Green Museum
A green place to visit, beside the canal
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London Canal Museum was awarded bronze status membership of the Green Tourism for London scheme in July 2008, and silver status in November 2010 (Renewed in April 2012). Green Tourism for London is part of the nationwide Green Tourism Business Scheme, the largest accreditation scheme of its kind for tourism businesses.
Information has been added to our website about the locations of the nearest cycle hire stations now that London has a cycle hire scheme in operation
We will shortly be installing fixed but retractable hooks at the base of the horse ramp to provide safe storage for visitors' cycles during their visits. nThis will provide a much-improved facility for those visiting by boke but who are cautious about the risks of outdoor storage.
Most of the
museum's lighting is now low-energy and no further purchases of traditional
high-energy lighting are being made, with the small exception of decorative
lamps for use during private functions. (which are used for no more than a
couple of hours per week on average). A number of installations were converted
to LED operation in early 2010. We have now converted all the lights on the
raised level of the ground floor to low-energy LED lighting. This was a
complete re-lighting scheme, designed by a specialist lighting designer, and it
aimed to make improvements to the lighting as well as reducing energy
consumption. New light tracking was installed for the project, much of the
wiring was replaced, new switches installed in as different place, and a good
deal of old and ugly conduit was eliminated from the ceiling. The resulting
installation is more friendly to visually-impaired people, gives better light
for all visitors, is better in appearance, and uses very little energy. The new
lighting for the Water and Locks exhibition on the first floor was specified
from the start to be as eco-friendly as possible and LEDs have been used
throughout. Our ground floor toilet is now extra-eco-friendly as regards
lighting, with an LED strip operating automatically so that there is no waste
due to being left on.
The museum's main heating is gas fired. It is not programmed to come on automatically, but is switched on when needed only. On the first floor we have an air-coolling and heat pump system that uses the latent heat in the air to heat the first floor. This system is only used during special events and prvate functions, because there is no need for it during normal hours when the heat from the ground floor rises to keep the first floor sufficiently warm in most weather conditions.
We are steadily increasing the proportion of our purchasing that is recycled or otherwise environmentally-friendly.
We make use of Islington Council's recycling scheme for charities, and collect glass and plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, and cans for recycling. We have now provided a public recycling bin on the first floor. This requires a bit of work to check that non-recyclables have not been put in it but it has enabled us to increase the amount we recycle.
We insulated our loft with a double layer of Eco-wool, a loft insulation product made from recycled plastic bottles that has no hazardous properties. The insulation improves curatorial care as well by reducing the variation in temperature in the rooms below.
Our education service includes a number of lesson plans and workshops teaching children about the ecology of the canals which are, although man-made, now an urban haven for a good deal of wildlife.
The Trust's Council of Management has approved a formal Environment Policy. This is available online.
This page has been translated into Finnish. The link is:
http://www.designcontest.com/show/canalmuseum-green-fi
