Some promises already made at St Barbe

(through carbon literacy training and during the HERDS project)

• I am going to drive an initiative to introduce coffee bean composting into our café
• I'm going to buy second-hand books and toys (age 8)
• I'm going to litter pick
• Do the laundry only once a week (age 9)
• I intend to research the best place to invest our Endowment Fund in a sustainably run and invested investment fund.
• Installation of solar panels at the museum store at Braxton, to help power the air source heat pump (which is already installed).
• I will actively seek to only use suppliers for our shop that put sustainability at the heart of their business. For example those that have FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certification and those that use either no plastic wrapping and that use sustainable plastic alternatives e.g. compostable packaging.
• To reduce our contribution to the emissions generated through the manufacture and disposal of exhibition materials

St Barbe and sustainability

As part of its mission, St Barbe Museum has committed to:
"inspire greater respect for the planet and take a lead in developing more sustainable practices"

All staff and many volunteers have already received carbon literacy training and the Museum holds the Carbon Literate Organisation Bronze Award. It is working towards Silver.

Why Show Your Stripes?

Our planet is warming up. These climate stripes show how things are changing:

To raise awareness, people all over the world take part in #ShowYourStripes day around the summer solstice:

Click on a photo to see some imaginative ways people have used the stripes to raise awareness

Why the Butterfly Effect?

Small changes can have a bit impact - but this project aims to gather in lots of tiny promises which together will help make a change.

The butterflies have already collected lots of promises!

In May 2023, Art in the Community covered Whitchurch on Thames bridge with thousands of butterflies made from upcycled materials - knitted and crocheted using odd bits of yarn with some made by schoolchildren from shiny crisp packets to reflect the light.

In June 2023 some of them flew to Reading to take part in the Whiteknights Studio Trail, supporting Reading's Climate Festival and remained there for Open Gardens while others flew on to Palmer Park for East Reading Festival.

In June 2024 they flew to the bridges over the River Kennet at the Oracle Shopping Centre, again in support of the Climate Festival.

During 2024-2025 they have been at the River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames.

In June 2025 some have flown to Lymington to take part with St Barbe Museum in International #ShowYourStripesDay

Here are some of the promises made earlier

• I promise to turn the lights off when I am not in the room
• I will do gardening for the bees (age 5)
• get our electricity from solar power
• Buy more recycled clothes
• Eat heathy stuff more often, recycle more often, turn off lights when I leave the house.
• I will join a community action group
• Keep fit
• Try to use sink rather than rinse under running water
• Leave nettles at back of garden, plant foxgloves and more hollyhocks
• Reduce the temperature of our under floor heating
• Plant woodland plants - to help reverse the decline of British native plants. I am going to include tree stumps to provide insect houses.
• Make a bug hotel
• Switch off all electrical switches when not in use
• Walk or cycle to reduce car journeys
• I will no longer take long haul flights
• To use a bar conditioner and shampoo to reduce packaging
• Use refills where possible
• Where possible don't fly
• To pick up litter (if possible) wherever I see it
• Don't let the water run when brushing teeth/washing dishes
• Work on cleaning the river of sewage
• Cold Showers!
• open the doors more and use the airconditioning less
• turn the lights off when I leave the room
• reduce the amount of things I buy
• Not cut the lawn in May
• Plant hedges
• recycle household batteries at local supermarket
• Use less plastic
• I have bought a reusable cup so that I don't have to take the non recyclable take away cups in the coffee shops.
• Waste less food
• Reduce the number of baths and have shorter showers
• Use less water
• Make a hedgehog door in garden fence- see PAWs Mag May/June 23
• Flush the toilet only when necessary ....
• reduce the depth of water in the bath
• I promise to buy a water butt for the garden
• Campaign for water meters. Shower not bathe.
• We promise to leave an area on our lawn to grow wild flowers
• Leave the dandelions as long as possible. i.e. remove the heads just as they're turning into clocks and not before.
• mowing the grass less
• Eat less meat
• keep to 60 mph on motorway
• only use my tumble dryer when it's raining
• Use own bags for all shopping
• Join with neighbour to take hard plastics to Padworth
• Recycle crisp packets at Co-op
• Recycle aluminium medicine tablet sheets at supermarket