Climate and ecology

• Our electricity is from guaranteed renewable sources and all the bulbs in our Aquarium display tanks are LEDs, saving over 11,000 KWh per year of electricity (the equivalent of boiling 100,000 kettles).
• Almost half of our total waste (around 48%) is now recycled, including composting; only around 1% of waste ends up in landfill; the rest is incinerated to create energy.
• Our cleaning products are environmentally considerate ones, which we buy in bulk to reduce plastic packaging. We use reusable, washable cleaning cloths and have reduced paper usage and waste by updating our dispensers for toilet paper and paper towels.

• Our 茶, चाय, Tea (Chá, Chai, Tea) exhibition explores the many stories of Britain’s national drink, spanning millennia and connecting communities across the world. One section of the exhibition looks at sustainability in tea production – and the exhibition design reflects this, using repurposed and recyclable materials, wherever possible.
• In 2023, our Matters of Life and Breath display focused on a cornet belonging to Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi Debrah, the young girl from Lewisham who was the first person in the world to have air pollution listed on her death certificate. The display marked the progress through Parliament of the historic Clean Air Bill, also called Ella’s Law, which establishes the human right to breathe clean air.
• We worked with our Youth Panel on the Sustainable Way display in our World Gallery, which raises awareness of the environmental impact of the cotton industry, inspired by the Hopi people and their respectful and sustainable farming of the land.
• In summer 2023 the Horniman Gardens displayed five art boards featuring work from local children, as part of The Wild Escape, a UK-wide creative project for museums and schools led by Art Fund. The artworks were inspired by the Horniman’s Natural History collection and explored creatures, their habitats and the threats posed by the climate crisis.

Our Gardens and Nature Trail are a haven for wildlife.

• We have birdhouses, bat boxes and bug hotels, and our award-winning Bee Garden provides habitats and food sources for multiple bee species.
• Thousands of flowering bulbs supply food for early pollinators as well as some colour for us to enjoy in late winter and spring.
• Reduced mowing in some areas reduces our fuel emissions, and in some areas we don’t mow – leaving the grass to grow long creates a safe haven for insects and encourages indigenous wildflowers.
• Our densely planted micro-forest is growing quickly and will create a ‘green screen’, absorbing CO2 and air pollution from traffic on the South Circular, blocking noise pollution and providing additional habitats for wildlife.

We are making changes around the Gardens to plant in a more climate-aware and ecologically friendly way.

• The deeper pond and its ramp in the Sunken Garden allow us to grow more water plants and sustain more wildlife species, and we’re moving to longer-lasting planting around the pond, which benefits soil health and wildlife.
• In beds alongside the Butterfly House and close to the Clocktower, we’re using plants from around the world, chosen for their drought tolerance and resistance to warmer temperatures caused by climate change.

• The weekly Horniman Market sells products direct from independent and local producers including seasonal fruit and veg, and organic meat, plus stalls specialising in zero waste, ethical crafts and eco clothing and design. See the current stallholders.
• Our quarterly Second-hand Sundays have a repurposing, reusing and recycling focus and run alongside the regular Horniman Market.
• Our shops no longer offer single-use bags for customers’ purchases, and we have reviewed and reduced our ‘pocket money’ products. The shops stock a number of fair-trade items, as well as working with UK artisans and makers to create unique products inspired by the Horniman’s collections.