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NASHVILLE, Tenn., Friday, April 20, 2018 — The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) will present its 2018 Sustainability Excellence Award in Programming, Large Museum category, to the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum.

“Our mission is to preserve music history, and we also take seriously our charge, in this day and time, to preserve the planet,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “We have been committed to sustainability efforts for a long time now, with a deskside recycling program, compostable utensils and containers in our restaurants, and water-bottle filling stations. Now, under Karl Ebert‘s leadership, excess prepared foods are donated to the Nashville Rescue Mission and composting and recycling divert unnecessary waste from landfills.”

With leadership from the Museum’s operations and sustainability department, the institution implements a solid waste management program that is focused on:

1. Reducing food waste through edible food donations and composting.
2. Increasing recycling with the introduction of trash and recycling receptacles in offices, back and front of house.
3. Building an organic rooftop garden to grow produce for use in museum restaurants.
4. Educating staff to maximize the impact of the museum’s sustainability activities.
5. Participating in civic initiatives that enhance and promote sustainable practices in Nashville and Tennessee.

“I am grateful to the American Alliance of Museums for recognizing our museum’s efforts with this award,” said Karl Ebert, the Museum’s associate director of operations and sustainability. “Our team will continue to work hard to make a meaningful difference in our community.”

Since its launch in 2016, the museum’s sustainability program has had great success. In 2017, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum diverted 216,124 pounds of waste away from landfills, providing over 12,300 pounds of food to the Nashville Rescue Mission and feeding more than 22,000 people. That represents 40 percent of the museum’s total waste and an overall increase of 25 percent in waste diversion since 2016. In addition, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) that funded new front-of-house recycling, compost, glass and trash separation stations. This is the first grant of its kind received by an arts and cultural organization.

According to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Sustainability Excellence Award is “a PIC Green signature program that educates, facilitates, and encourages green practices in museums.” The award is designed “as an opportunity to share sustainability stories and encourage museums to develop and educate visitors about green practices.” The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will be honored with the Sustainability Excellence Award at the AAM annual meeting, May 6-9, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona.

For more information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, please visit: www.countrymusichalloffame.org. To view our Earth Day video, visit http://www.viddler.com/v/e7f26727.

Contact:

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Andrea Rizk    arizk@countrymusichalloffame.org

Media Website
https://countrymusichalloffame.org/media-professionals/
Username: cmhofmedia
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The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibits, publications, and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and for the last three years in a row has welcomed over one million patrons each year, placing it among the ten most-visited history museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio BTM, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive, and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported by Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.