National Galleries Scotland

Reposted from NMDC’S Green Museums: Tackling the Climate Crisis

Sustainable travel

National Galleries Scotland (NGS) has been striving to become more sustainable, which includes helping to promote more environmentally friendly practises to staff, visitors and the wider community. Transport has been a key part of their Environmental Policy and Plan 2018-2022. In particular, to address staff travel and making outreach work more visibly sustainable by using low carbon transport methods.

The Learning and Engagement Team created Art in the Open; a mobile art studio developed as part of the Celebrating Scotland’s Art project. With the support of ongoing funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a partnership with Sustrans, this enabled the use of an electric cargo bike to deliver sessions all over the city – engaging with the community, including people who do not currently visit NGS sites, and making art available to all.

Facilitated by the NGS Project Learning Officer, the bike took artist Damian Callan all over the city, holding free drop-in sessions and inviting people to sketch the outdoors – helping visitors and communities access art in the middle of their local park and doing so in an environmentally friendly way.

Since this initial trial NGS has acquired an electric cargo bike of its own, primarily for use for Art in the Open but with the view to making it available to all staff for transporting equipment or supplies between sites. A small fleet of push and electric bikes are awaiting funding for staff use between sites, adding to NGS’ Cycling Friendly Employer credentials to help reduce carbon emissions and improve health and wellbeing.

For more information, please contact Gillian Gibson, Sustainability Officer, National Galleries Scotland, via ggibson@nationalgalleries.org.