# Sustainability in the Design of an Itinerant Cultural Exhibition. Study of Two Alternatives
## 1 Introduction
### Advances in the Integration of Sustainability in Museums and Exhibitions
Another relevant view is that of the Canadian Museums Association [34]: a museum is sustainable if 'it assesses the impact of its activities on the environment, on the quality of life of its stakeholders and on the economy'. The initiatives as part of Energy Performance Certification in the European Union (Buildup.eu) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design in the United States of America have helped to establish criteria for environment improvement. In 2006, the Critical Assessment Framework was created by the Working Group on Museums and Sustainable Communities. It is based on a stratified approach that helps planners develop museums that achieve a culture of sustainability and fulfil the needs and opportunities related to individuals, communities, the museum, and global reality [35]. Another study developed a new eight-step carbon footprinting methodology to manage the impact of the museum loan programmes, tested using data from the Art Department of Amagueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales [36]. Furthermore, various self-assessment methods are mentioned, such as'sustainability audits' or checklists for the achievement of some sustainability standards [37]. However, these methods have a high degree of subjectivity, and the results obtained for various museums are not comparable. Environmental and human health impacts have been investigated in the study of exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. The evaluation of materials and processes used in the display, transport, and preservation of cultural heritage is conducted using LCA [38]. This pioneering research in applying LCA to the museum's permanent exhibited objects analyses museum activities and presents results on loan activities, options for lighting galleries, and heating and cooling systems. Additionally, a life cycle analysis library and beta tool dedicated to cultural heritage preservation and exhibition practices [39] has been applied to obtain environmental and human health impacts of three seventeenth- and eighteenth-century silver objects. Progress in integrating sustainability in museums and other service systems is conditioned by the selection of appropriate indicators. Traditional indicators to measure a museum's performance are attendance, revenue, membership, sales in gift shops, media coverage, balanced books, and corporate events [40]. Nevertheless, the unitary cost of a visit to the museum, estimated as the ratio between the total costs of the institution and the total number of visitors, is identified as a relevant sustainability indicator. The list of indicators pertaining to eco-museums [41] is substantially increased if they are described as a list of activities, actions, and effects that museums can have on society. The proportion of earned income (income earned by museums through activities, e.g., selling tickets and souvenirs, renting spaces, and lending objects) in the total revenues of a museum is also used [42] to estimate their level of cultural entrepreneurship. Another model for evaluation [43] suggests five indicators: unconventional territory adoption, in situ conservation and interpretation, management of sites conducted by liaison, cooperation and development of partnerships, empowerment of local communities, and potential for interdisciplinary and holistic interpretation. According to the International Council of Museums, an important indicator for measuring a museum's success in becoming sustainable is intellectual and financial autonomy. Studies [44; 45; 46; 47; 48] have considered four pillars in the sustainability of museums: economic, social, environmental, and cultural. The maximum level of sustainability is attained when the equilibrium among the four pillars or spheres is reached. In achieving equilibrium, progress in each of the four dimensions must be assessed regularly, requiring the creation of valid, reliable, and simple instruments for objective measurement. Often, increased performance in one dimension creates negative effects on another dimension.