmental impact of operations and exhibitions.
"The first step is to benchmark where we are as individual organisations and as a sector. We can establish a target per square metre carbon footprint for new projects and then reduce that year-on-year.
"Improvements will require ongoing re-examination of working methods, continually putting pressure on existing suppliers and seeking out new ones. I hope this will help museums focus on the aims and real value of expansion. There is an opportunity for museums to become national and international leaders in sustainable development."
Rachel Madan, independent consultant
"This question assumes that there is an unbreakable link between museum growth and increasing carbon emissions. I do not believe this is so. We need to question what we mean by growth.
"There is an assumption that museums can only reach new audiences by building bigger, more energy consuming buildings to house increasing numbers of art and artefacts. But building and energy design today enable the construction of sustainable, even zero-energy buildings.
"Can a museum grow its audience without increasing its building size? Absolutely. Museums have an important role to play in terms of community and cultural cohesion. It would be a shame to lose that. Let's not throw our culture out with the carbon."
Paul Goodman head of knowledge and collections, National Media Museum, Bradford
"Yes they can. It's all a question of intent and scale. Provided an organisation recognises its environmental obligations, and this is supported as a balanced business planning priority, then sustainability can be compatible with growth.
"The National Museum of Science and Industry has an Environmental Plan. While some of its strategies are complex, there are also simple measures which any organisation, irrespective of size, can apply.
"These include assessing the extent of its carbon footprint and then introducing a range of cost-effective ways of reducing it. But building more significantly on this will be contingent on extra funding from government to help smaller organisations."
"Yes, but growth shouldn't automatically mean new build. It can be about the growth of the service and new ways of taking collections to people.
"When new build is the only option, there is best practice we can learn from. The Lightbox in Woking was designed to be a showcase of sustainability. Energy efficiency, rainwater harvesting, sustainable local materials, and visitor transport were all considered when planning the museum.
"The MLA believes that a sustainable sector is one which: reflects and is embedded in the communities it serves; is continually improving; and contributes more than it consumes. This is growth 21st century style."
Stephen Foulger content director, Science of, Science Museum, London
"As we found with our Science of Survival exhibition, there is great scope to reduce the environmental impact of operations and exhibitions.
"The first step is to benchmark where we are as individual organisations and as a sector. We can establish a target per square metre carbon footprint for new projects and then reduce that year-on-year.
"Improvements will require ongoing re-examination of working methods, continually putting pressure on existing suppliers and seeking out new ones. I hope this will help museums focus on the aims and real value of expansion. There is an opportunity for museums to become national and international leaders in sustainable development."
Rachel Madan, independent consultant
"This question assumes that there is an unbreakable link between museum growth and increasing carbon emissions. I do not believe this is so. We need to question what we mean by growth.
"There is an assumption that museums can only reach new audiences by building bigger, more energy consuming buildings to house increasing numbers of art and artefacts. But building and energy design today enable the construction of sustainable, even zero-energy buildings.
"Can a museum grow its audience without increasing its building size? Absolutely. Museums have an important role to play in terms of community and cultural cohesion. It would be a shame to lose that. Let's not throw our culture out with the carbon."
Paul Goodman head of knowledge and collections, National Media Museum, Bradford
"Yes they can. It's all a question of intent and scale. Provided an organisation recognises its environmental obligations, and this is supported as a balanced business planning priority, then sustainability can be compatible with growth.
"The National Museum of Science and Industry has an Environmental Plan. While some of its strategies are complex, there are also simple measures which any organisation, irrespective of size, can apply.
"These include assessing the extent of its carbon footprint and then introducing a range of cost-effective ways of reducing it. But building more significantly on this will be contingent on extra funding from government to help smaller organisations."
