The Climate Toolkit

Buildings and Energy

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: One of the greenest buildings in the world.

Introduction

The built environment is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere, generating roughly 42% of our annual global CO2 emissions. Of those total emissions, building operations are responsible for 27%, while building and infrastructure materials and construction (i.e. embodied carbon) are responsible for an additional 15%. It is imperative to reduce our collective carbon emissions by eliminating all onsite fossil-fuel combustion; utilizing electric-only building systems and equipment; and powering our operations with 100% clean renewable energy.

Listed below are the Building Energy commitments of the Climate Toolkit:
Decarbonize your glasshouse facility.

Glasshouses – especially those built in the early 20th century or before – are among the most inefficient buildings. They are expensive and energy intensive to heat and cool, lack proper insulation, and are often tied to historic infrastructure. The Climate Toolkit recommends that institutions with these facilities on their property investigate all available avenues toward maximizing efficiency and shift to new heating and cooling strategies. These include:

  • Geothermal energy
  • Electrification of heating and cooling equipment
  • Adoption of passive heating and cooling options, including earth tubes
  • Use of phase-change material

Many of these strategies have not yet been fully assessed in this niche environment. Interested parties are encouraged to join our Glasshouse Decarbonization listserv to pool resources and investigate opportunities for small-scale test implementations.

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Feasibility Study to Reduce or Eliminate Reliance on Fossil Fuels – Integral Phipps Conserv Report_Final Report August 9 2016 with Appendices

Case Studies

If you need more support, please email the Climate Toolkit at climatetoolkit@phipps.conservatory.org.

Institutions Pursuing Buildings and Energy Goals:

Select a CHECKBOX to filter ORGANIZATIONS that have achieved a particular goal.

Buildings and Energy

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville, North Carolina

Atlanta History Center

Atlanta, Georgia

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Vail, Colorado

Bok Tower Gardens

Lake Wales, Florida

Botanic Garden of Havana “Quinta de los Molinos”

Havana, Cuba

California Indian Museum and Cultural Center

Santa Rosa, California

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center & Botanical Gardens

Fort Davis, Texas

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Seattle, Washington

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Cincinnati, Ohio

City of Greeley Museums

Greeley, Colorado

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Cleveland, Ohio

Discovery Museum

Acton, Massachusetts

Duke Farms

Hillsborough Township, New Jersey

Dyer Arts Center / National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Fingerlakes, New York

Ganna Walska Lotusland

Santa Barbara, California

Heritage Museums & Gardens

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden

Washington, D.C.

Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Amherst, Massachusetts

Hoyt Arboretum Friends

Portland, Oregon

Inala Jurassic Garden

Tasmania, Australia

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Austin, Texas

Longue Vue House & Gardens

New Orleans, Louisiana

Madison Children’s Museum

Madison, Wisconsin

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Sarasota, Florida

Meeteetse Museum District

Mountain Plains, Wyoming

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

Montréal Botanical Gardens / Montréal Space for Life

Québec, Canada

Morris Arboretum

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mt. Cuba Center

Hockessin, Delaware

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

Los Angeles, California

National Nordic Museum

Seattle, Washington

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi

New York Botanical Garden

Bronx, New York

Norfolk Botanical Garden

Norfolk, Virginia

North Carolina Botanical Garden

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Racing Magpie Arts Center

Rapid City, South Dakota

Reid Park Zoo

Tucson, Arizona

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Edinburgh, UK

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

England, UK

Royal Horticultural Society

United Kingdom

San Diego Natural History Museum

San Diego, California

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Science Museum of Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Tacoma Art Museum

Tacoma, Washington

The Florida Aquarium

Tampa, FL

The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Norwalk, Connecticut

The Morton Arboretum

Lisle, Illinois

The Natural History Museum

Vashon, Washington

Toronto Zoo

Toronto, Ontario

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

Summit, New Jersey

Wellington Gardens

Wellington, New Zealand

West Virginia Botanic Garden

Morgantown, West Virginia
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