Earth Day

why is earth day important?

At The Wright Museum, we are dedicated to climate justice and amplifying voices so that everyone can see they have a stake in—and can contribute to—environmental preservation. 

"Inaction affects us all," says The Wright's President & CEO, Neil Barclay. "Join The Wright as we strive to transform spaces, hearts, and minds, making room for a more equitable future here in Detroit."

At The Wright, we put Mother Nature and humanity first in our actions. By connecting Earth Day actions to our museum visitors, supporters, artists, and creatives, we can collectively impact energy, water, and waste issues, further creating resilient communities.
Leslie Tom, Chief Sustainability Officer, CHWMAAH

Our guiding principles

Developed over several years, and finalized at our 2019 Green Museum Town Hall, our guiding principles help us achieve our sustainability goals in a way that is supported by all stakeholders.

One Earth: One Water (Respecting Water & Water as a Human Right) - Water is a human right and sacred trust. We will follow the water as our teacher, which will teach us new ways to respect one another.

Deepen Relationships - Relationships don’t happen by accident, they need trust, space and time.  How can the museums hold space to connect in a way that ensures museum collaborations over generations?

Don’t Knock; Come In (Physical & Digital) - Our outdoor space is a public third space. We want everyone to feel welcomed and have access to our data 24/7.  We want to continue to be a platform where people can build memories and ideas. Our outdoor spaces will be beautiful, functional, and easy to maintain no matter the season.

Learning From Our Elders - Learn to make something out of nothing. To emphasize stories from our elders and pass down information from listening. 

Create Spaces for Children & their Mothers, Fathers, Elders - Our main intention is to create a space for children to learn, be curious, be grounded, find peace, play and for mothers and fathers to gain information about how to protect and nurture their children.

Unleash Understanding - Emphasize empirical learning + nurturing / cultivation for multiple intelligences.  Unleash ritual / creative education plans, public programmings, demonstrations & exhibitions.

Ingredients You Can Trust - Museums hold the ingredients to be trusted.  We are built for the long term and so can be “truthtellers”, hold spaces for conversation, shift beliefs, and create thoughtful collaborations.  

We CANNOT Go At It Alone - From a holistic approach, we want to bring humanity and the community back into all our systems.  To continue Dr. Charles H. Wright’s legacy we can teach other cultures how to integrate family & community views from African American culture our museum interventions.

WAYS TO GIVE

Support sustainability efforts at The Wright. Give today.