Presented at the 2006 Mountain-Plains Museum Association Conference in Taos, New Mexico, this program is an introduction to the benefits of sustainable building design in the context of the evolution of our cultural attitudes regarding the built environment and nature. The program suggests that any successful move towards a more sustainable bottom line (specifically in the museum business) must be preceeded by an overarching change in institutional culture. The program offers suggestions for how to initiate such change.

This program was written for the 2007 Mountain-Plains Museum Association Conference in Fargo, North Dakota. It was also presented at the 2008 Building Museums Conference in Washington, DC. The program focuses on using the LEED for Existing Buildings checklist as a tool for setting energy efficiency and environmental goals and incorporating those goals into a traditional long term strategic business and capital improvements plan.