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David,

I agree with your three key points, the first being the most important.
People care about and care for that which they love.

I'm working with a team at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.  We are
developing a new natural science exhibition.  We're exploring some of the
same questions and more good models out there within the museum community. I
though I'd share some of our research and some useful reference material.

First, I would recommend Human Ecology Review (Winter 2003, Vol.10, No. 2)
that focuses on the "new" field of conservation psychology.  There are a
number of interesting articles that focus on conservation behavior and how
people connect with the natural world.  Also, check out "Children and
Nature" edited by Peter Kahn, Jr. and Stephen Kellert.

I spoke with some of our local NYC park's folks and put the question to
them, "what are the main messages that you would want to get across in terms
of stewardship?"  The had two really interesting things to say.  First, help
people shift one word in their way of thinking from "the environment" to
"our environment."  And secondly, encourage people to get outside and do
things together as families.  Simply put, participants are more likely to
take action.

To David's list I would add, consider all the ways that you can help people
understand the environment, science, culture, literature, art, etc.  Far too
many exhibitions stay focused on one way of approaching content forgetting
that personal and cultural connections can have a significant impact on
visitors attitudes.  Some good examples of places who've taken a more
multidisciplinary approach: Monterey Bay Aquarium's new Shark exhibition and
the traveling exhibition Native Waters.

As far as real time modeling, Exploratorium's Traits of Life had some
interesting computer models of natural systems which react in visual and
concrete ways that a visitor can appreciate.  Also, I still like the Journey
North model, were real data is compiled to create a map that plots the
"migratory front" of butterflies.

As far as conservation action goes,  suggest things that the whole family
can engage in together.  We're exploring integrating Citizen Science
projects into our exhibition as a way to show how lay people can contribute
to ongoing scientific research.

Good luck with all the projects!

Sara


‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹

Sara DeAngelis
Project Manager/Lead Exhibit Developer - Natural Science
Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11213


p. 718 735-4400 x149
c. 718 578-8269
e. [log in to unmask]




On 7/21/04 8:55 PM, "Eric Yuan" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Hello David,
> 
> You have an excellent point.  Here's an interesting quote that might relate:
> "We bring children into communities by allowing them to play the game.
> Often, too much time is spent learning to play the game, and not actually
> playing." (highly paraphrased)
> 
> By "game", I take it to mean those things in life that truly make a
> difference.   ...and often, those things which are hard to find, and hard
> to gain access to.  It seems essential for an environment exhibit to link
> up individuals to the community, and I'd love to hear suggestions for going
> about this.I would love to hear more about your exhibit.
> 
> ---------
> For our environment exhibit, the ultimate goal is to have an impact on
> visitors' actions.
> 
> Behavioral change is a difficult task, and it's likely to occur long after
> a museum visit. I am just beginning to think about this, but so far, I see
> three important steps in becoming an "environmental steward":
> 
> 1. Motivation/Empathy
> -How do we get visitors to recognize and care about their local
> environment?
> *A great example I heard about is Greenmaps (www.greenmap.org), where
> citizens come together to map out local environmental resources, from
> organic farms to bike shops.
> 
> 2. Confidence/Skills/Insights
> -How do we empower visitors to make a difference?
> -How do we give visitors the skills to monitor their local environment?
> -What insights help visitors better understand their environment's needs,
> such as "sustainable design"?
> *Perhaps, if visitors take part in environmental investigation (both in the
> museum on a role-playing level, and in their local commmunities in a more
> authentic way), they will feel empowered to make a difference, to take
> charge.
> 
> 3. Opportunites for Action
> -How do we help visitors network with others in their community?
> -How can we provide opportunities for them to take part in environmental
> policy-making?
> *I saw an online petition for the Environmental Stewardship Act that I
> thought was interesting (www.undoit.org).
> *When I think of how a museum has changed my personal actions, the Monterey
> Bay Aquarium's seafood watch comes to mind.  A great site, bookmark it!
> (www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp)
> 
> Individual actions are important, but I also think there needs to be ties
> into community actions, and legislative actions.  Personally, I feel lost
> when it comes to things outside my personal choices (what car I drive, what
> food I buy, whether I compost, etc...).
> 
> --------------
> Let me know if you have heard of any great environmental programs.  Or if
> you have thoughts on what it takes to invoke "environmental stewardship."
> 
> Thank you!
> Eric
> 
> ***************************
> Eric Yuan
> Exhibit Developer
> The Tech Museum of Innovation
> 201 South Market St
> San Jose, CA 95113
> 
> (408) 795-6190
> Fax (408) 279-7197
> www.thetech.org


>> Eric,
>>        I did an exhibit a number of years ago called
>> the Environmental Monitoring Center where we did
>> exhibits on water, air, land use issues, weather, and
>> humans as part of the environment...we had lots of
>> real time data and exhibits about major environmental
>> issues... I felt mixed success in how effective it was
>> with the public...
>>        It's hard to do real-time-hands-on exhibit stations
>> about the environment... so much of what you are
>> trying to approach is larger scale, longer term trends
>> that don't happen in the scale and time a visitor can
>> see... this means that visitors have to make a level
>> of abstraction from the real world and concrete experience
>> (which are always the best exhibits in my view.)  It is
>> really important to answer the visitor's question, "Why
>> should I pay attention to this exhibit... what does it mean
>> in my life?"  CO2 and the ozone, along with acid rain and
>> other environmental factors are obviously important, but
>> how does it relate to my life and my life decisions?  Am I
>> willing to give up my SUV in order to reduce the emissions?
>> Am I willing to fix the oil leak from my car, so it won't get
>> into the streams and waterways?
>>        So, be careful not to do a 'heady' exhibit telling people
>> 'about the environment'... figure out how to make it relevant
>> to them and their lives.
>> 
>> David
>> 
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> David Taylor
>> AHHA Museum Services
>>  "Now I Understand"
>>     (206) 363-8126
>> 1560 NW Woodbine Way
>>    Seattle, WA 98177
>>   e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
>> http://www.AHHA-MuseumServices.com

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