FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT: Jenni Tetzlaff, Director of Marketing & Communications
414-278-2784, Tetzlaff@mpm.edu
MPM Wins Transformation Leadership Award for Stormwater Saving Courtyard
Milwaukee—The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) was awarded a Transformation Leadership Award for Most Successful Community Engagement by the U.S. Green Building Council Wisconsin (USGBC Wisconsin) on Thursday, June 21. The award was presented for MPM’s transformation of the Kadish courtyard on Wells Street into a stormwater entryway and for the educational opportunities that it’s transformation provides.
The project, which was designed by Hanging Gardens and made possible through financial support from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the Fund for Lake Michigan, uses cutting-edge green infrastructure techniques managing thousands of gallons of stormwater per rain-event and helps keep our lake and rivers clean.
The new courtyard illustrates how small spaces can make a big impact on water quality and the use of our natural resources by using rainwater collection technology, micro-porous pavement and native Wisconsin plantings that can can endure long periods of exposure to drought conditions. The courtyard will be used by MPM’s Education team as an outdoor classroom and feature programs ranging from sustainability and green living to planting gardens that attract butterflies.
Visitors will find outdoor-friendly exhibit components that showcase MPM’s green demonstrations spaces, including the water management capabilities of the new courtyard and our pollinator garden. MPM is committed to green initiatives to create a cleaner, more sustainable environment in Wisconsin.
“MPM is thrilled to be honored by the USGBC for the green infrastructure project,” said Hillary Olson, Vice President of Audience and Community Engagement, MPM. “The Museum remains committed to its mission to preserve and protect our world's natural diversity. The courtyard project, along with our solar wall and green roof, demonstrates the importance of green technology to our Museum visitors and the impact that small changes can have in preserving our natural resources.”
To learn more about MPM’s green initiatives, go to www.mpm.edu/green.
About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s Natural History Museum, welcoming more than half a million visitors annually. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the Museum was chartered in 1882, opened to the public in 1884, and currently houses more than 4 million objects in its collections. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium.
MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, and its facilities and collections are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
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