ABSTRACT
The Green Museum class (part of the Graduate Museum Studies program at the George Washington University [GW] and Certificate of Museum Studies at the University of Delaware [UDel]) addresses environmental sustainability in museums, historic sites, gardens, zoos, and aquariums. Museums benefit from the public trust, and they must safeguard this public trust; sustainability is an important aspect of this safeguarding. As charitable institutions, they are responsible to their communities for their environmental impact and for conserving their financial resources. As preservation organizations, they are responsible for protecting art, artifacts, historic sites, and natural resources. As educational institutions, they are responsible for engaging and teaching the public about important issues that are important historically, now and in the future.
