Sustainability

OUR SUSTAINABILITY MISSION 
The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center believes museums have the privilege and power to impact the sustainability and resiliency of their communities through education, exposure to the arts and thoughtful usage of natural resources.    

We holistically approach sustainability by encouraging informed citizenship, while acknowledging that access to the arts and education, cultural heritage, availability of resources and a deeply rooted sense of place all directly contribute to happy, healthy and safe communities. Our comprehensive approach means we have mobilized all Museum departments in our efforts to maximize input and expertise from every employee and stakeholder. 


two children play in explorers landing at the magnetic nature wall.

Education & Programming  

Explorers Landing focuses on drawing connections between our waterways, native animal species, energy and material usage and healthy habits! Aimed at engaging our youngest citizens, this space uses experiential learning to spark questions like:   

  • How many resources are used when you turn on the light switch?  
  • What fish species call your town home, and how can we care for that home?   
  • What foods keep our body healthy, and how hard do farmers work to get those foods to your grocery store?  

Exploring Our Town is a self-guided walking tour that uses local historical landmarks and interesting sites to combine placemaking and physical health. It promotes quality time with loved ones, peers and friends while celebrating what makes Clarksville unique!   

Our Explore-at-Home online activities improve access to our educational programming and offer engaging, themed educational content without the trip and cost of admission to the Museum.   

The Museum participates in and hosts many reduced admission programs throughout the year, including First Thursday Art Walk, Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day, Museums for All, community film screenings, and is a proud member of Blue Star Museums. These programs allow us to welcome thousands of community members a year, all at a free or reduced admission price.   


LED light fixtures hanging in the museum's 1898 post office and customs house building.

Collections & Exhibits  

Our collections department is in the process of replacing all our lights with LED bulbs. The exhibit galleries within the Museum were successfully converted last year, and both spaces have environmental controls set to minimize energy usage while maintaining optimal conditions for collections care, preservation and exhibition.  

We are in the process of uploading all of our collections to our website! While this is an ambitious undertaking, it will remove the cost barrier, circumvent the limitations of our exhibit schedule and allow instant connection to our shared history.

digital badge for clarksville-montgomery county green certification program gold status.

Facilities & Operations  

The Montgomery County Green Certification Program was launched in 2011 to help organizations learn and implement best practices in environmental stewardship. In 2021, the Museum became Green Certified at the Gold level. Additionally, in 2020, the Museum earned an Award of Excellence in Resource Conservation as a result of our ongoing transition to LED lighting. We currently have our sights set on Platinum, the highest certification available, for our recertification in 2023!  

We are participating in Culture Over Carbon, a national two-year research project funded through an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant. Together with our colleagues at the Missouri Historical Society, Phipps Conservatory, Detroit Zoological Society, Strawbery Banke Museum, The Field Museum, Frye Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Madison Children’s Museum and many others, we are helping the entire museum sector better understand our energy use and how to reduce it. The research results focus on the unique needs of the cultural sector and aim to stave off the worst impacts of climate change on our facilities and culture. 


Resources

Energy Star provides simple, credible and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions.

Pick Tennessee Products has been a part of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture connecting people everywhere to all of the great things that come from Tennessee’s farms and food businesses.

Austin Peay State University offers a graduate program in Sustainable Agriculture and a graduate certificate in Sustainability


Our Green Team

Eric Shanley 
Facilities Manager