As of March 11, the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum has been awarded the international Green Key environmental certification. This prestigious quality label is given to institutions that meet high environmental and sustainability standards. The Sports Museum is now one of four museums in Estonia to receive this recognition.  

Siim Randoja, a member of the museum's board, acknowledged the significance of the Green Key certification. “We must consider what we can do ourselves to help preserve nature, which is why we are constantly looking for new and innovative solutions,” Randoja explained. “Among other things, we have created souvenirs from recycled materials and repurposed old exhibition elements,” he said.  

Green Key promotes environmentally friendly and responsible practices, focusing on the sustainable use of natural resources, waste reduction, and the implementation of sustainable solutions in daily operations. At the Sports Museum, this means reducing energy and water consumption, encouraging paper-saving administrative practices, and making environmentally conscious choices in all areas of activity.  

Liis Läte, Project Manager at the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS), congratulated the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum on receiving the Green Key certification. “Visit Estonia is delighted to see more museums and attractions showing interest in the Green Key label. A museum is an integral part of the community, and through its activities, it inspires both other attractions and visitors to make more environmentally friendly choices. The Green Key certification also provides the museum with greater visibility and attractiveness on an international level, as more and more visitors prefer to visit sustainably operated places,” Läte added.

Since November 2022, the museum has also had an environmental and sustainability working group, aimed at planning and implementing eco-friendly solutions to help reduce the museum’s ecological footprint.

In addition, a new exhibition is being prepared to explore the relationship between sports and the environment, highlighting their mutual impact. This display is set to open in the fall of this year.