Durbin, Duckworth Announce $700,000 For Shedd Aquarium Sustainability Research
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Shedd Aquarium received $700,000 through the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grants for Museums Program to conduct supply chain research to ensure they are making sustainable choices when acquiring living collections.
“By supporting Chicago’s esteemed museums and institutes like Shedd Aquarium, we not only promote environmental stewardship, but also contribute to the city’s thriving cultural landscape,” said Durbin. “This funding will allow Shedd Aquarium to set an example of responsible stewardship, becoming a beacon of inspiration for the entire nation.”
“For nearly a century, the Shedd Aquarium has been a source of education and joy for Illinois’s families,” said Duckworth. “This federal investment supports them as they continue that important work and do so with sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices at the forefront.”
The research conducted by Shedd Aquarium will address three pillars of ethical acquisitions: that it conserves ecological well-being, supports human well-being, and operates within a robust paradigm of informed governance. Once developed, the model of ethical sourcing will be incorporated into the museum's institutional collection plan and presented and disseminated throughout the public aquarium and zoo community. As a result, the model of ethical sourcing will be available for public aquaria and zoos around the world to replicate, scale, and include in collections plans igniting a cultural shift toward ethical collecting that reach to the source.
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