Transcript Presentation by Aaron Pope, California Academy of Science

Academy of Sciences
Climate Change
Exhibition:
Evaluation and re-evaluation
Aaron Pope
Manager of Sustainability Programs
The exhibition
The exhibition represents a long-term Academy
commitment to exploring climate change.
Budget: $1.8 million
Size: 10,000 square feet
Floor Plan: Multiple entrances, flexible flow
Opened: September, 2008
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Focus
The exhibition explores:
• The science of climate change
• The impacts, globally and in California
• mitigation and adaptation steps
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Research study
Phone survey:
• 4,000 people
• Respondents were asked about:
• Environmental stewardship
• Climate change education
• Scientific consensus
• Trusted sources
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Survey results – the good news
• The science of climate change was clear, and it was an important
issue:
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Survey results – the good news
• Individuals can have a big impact on climate change:
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Survey results – the good news
• Respondents trusted the Academy build an accurate exhibit about
climate change
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Survey results – the bad news
• Climate change was only impacting far away places
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Survey results – more bad news
• Respondents said we have plenty of time to solve climate change
• That it would be considered a less important topic in 5 years
• Respondents were willing to make small changes in their own lives to
respond to climate change…
• but they believed their neighbors should take much stronger
measures
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Survey impact on exhibition
• Focus less on the causes of climate change
• Focus more on impacts – Hit hard and home
1. Changing oceans
2. Melting snow & ice
3. Hotter and dryer areas
4. Extinctions
• Interactives:
• Share inspiring stories
• Give visitors tools be part of the solution
• Designed to be empowering
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Interactives: “Share Your Ideas”
User generated content
Between 5,000 and 10,000 per month
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“Carbon Counter”
Categories:
•
Home energy use
•
Miles travelled
•
Carbon offsets
Main message: You can change your footprint
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“Carbon Café”
Carbon footprint
& food interactive
Main messages:
•What you eat
matters
•Reduce your
meat
consumption
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“Your Two Cents”
Polling station – visitors vote with $
Questions gauge visitor opinion
Questions written by Academy Careers
in Science interns
Changed every few months
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Summative evaluation
Conducted by Randi Korn & Associates
• Tracking data
• Exit interviews
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Evaluation results – the good
• The exhibition generates discussion about climate change
• Overall tone of the exhibition was seen as balanced
• Visitors understood that there was a problem, but felt they
could be part of the solution
• People loved the interactives
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Evaluation results – the bad
• The lack of an intro section failed to provide context
• Exhibition is too porous and lacks clear organization
• Not enough seating for videos
• Visitors did not understand
impacts
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Second survey
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Second survey
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Second survey
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Major changes
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Major changes
• Intro area
• Changing to home, California, global sections
• Updated modules on emerging technologies, Community
action, Redwood habitat, Farallon Islands
• Considered: future module on scientific consensus
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Climate change exhibitions in the future
• Don’t always “lead” with climate change
• More of an emphasis on adaptation and resilience
• Distributed model – layering sustainability throughout the
building
• More partnerships and programs focused on measurable,
scalable, behavior change
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