The Estonian Open Air Museum, a visitor-friendly and environmentally friendly museum of rural architecture, is one of the most loved and appreciated cultural destinations for families in Estonia. We carefully preserve the cultural heritage we have been entrusted with, and we value the diverse and beautiful natural environment of the museum. Responsible behaviour in the cultural, social, and environmental context is what we consider essential in the entire organization. We aim to convey sustainable development viewpoints in the museum’s principles of collection, research, and conservation as well as in our exhibitions, events, educational programmes and other activities. At the same time, we want our sustainable operation to set an example to our partners and visitors, inspiring them to follow our lead.
Our sustainable operation meets the criteria of the Estonian Open Air Development Programme 2023–2027 and the principles of a green museum.
Cultural sustainability
We act responsibly in preserving and transferring museum collections.
We use cultural traditions to connect the past to the present and the future. Traditional farming is a source of inspiration in the circular economy.
We promote and sell local handicrafts and foods.
Environmental protection
We devise and implement environmental action plans.
We devise guidelines for the sustainable organization of exhibitions and events and follow these.
We contribute to increasing the environmental awareness of our employees and visitors, encouraging them to make environmentally friendlier choices and decisions.
In planning new developments (heating systems, lighting, transportation, equipment, etc.), we take their environmental impact into account and give preference to equipment with the best energy efficiency index available.
We update and perfect the heating systems and thermal insulation of our facilities.
We monitor and attempt to reduce our consumption of natural resources, tools, and materials, making an effort to prevent wasting them.
We try to generate less waste (including digital waste), sort our waste, and recycle.
We maintain the territory of the museum as free from vehicles and noise pollution as possible. It is easy to reach the museum by public transport. We encourage visitors to use their own bikes or rent a bike to navigate the premises, and there are bicycle parking facilities.
We make sure to preserve biodiversity on the museum grounds through careful and well-weighed landscape maintenance. Organic waste is composted and used for fertilizing or fields and gardens.
By collecting and growing historical cultivars, we contribute to preserving the genetic diversity of field and garden plants.
Social responsibility
We organize events, exhibitions, and programmes to educate various target groups about a sustainable way of life.
We work on improving physical and digital accessibility for all target groups.
We value cultural diversity and intend the museum to be a meeting place for visitors of various cultural backgrounds, providing them with dialogue opportunities.
We maintain cooperation with various communities to represent their cultural heritage.
We believe a secure and healthy working environment as well as employee satisfaction to be of great importance.