Aberdeen Museums Recognised for Turning Climate Action into Community Work
AAGM venues awarded for inventive, community-minded climate action projects
You don’t often hear about art galleries helping grow carrots in Seaton. But Aberdeen’s Archives, Gallery & Museums team have found ways to make even their leftover shipping crates part of a bigger picture. One that connects culture and community with care for the planet.
The Art Gallery has just picked up a Gold award from Green Tourism, with Silver going to the Maritime Museum, Provost Skene’s House and the Treasure Hub. It’s recognition for how the team is rethinking what sustainability can look like in practice.
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Creative reuse and unlikely connections
Some of the work is behind-the-scenes, like switching to LED lighting, improving insulation or choosing recycled shop stock. But others stand out for their unexpected connections. In one example, specialist art crates—normally difficult and expensive to reuse—were turned into planters for a Seaton community garden.
Painted in Ukrainian blue and yellow, the crates were used to grow vegetables by asylum seekers working with CFINE, a local organisation tackling food poverty and inequality. The idea came through a partnership with Fresh Community Wellness.
A new wildflower meadow is also taking shape at the Treasure Hub in Northfield. Staff volunteers worked with Habitat People to reintroduce native species like yellow toadflax and pignut, supporting biodiversity and pollinators. Bee hives have been re-homed on the site with help from a local beekeeper.
Recognition for everyday change
David McDonald of the Green Tourism Awards said: “We were extremely impressed with the level of detail and work put into all four submissions. The whole staff team should be justifiably proud of their achievement.”
Other changes are smaller but add up. There’s a recycling scheme for gloves used to handle artworks. Free sanitary products are now available in venue toilets. The café at the Art Gallery has cut out single-use plastics. These are simple, practical efforts led by staff who know their spaces and communities.
The awards come with badges, but it’s the steady, thoughtful work behind the scenes that tells the real story. It’s not showy, but it matters.
