Museum saves by going green

Friday, August 1, 2014
Ted Yahraus installs one of the 150 energy-efficient floodlights and spotlights in the Putnam County Museum, resulting in savings and better protection for irreplaceable museum artifacts. "This initiative and hard work will come out to be equivalent to donations of more than $20,000 over the next few years," museum volunteer Rita Schendel noted.

The Putnam County Museum has launched an environmental initiative by adopting recycling practices and changing its lighting this summer.

Going green began to pay off as soon as the museum changed from halogen to LED lighting in its exhibits in June.

"Our electric bill for July was $485.17 lower than last year," Kit Newkirk, executive director of the museum, said, "and we've saved $792 since we made the switch."

The LEDs not only use less energy to produce light but also generate less heat, lowering air-conditioning expense. "So far, our energy costs have come at 52 percent of historic costs."

The new bulbs are also kinder to the museum's artifacts. Light is destructive for old papers, textiles, photos and other items -- especially UV light. Under the new bulbs, recent UV readings in the exhibit hall were zero, Newkirk said.

The change from halogen to LED lighting was made possible by a grant from DePauw University's Bonner Community Fund which supports community service projects involving or initiated by Bonner Scholars.

DePauw 2014 graduate Liz Bjordal applied for the grant with support from Bonner scholars and the DePauw Environmental Club as a parting gift to the museum where she served through her college years.

The change had been proposed earlier in the year by museum volunteer Ted Yahraus. Bjordal took his research and turned it into a grant proposal.

"After doing some research," she wrote, "I found that LED bulbs are not only more cost efficient for the organization, but they are better for the environment as well. The bulbs that Mr. Yahraus recommended have an average lifespan of 16 years, which would translate into less physical waste caused by the museum and less energy consumption overall.

"For artifacts such as clothing, quilts, paintings, some photographs and even early publications, exposure to intense light is comparable to being run through a dishwasher. Preservation of artifacts is especially concerning because many of the displayed objects are 'on loan' from community members; it is the museum's obligation to preserve their quality."

The $3,500 grant purchased 150 new floodlights and 12 spotlights, which Yahraus quickly installed by climbing up and down a 14-foot ladder many, many times.

When the museum moved into its current building in 2006, Yahraus acquired track lighting fixtures by way of donation. Should the museum choose to change locations in future years, the track lighting and the LED bulbs would travel with the collection to a new home.

"These bulbs would stay with the museum for the next two decades" wrote Bjordal, "extending our organization's commitment to artifact preservation and energy conservation into the year 2032."

In addition to cutting energy use, the museum intensified its recycling efforts thanks to a donation from Republic Services. The company provided two large recycling bins and weekly pick-up service at no charge to the not-for-profit institution.

"Since we can now easily recycle paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, and many plastics, the waste we send to the landfill has dropped by as much as 80 percent," Newkirk noted.

"I have been surprised by how little actual trash we generate," she aded. "I've also been surprised how many people aren't clear about what can and can't be recycled."

Paper and recyclable plastics often show up in the trash instead of recycling. The first week the museum had bins, someone threw food waste in with the recycling, spoiling the batch.

"So, it's an educational opportunity for the museum," Newkirk said.

One of the museum's jobs is to preserve local artifacts for the future, Newkirk said, "so it makes sense to do what we can to help preserve our local environment too."

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