The Whitworth recently reopened following a £15m redevelopment. Nicola Walker explains how it seized the opportunity to become more environmentally sustainable.
The Whitworth has been part of the cultural landscape of Manchester since 1889, when it was created as the first English gallery in a park as the Whitworth Institute. It was created to inspire the region's textile industry, give pleasure to Manchester citizens and to instruct students and artists about the visual arts, and today it houses some of the North West's finest historic and contemporary collections with over 50,000 objects.
Since 2008, the Whitworth has undertaken an active programme of sustainability work. In partnership with Manchester Museum, University of Manchester Library and Global Action Plan the Gallery implemented a team of cross-department Environmental Champions who devised a range of activities to reduce waste and energy use through technical improvements and behavioural change. By the end of 2009 improvements included: an annual reduction of 31.5 tonnes of general waste; an annual reduction of 36,399kWh of electricity and 162,173kWh of gas with a combined annual saving of 50 tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to 6,000 party balloons filled every day of the year); and an annual water saving of 155m3, or 425 litres daily. From 2008-2011 a 14% improvement in energy emissions was achieved. Due to increasing visitor numbers this was an 18% improvement per visitor... Keep reading on Julie's Bicycle
The Whitworth has been part of the cultural landscape of Manchester since 1889, when it was created as the first English gallery in a park as the Whitworth Institute. It was created to inspire the region's textile industry, give pleasure to Manchester citizens and to instruct students and artists about the visual arts, and today it houses some of the North West's finest historic and contemporary collections with over 50,000 objects.
Since 2008, the Whitworth has undertaken an active programme of sustainability work. In partnership with Manchester Museum, University of Manchester Library and Global Action Plan the Gallery implemented a team of cross-department Environmental Champions who devised a range of activities to reduce waste and energy use through technical improvements and behavioural change. By the end of 2009 improvements included: an annual reduction of 31.5 tonnes of general waste; an annual reduction of 36,399kWh of electricity and 162,173kWh of gas with a combined annual saving of 50 tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to 6,000 party balloons filled every day of the year); and an annual water saving of 155m3, or 425 litres daily. From 2008-2011 a 14% improvement in energy emissions was achieved. Due to increasing visitor numbers this was an 18% improvement per visitor... Keep reading on Julie's Bicycle