The Climate Toolkit

Waste

In 2018, municipal solid waste (MSW) or consumer waste totaled 146 million tons of trash. Once thrown in a landfill, trash goes through aerobic decomposition. After the first year of being in a landfill, anaerobic conditions are established and bacteria begin to release methane as they decompose. Waste can release a significant amount of toxins and can be extremely dangerous to the surrounding environment by polluting the air, soil and waterways.

Gardens, zoos and museums have an opportunity to reduce their personal, packaging and product waste significantly by reducing the amount of single-use items purchased, composting organic materials and recycling products as much as possible.

Click below to read more about each goal and explore further resources. If you need more support, please email the Climate Toolkit at climatetoolkit@phipps.conservatory.org.

Resources:

 

 

Institutions Pursuing Waste Goals:

Anchorage Museum

Anchorage, Alaska

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Tucson, Arizona

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

Clermont, Kentucky

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Vail, Colorado

California Academy of Sciences

San Francisco Bay Area, California

California Botanic Garden

Claremont, California

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

St. Michaels, Maryland

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Seattle, Washington

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Clearwater, Florida

Denver Botanic Gardens

Denver, Colorado

Denver Zoo

Denver, Colorado

Duke Farms

Hillsborough Township, New Jersey

Ganna Walska Lotusland

Santa Barbara, California

Gardens of Golden Gate Park

San Francisco Bay Area, California

Gothenburg Museum of Art

Gothenburg, Sweden

Green Bay Botanical Garden

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Holden Forests and Gardens

Kirtland, Ohio

Horniman Museum and Gardens

London, United Kingdom

Houston Botanic Garden

Houston, Texas

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Austin, Texas

Longue Vue House & Gardens

New Orleans, Louisiana

Madison Square Park Conservancy

Manhattan, New York

Missouri Botanical Garden

St. Louis, Missouri

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)

Los Angeles, California

Museum of Discovery and Science

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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

Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

England, UK

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

Science Museum of Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Morton Arboretum

Lisle, Illinois

The Tech Interactive

San Jose, California

The Wild Center

Adirondack Park, New York

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

Virginia Beach, Virginia