Written by Zaki Numani

Serving as a home for Minnesota history and education of the arts and sciences, the Science Museum of Minnesota has been operating since 1907. Throughout the last century, it has been hosted in several locations with various exhibits and educational programs. The museum moved to its current location in 1999, overseeing the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul. The museum now has 370,000 sq ft of exhibits, with a space reserved for temporary exhibits, the IMAX omnitheater, and the zero-emissions science house.

Upstream sat down with Pat Hamilton, the senior sustainability coordinator of the Science Museum. Having worked with the Science Museum of Minnesota since they moved to their current location, he has been able to oversee the growth of the Science Museum while also managing the needs of the space and taking into account the environmental factors that come with it. Pat was born and raised in Minnesota and found himself fascinated with its beauty from a young age, the lakes and rivers especially. This led him to a career studying geography and its intersections with water resources and climate systems. His journey with the Science Museum of Minnesota began as a geographer and was later brought on as the sustainability coordinator where he still works now. 

A large portion of the Science Museum and Pat’s care for the environment lies in the construction and maintenance of the building. The building has been designed with energy-efficient and innovative technology and environmentally friendly programs to help keep its own and its guests’ eco-footprints as low as possible. The museum installed a Heat Recovery Ventilation System, which is an advanced and much more energy-efficient heating and cooling system for buildings, back in 2015. LED lighting, which lasts longer, uses less energy and produces less heat than fluorescent lights, are used throughout the building. The museum is also a member of Xcel’s Renewable Connect Program, helping them make sure that the energy the building is using is coming from renewable sources. The MN Science Museum takes sustainability seriously and even volunteers for programs like Seeding Action with the Association of Science and Technology Centers. This means conducting an annual self-assessment of their progress and sharing that data with other institutions, helping growth across the board. Pat’s motivation to get the museum involved in all these programs comes from understanding that, especially with an organization of this size, every step counts. The Science Museum of Minnesota commits to the necessary work to keep its eco-footprint low and in doing so also gives Minnesotans a place to come together and celebrate the history of their home