Stichting Ki Culture

There are many people who want to work with sustainability and culture, but there are almost no jobs in this intersection – even fewer with any long-term security. With Ki Culture, I want to provide space and resources for people to apply their passion, experience, and expertise toward a sustainable future for culture. However, funding (especially during COVID) has proven difficult and we are currently relying solely on volunteers. We have over 100 volunteers globally, a testament to how much people believe in this work. My vision is that good work be compensated, increasing capacity dedicated to creative problem-solving and providing more opportunities to diversify the field. It is a serious problem in the cultural sector and nonprofit world that so much voluntary work is exploited. If awarded The Elevate Prize, my first priority is to financially compensate Ki Culture team members for their incredible work. The prize would be used as an investment in ourselves, to develop and launch the Ki Futures program, which will provide long-term financial stability. By transitioning to an employment-based organization, we can increase our productivity, our ingenuity, and our outputs – streamlining the work and implementation of sustainability in the sector and globally.

Most visitors don’t think of the carbon footprint of a museum when they enter, but a museum can consume as much energy as a hospital. US museums contribute over 12,000,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Further, how history is presented can perpetuate structural racism or confront social injustice. Culture connects people on an emotional level. Culture is the key to communicate why sustainability matters and drive behavioral shifts for a sustainable future. Cultural institutions reach billions of people worldwide. US museums alone bring in over 850 million visitors annually. Millions more engage through education and outreach programs. But to be effective advocates, the sector must lead by example. 

Ki Culture turns talk into action, and our makeup of over 100 volunteers around the world enables us to offer global perspectives and solutions in over 15 languages. Speciality teams of sustainability and cultural professionals work together to find appropriate solutions for the sector and translate them into simple actions. We are the networking hub of sustainability and culture. We take sustainability out of the academic bubble and inspire people to think critically about what they do, why they do it, how they do it, and whom they do it for.

Culture plays a huge role in sustainability but is often overlooked. Most visitors don’t think of the carbon footprint of a museum when they enter, but a museum can consume as much energy as a hospital. US museums contribute over 12,000,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Further, how history is presented can perpetuate structural racism or can confront social injustice. Culture connects people on an emotional level. Culture is the key to communicate why sustainability matters and drive behavioral shifts for a sustainable future. US museums alone have over 850 million visitors annually, with millions more engaged through outreach programs. But to be effective advocates, the sector must lead by example. 

Ki Culture turns talk into action, and our makeup, over 100 volunteers around the world, enables us to offer global perspectives and solutions in over 15 languages. Specialty teams of sustainability and cultural professionals work together to find solutions for the sector and translate them into simple actions. We are the networking hub of sustainability and culture. We take sustainability out of academia and inspire people to think critically about what they do, why they do it, how they do it, and whom they do it for.

A major challenge of Ki Culture is that no one has done this before - there is no blueprint for sustainability. We are breaking the current models of volunteer “green teams” and consultancies to unite incredible work from around the world into one package. Our Ki Futures program is unique in terms of structure, scope, and scalability and is designed to tie together the many threads needed to prioritize sustainability - from training and coaching to international and local networks and resources. We create partnerships to support and complement work from around the world. Sustainability affects us all, so we must all take part. We believe in empowering individuals who want to make change by giving them the tools to take action and create ripple effects of awareness and engagement in their workplaces, homes, and communities. Our approach is both top-down and bottom-up, grass-roots and policy level. It is ambitious to do everything at once, but necessary. To remove a large fresco from a wall, ten conservators must work in tandem to peel the artwork off simultaneously. Sustainability is the same. We must work together boldly to preserve the artwork that is our planet and shared humanity.

Culture is what makes us human. It connects us to ourselves and to each other. Cultural organizations should be leading the way to effectively advocate for a sustainable future. Ki Futures is the heart of our programming - positioning culture as a sustainable sector. We offer everything from Ki Books, step-by-step guides on how to be sustainable, to Ki Coaches, sustainability consultants with a range of expertise. We work with partners in both for-profit and nonprofit arenas to offer the most comprehensive packages of sustainability tools, resources, and support.

Ki Culture’s branch organization Sustainability in Conservation has already proven the effect that programming and support can have. Our Student Ambassador Program works with 25 universities across the globe to support students in implementing sustainable practices.

After a professional development course last year, the British Library formed a green team, where the tools and ideas from the course are being implemented. One person has grown into ten and everyone from the conservator who started the initiative to the Director is in support.

In addition to Ki Futures, we are creating sustainability exhibitions for institutions to use free of charge and co-creating educational tools to promote the SDGs within the field.