Environmental Action Plan

  • Marianne Boesky Gallery is actively committed to reducing our carbon footprint and utilizing environmentally-friendly products and services wherever possible. Marianne...
    Allison Janae Hamilton, Floridawater II, 2019

    Marianne Boesky Gallery is actively committed to reducing our carbon footprint and utilizing environmentally-friendly products and services wherever possible. Marianne Boesky Gallery began working with Galleries Commit, Art to Acres, and Gallery Climate Coalition  in 2021 to reduce its carbon footprint and conserve natural resources around the world. To date, the gallery—with the support of our generous clientele—has contributed to the conservation of more than 68,000 acres of land in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 

     

    Thanks to the incredible efforts of the gallery's green committee, registrars, artists, and clients—the gallery's contributions to Art to Acres have supported  the conservation of nearly 5,600 acres of dry forest in Catamayo, Ecuador; more than 19,500 acres of old-growth cloud forests and páramo—alpine tundra ecosystems located throughout the Andes Mountain range—in Sevilla de Oro, Ecuador Municipal Conservation Area; more than 17,200 acres of old-growth cloud forest in the Chuyapi-Urusayhua regional conservation area in Peru; and more than 21,000 acres of old-growth cloud forest in the El Torno Municipal Protected Area in Bolivia. Each of these donations not only conserves and protects the above lands, but also funds legal declarations of each newly protected area—a fundamental step in supporting the ecological connectivity of endangered species and regional biodiversity as well as reducing wildfires, livestock deforestation, and the pollution of natural water reservoirs linked to surrounding communities. 

  • 8x8 Climate Action Plan

    Marianne Boesky Gallery worked with Galleries Commit to create and publish a curated 8x8 Climate Action Plan which outlines areas of accomplishment in the gallery’s environmental justice initiative to date. The bullet points below demonstrate this 8x8 plan and expand upon the gallery’s commitment to climate action for 2024 and beyond.

     

    Tracking Carbon Footprint

    • Since prioritizing our commitment to sustainability in 2021, Marianne Boesky Gallery has actively tracked our carbon dioxide emissions using Gallery Climate Coalition's carbon calculator to assess the gallery’s carbon output for exhibitions, projects, pop-ups, art fairs, staff travel, and gallery energy usage. The gallery publishes annual carbon emission reports  on the Gallery Climate Coalition website to maintain an active membership with GCC. 
    •  Using the previous year's report as a baseline, the gallery continues to track carbon emissions and assess changes and possible future reductions. 

     

    Carbon Conscious Contribution (CCC) Fee

    • The gallery includes a mandatory Carbon Conscious Contribution (CCC) fee on a majority of gallery sales to raise funds for land conservation in partnership with Galleries Commit x Art to Acres. In 2022, this fee became mandatory for all sales. To date, the gallery and its patrons supported the conservation of more than 68,000 acres of high biodiversity forests and key watersheds for local communities. 

     

    Energy Audit and Clean Energy Initiatives

    • Representatives of the gallery have met with NYC Accelerator and Con Edison both online and in person to assess areas of improvement to become a more energy efficient building through our lighting and HVAC systems. Currently, the gallery’s commercial space uses primarily LED lights and maintains a practice of turning off all lights at the end of the day.
    • Our meeting with NYC Accelerator served as the initial step to understanding where we can replace lighting and heat with more energy efficient options. We continually assess our ability to upgrade any remaining lights to LED. Through NYC Accelerator, gallery representatives will also explore the available community solar power options to determine if we are able to access clean energy in our neighborhood.

     

    Shipping

    • Currently, the gallery saves as many packing materials as possible and strives for a general culture of minimal shipping. We also use truck/van transportation for all domestic shipments instead of air transportation.
    • The gallery prioritizrd low emission shipments and consolidates and minimize sshipping for art fairs and pop-ups where possible.

     

    Travel

    • The gallery has reduced annual participation in art fairs, reducing travel related to art fairs. 
    • The gallery continues to be thoughtful about the impact of staff travel. Low carbon emission flights for staff and artist travel are prioritized when available. We will also prioritize using local labor/art handling teams during fairs and pop-ups to avoid excessive staff travel.

     

    Reducing Waste

    • Marianne Boesky Gallery minimized the production of in-house publications and print advertising and uses QR codes for exhibition and fair materials as much as possible.
    • For necessary internal printing, we use 100% recycled paper and scrap paper when possible. Additionally, the gallery maintains a subscription with GROVE, which is an environmentally conscious company offering recycled and “green” cleaning products such as paper towels and toilet paper. 
    • Marianne Boesky Gallery uses composting system to reduce food waste at the gallery. The gallery has also invited neighboring galleries to participate in our composting initiative. 


    Art Handling

    • The gallery’s art handling team  retrofits existing crates as a first solution when crating is needed. We also made two large donations of spare materials to Material for the Arts in 2022.
    • The gallery's operations team continues to research and participate in circular, material reuse economies like Materials for the Arts, Barder.art, and Art Start. These sites will allow us to donate used material that is in good condition and source existing material before fabricating or purchasing new items.

     

    Staff Commitment

    • The gallery's green committee meets quarterly to review ongoing sustainability efforts and new initiatives. Green committee members often participate in environmentally focused community workshops and town hall meetings to share insights and reflect on ongoing environmental commitments.
    • Beginning in 2023, the gallery made climate action an official part of all new job descriptions to demonstrate to prospective applicants that environmental justice is a priority for each department within the gallery. The gallery  encourages participation in community and climate-justice work by organizing a staff-wide mandatory community volunteer outing in which we close the gallery for one day a year to travel offsite to collectively volunteer with a local non-profit of our choosing. 

      

    There is much more to be one to combat the history of mistakes we have inherited and perpetuated as individuals, as an industry, and as a society. We are grateful to have begun this important process, and hope that you will join us in whatever ways you can.