On 28 November 2023, Fat Margaret was awarded the well-known international Green Key ecolabel in recognition of the museum’s sustainable operational model and its contribution to sustainable tourism management and the promotion of environmental awareness. Green Key is managed internationally by the Foundation for Environmental Education. In Estonia, the Green Key label is coordinated by Enterprise Estonia’s Tourism Development Centre in cooperation with Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn Centre. We ensure a high level of environmental protection through meticulous documentation of activities, unbiased auditing, and on-the-spot visit of inspections.
General sustainable development goals of the Estonian Maritime Museum
The Estonian Maritime Museum values both the environment and sustainable cultural management, as we aim to safeguard our shared and unique living environment with the same level of care we have when protecting the marine archaeological finds in our collections, and to promote environmental awareness alongside maritime culture. The Estonian Maritime Museum:
- was awarded the Quality Label of Sustainable Development for its Seaplane Harbour Marina;
- opened to visitors the restored buildings protected under heritage conservation – Seaplane Harbour and Fat Margaret – and additionally, plans to restore Patarei 10A, a site on Naissaar protected under heritage conservation, as a visitor centre;
- optimises water and energy consumption, uses chemical-free cleaning solutions and has established a hazardous waste treatment plant on its premises;
- actively seeks ways to minimise waste, promotes a circular economy and practises waste sorting;
- conducts regular staff training and surveys on key environmental protection topics and raises environmental awareness among target groups through educational activities and exhibitions;
- adheres to sustainable consumption practices for products and services;
- regularly cleans up digital waste and empties cloud storage;
- implements an annual environmental protection action plan and shares information about the actions performed;
- develops sustainable exhibition management practices;
- is building a visitor centre based on green principles on Naissaar, in co-operation with the local community;
- engages the younger audience in the co-creation of museum solutions;
- organises cleanup days in the Seaplane Harbour area, involving local residents;
- fosters the professional development of employees and prioritises a safe and healthy working environment. The Estonian Maritime Museum was awarded the Family- and Employee-friendly Employer Silver Label;
- offers inclusive experiences for visitors with visual, hearing, mobility and intellectual disabilities at both the Seaplane Harbour and Fat Margaret exhibitions, and is working to ensure accessibility to museum content for everyone in both physical and virtual spaces;
- has installed bicycle parking stations at both Seaplane Harbour and Fat Margaret to allow for eco-friendly museum visits.