Towards the Future: An Ecological Approach for Cultural Institutions

“Towards the Future: An Ecological Approach for Cultural Institutions” is an event organized by the French Institute in Romania in Bucharest, addressing the role of culture in a world increasingly affected by climate change, on March 31, at 17:00 hrs.

David Irle, a French consultant in the ecological transition of the cultural sector, and Sabina Baciu, a Romanian cultural manager with a focus on environmental education, will explore how cultural institutions can respond to these challenges, in a discussion followed by a Q&A session. Climate change is no longer a distant scenario, but a reality already impacting our lives. In the future, extreme weather events, resource scarcity, and economic transformations will change the way we live, work, and relate to culture.

Cultural institutions will need to adapt, rethink their programs, and take greater responsibility in managing resources. But beyond concrete measures, culture also has another essential role: to imagine and inspire new ways of living in a world marked by profound change

How can culture become a driver of transformation? How can museums, theatres, or festivals educate the public about ecology without compromising artistic value? These are the questions our guests will try to answer, proposing ideas and solutions for the future.

The event will be held in English, with no translation.
Free entry.
Location: Atrium (inside the French Institute in Romania, DACIA Blv, no. 77, Bucharest)

David Irle is an independent consultant specializing in the ecological transition of the cultural sector. He works with the Bureau des Acclimatations and provides training for the French Ministry of Culture and the DGCA. For over ten years, he has been involved in developing European cultural projects and integrating French operators into European networks. Currently, he focuses on implementing environmentally responsible practices in the cultural sector through artistic projects, professional models, and the redefinition of public cultural policies. He is the co-author of Decarboner la culture, published by Presses Universitaires de Grenoble in 2021.

Sabina Baciu has been active for over 15 years as a cultural manager and communicator in numerous creative industries projects. She has worked in PR at Green Hours and the Jazz in Church festival, coordinated the short film festival ShortsUP and the film education projects One World in Schools and EducaTIFF. She founded Romania’s first materials library and a regional creative industries festival (CreativeEst), and was involved as an independent expert in developing Bucharest’s 2016–2026 cultural strategy.

More recently, she has been focused on generating conversations around the climate crisis through cultural projects. Her most important initiative on this topic is CULMEA: an environmental film festival for children and youth in Brașov, Romania, now reaching its third edition.

The French Institute of Romania was founded in Bucharest on May 30, 1924. Under the authority of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the institution is celebrating its Centenary this year—a moment to honour one hundred years of cultural, artistic, academic, linguistic, educational, and scientific cooperation, and at the same time, to mark a deep-rooted friendship, actively supported by the strength of the Francophone community in Romania.