Romania has the first interactive museum dedicated to environmental and climate change education

Romania takes a new important step for the development of the culture of sustainability among the new generations, by launching the first interactive museum dedicated to education for the environment and climate change, an initiative of the Act for Tomorrow Association and the NEPI Rockcastle company.

The museum, hosted by Mega Mall Bucharest from February 2 to March 31, introduces a new educational approach to the environment and climate change, based on non-formal learning experiences and combining theoretical elements with practical and interactive experiences. The innovative character also lies in the fact that the initiative brings the subject of action and the need for environmental protection into an unconventional space, so that environmental education becomes accessible to the general public.

The museum is mainly addressed to students, but also to parents, teachers and young students and includes numerous interactive installations with an educational role, through which they are invited to discover, in a unique way, information that will help them become more responsible citizens towards the nature. In addition to its educational purpose, the initiative aims to inspire new generations to take action by giving them a knowledge base about the small but significant changes they can make in their everyday lives to have a positive impact on the environment.

At the same time, the project meets the Green Week national program and subscribes to the objectives of the National Education Strategy on the Environment and Climate Change for 2023-2030, adopted at the beginning of this year by the Government of Romania.

The museum covers an area of ​​100 square meters and is structured in several thematic sections: climate change, forests and biodiversity, the aquatic universe and the plastisphere, the Planet’s resources and waste management. Through practical activities and interactive exhibitions, the museum aims to raise awareness of the phenomenon of climate change, of the negative effects that people’s habits have on the environment, but also on the flora and fauna representative of our country, which require conservation and protection actions . Visitors will also gain essential knowledge about the waste that threatens our ecosystems – both terrestrial and aquatic – and the actions we can take individually to reduce our impact on the environment.

The museum is located in Mega Mall Bucharest, on level 2 (main entrance) and can be visited daily, until March 31, 2023, between 10:00 and 22:00. Entrance to the museum is free. The museum opens its doors both to mall customers, passionate about nature and sustainability, and to educational institutions in Bucharest who want to visit the museum with their students. Teachers can sign up for group visits here.

Similar initiatives also exist in countries such as Norway or the United States of America. For example, in Oslo, The Climate House brings together exhibitions and multimedia installations in one of Norway’s greenest buildings to explain the impact of natural and man-made climate change. At the same time, The Climate Museum, the first US museum dedicated to the climate crisis, opened as a pop-up in New York, promoting climate learning and action through exhibitions, art installations and interactive panels that explore the impact of the climate crisis on the landscape American, but also through youth programs and advocacy tools offered by the museum.

“Starting from these examples of good practice, together with NEPI Rockcastle we set out to offer young people in Romania an engaging and interactive learning experience on climate change, inviting reflection and action for a more sustainable future. The initiative comes in a context where public and non-governmental actors are increasing their efforts to form a new generation of environmentally aware and responsible citizens who will adopt and promote sustainable behaviors. The project is part of an increasingly optimistic landscape of awareness and action regarding the environment, outlined through the prism of the more frequent recognition of the importance of environmental education in Romania by the most important institutions in the state,” stated Andrei Coșuleanu, President of the Act for Tomorrow Association.

“Companies have the obligation and responsibility to contribute to the development of a sustainable society, which means investing in people, education and environmental protection. For some time now, business strategies have started to focus on the area of ​​sustainability and ESG, as well as the need to do more to address issues related to climate change. NEPI Rockcastle places great value on the group’s corporate responsibility strategy, which is reflected in clear, long-term sustainability goals. The initiative carried out together with our partners from Act for Tomorrow, a first in Romania, is another step we are taking in our effort to achieve our assumed sustainability goals. This unique project is the real proof, but also the hope, that through education we can bring about change and in this case we can contribute to the development of a better environment for future generations,” said in her turn Roxana Baiaș, Group Marketing Director NEPI Rockcastle.

The entire concept, interactive installations and content were developed by the Act for Tomorrow team, starting from successful examples from other countries and based on specialized literature. Its design was developed in collaboration with the architect Diana Grigoraș. The exhibition space is based on sustainable materials, mainly wood.

In the coming months, the organizers aim to bring the exhibition to other cities in the country, within the malls of the NEPI Rockcastle network, in order to provide access to environmental education to as many groups of students and young people in Romania as possible.