What Makes a Photograph "Award-Winning?"

This past weekend, a new exhibit opened at the Burke. The International Conservation Photography Awards showcases over 75 of the best conservation photographs from around the world. The ICP Awards was the brainchild of Seattle-based photographer Art Wolfe and since 1997, the biennial competition has been inviting photographers to submit their best work in a number of categories, including Wildlife, Nature at Risk, Community at Risk, and Documenting a Conservation Project. The competition is judged by four photography and design professionals, and the winners and honorable mentions from the 2010 competition will be on view at the Burke through Labor Day Weekend.

On opening day this past Saturday, I walked through the exhibit with ICP Awards juror Cynthia Hall (a senior designer at Girvin) with our Flip camera and asked her to talk about the question “what makes a photograph award winning?” She offered some great insight about the factors the judging panel considered when making their final selections:



Each of the photographs in this exhibit has a unique story to tell about conservation and appreciation for the natural world. Come to the Burke this summer and check it out!

Posted by: Julia Swan, Communications

Keeping Washington's Coasts Clean

Last Saturday, more than a thousand volunteers braved wind and rain for the annual CoastSavers Cleanup on the beaches of Washington State. From Cape Flattery to Cape Disappointment, over 48,000 pounds of marine debris was removed from the coast. I am proud to say that I helped contribute. My small group was responsible for at least 70 pounds of debris removed from Pacific Beach.

I knew there would be plenty of trash but I didn’t expect the form it would take. My biggest surprise was the size. On our stretch of beach, most of the debris we saw was small pieces of plastic, so fragile they would often crumble when picked up, making the pieces even smaller.

Shell or plastic? I thought that was an easy question. Many of the pieces of plastics littering our tide line stood out because of their color – red, pink, turquoise – but most of the plastic remnants were milky white and difficult to distinguish from shell. It’s hard to tell, but in the picture below nearly all of the white material is plastic. It is very easy to see how birds and other animals could confuse these for food.

Marine debris is an issue gaining more and more attention. There are reports that for every square mile of ocean, there are 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. The Burke Museum is in development on an exhibit exploring the ways plastic has improved our lives and the toll it is taking on our environment, tentatively scheduled for fall of 2012.

I participated in the clean-up because I love the coast, but also in honor of Earth Day (which was yesterday, April 22). After spending a couple weekends out on the beach and seeing all the marine debris, I am going to make a habit of picking up debris every time I am on a beach. You don’t need to be part of an event, every little bit counts.

For more information about the Washington CoastSavers Clean-up and marine debris, visit this Web site. To read more about the garbage patches forming in the Pacific Ocean, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, click here.

Posted by: Sarah Tollefson, Facilities

Calling All Environmental Writers

Wow, hard to believe that there are just five weeks left until our 2010 Environmental Writer's Workshop. The all-day seminar on Saturday, May 15 will be led by Jack Nisbet, Lynda Mapes, and Susan Zwinger. Just as last year, the workshop will include time at the museum and at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

Lynda, Jack, and Susan bring unique and complementary perspectives as naturalists, journalists, instructors, and historians who have written deeply and provocatively about landscapes wild and urban. They exemplify a growing field of writing that brings in not only plants and animals, but also the human inhabitants, past and present, who dwell on the land. In doing so, they are forging a new way to look at nature and to develop deeper connections to place. Read more about each instructor here.

The cost is $100 (10% discount for Burke Members), which includes a catered lunch and instruction materials. We have fewer than 15 spots left so sign up now!

Posted by: David B. Williams, Education

Water: don't take it for granted!

At the Burke Museum, we are constantly reminded about the wonders of our planet and its peoples. Part of my job that I love is being able to see the awesome things in our collections and our galleries and learn more about them. I think it’s important that an institution like the Burke, which is devoted to life in all its forms, takes a stand to help preserve the world as we know it for ourselves and future generations. It was with that in mind that I volunteered for the Burke Sustainability Action Committee, because there is always more to do than has been done.

One of the first projects that this committee was able to complete was to install a series of signs around the museum (specifically near the drinking fountains and in the bathrooms) educating visitors about water usage. We learned some interesting things about water, including:

• Nearly all of the Earth’s water is salty or trapped as ice, leaving less than 1% available as freshwater for all living things, including humans.
  
  
• If all of the Earth’s water fit into a two-liter bottle, the amount of freshwater would only add up to a tablespoon!
  
  
• Even though the United States has some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, Americans drink twice as much bottled water as they did a decade ago.
  
  
• Over 80% of plastic water bottles end up in landfills.
  
  
• A gallon of tap water costs 1,900 times less than a gallon of bottled water!
  


• Most interesting to me has been discovering the origin of our water here in Seattle: the Cedar River Watershed (pictured below).

What has the Burke Museum done to conserve water? We’ve made some small changes like adding aerators to bathroom faucets and providing a pitcher of good tap water for meetings instead of bottled water. We also have an ethnobotanical garden in front of the museum, full of native plants, which typically require less water than non-native plants to thrive. I'm looking forward to figuring out what else the museum can do to conserve water!

Posted by: Sarah Tollefson, Facilities

Introducing "Green Museum"

This post is part of a Burke Museum Blog series called "Green Museum" that explores what sustainability means to the Burke Museum.

Why is sustainability important to the Burke?

As a museum charged to preserve, study, and educate on issues relevant to the natural and cultural world, we have an opportunity and obligation to educate by example. Our mission is to create a better understanding of the world and our place in it. Therefore we are an institution where shared values of conservation, stewardship, and sustainability are showcased, not only in the exhibits we display, but also in the actions and everyday operations inside our walls.

From planning a LEED Platinum building, to shifting our newsletter online, to facilitating cultural collaborations between native peoples across the Pacific, the Burke Museum is making choices to positively and proactively impact the future of our world.

The “Green Museum” segment of this Blog is another such choice. Please share with us your ideas for insuring the future of the biosphere.


Posted by: Julie K. Stein, Executive Director

What are citizen scientists?

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

For over 50 years, citizen scientists from around the Northwest have been contributing a wealth of information that may help scientists better understand global climate change, and some of that information has been stored at the Burke Museum. In addition to housing over 70,000 bird specimens, the Burke is also a repository for 12,000 file cards gathered by staff and volunteers over many years that document ecological data of over 100 bird species. The study of plant and animal life cycle events in relation to climate change is known as phenology. Increasingly scientists are turning to volunteers to help identify and understand changing environmental trends, and the Burke Museum has a long history of working with such volunteers.

What can you do to help? Become a citizen scientist! Check out the National Phenology Network to volunteer. While they currently only monitor plants, they will soon expand their efforts to include animals and physical phenomena.

For more information about citizen scientists and the Burke’s role in recording their findings, read these recent articles: The Tacoma News Tribune, Seattle Times

Photo: Robert Faucett, Burke ornithology collections manager, with part of the museum's egg collection. Photograph by Ken Lambert, courtesy Seattle Times.

Save your gas money: 5 easy ways to get to the Burke Museum without a car!

Posted by: Julia Swan

Everyone’s talking about gas prices these days! It seems to be taking the place of classic weather-related icebreakers—instead of “This rain just won’t let up!” you hear “Gas prices are so high!” when engaged in small talk with someone you don’t really know. And as prices soar at the pump, lots of people are leaving the car at home and looking for different ways to get around town.

Getting to the Burke Museum, and for that matter the whole University of Washington campus, by way of bus, bike, or foot is quite easy from most anywhere in Seattle. In fact, here are my top 5 methods of transportation to the Burke:

1. Take the bus: The transit system in Seattle is pretty good, and bus service to the UW is particularly excellent. Trip plan your way here and you’ll realize how easy it is to reach this part of the city by bus. Just off the top of my head, I know you can take the 25, 30, 43, 44, 45 48, 49, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 272…and I there are more!

2. Ride your bike: Whether you ride in from the Burke-Gilman Trail or from one of the other bike routes in Seattle, it’s easy to get to the Burke Museum on two wheels. Keep your bike safe by locking it to our bike rack- located just behind the Burke Café patio.

3. Walk: Maybe you live in the neighborhood, or maybe you’re up for an urban hike, but walking is always a great way to get to the museum.

4. Carpool: If you must bring a car, please carpool! Come with your whole family, or bring a friend or two. If you happen to go to school at or work for the University of Washington, show your U-Pass and pay with your Husky Card Account to receive a huge discount on parking fees when you carpool!

5. Any of the following: motorcycle, Vespa, Segway, pogo stick, stilts, roller skates, unicycle, hang glider, or parachute (only for the most extreme). Be creative!

See you on the bus!

- Julia

Last Polar Bear Summer Camp: A Recap

Posted by: Keely Gnagy and Tim Stetter

What do you get when you cross a dozen middle school students with cameras, a polar bear exhibit, and researchers on the UW campus? Fantastic photography exhibits about environmental issues! The students joined Burke Education staff during the week of July 14 for a summer camp based on the current Burke exhibit, The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World. During the camp, the students learned about the basics of climate science, some of the challenges we are likely to face because of it, and what we can do about it.

One of the things we can do is raise awareness about an issue that is important to us, just like Steven Kazlowski, the photographer of “The Last Polar Bear,” did by taking photographs to bring attention to the plight of the polar bear in the warming Arctic. Using disposable cameras, what they learned throughout the week, and their imaginations, the campers created their own exhibits focused on topics such as recycling, transportation choices, native and non-native plants, human eco-footprints, and the power and beauty of nature.

The Burke’s collection was a fantastic resource for the campers. They were able to touch polar bear fur and stand nose to nose with a polar bear skull from the Mammalogy Collection. We saw angler fish, sharks, and sun fish at the Burke’s incredible Fish Collection with tour guide Rachel Schoen, a graduate student in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. And we were able to use artifacts from Arctic culture, like snow goggles and the intestine material used to make rainproof gear, to imagine the life of a person living in the Arctic environment.

We also learned a lot and had a great time visiting other research centers and talking to scientists on the UW campus. Dr. Kevin Rennert from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences taught us about climate change and the Arctic. We learned about ways plants adapt to climate with Fleur Beckwith, a graduate student at the Botany Greenhouse. We visited the Applied Physics Lab and talked with Dr. Mike Steele, an oceanographer at the Polar Science Center. And we learned about cameras and photography from professional photographer Joe Burnett.

On Friday afternoon, the students displayed their exhibits in the Burke Room. Friends and family attended a reception in their honor. One visitor commented, “I wish I was a kid so I could be in this camp!”

What an awesome week! And what incredible photography exhibits. It was an honor to spend the week with students who are so motivated to learn and to make a difference.

- Keely and Tim

A Fresh Perspective on Climate Change

Posted by: Julia Swan

The Burke is preparing to host almost 40 climatologists, documentary filmmakers, and photographers next week. No, we’re not gearing up for a major conference or convention—we are actually waiting for the arrival of middle and high school students, passionate about the environment, who will attend two great new summer programs: Climate Quest (for high school) and The Last Polar Bear Summer Camp (for middle school).

Climate Quest students will take a University of Washington science and policy class on climate change and produce mini-documentary films capturing their ideas and solutions. Program highlights include taking a field trip to the Cedar River Watershed to meet climate scientists, participating in a live videoconference with Climate Quest students at Western Washington University, and sharing their videos on a national website for youth, www.climatequest.net.

Middle school students in The Last Polar Bear Summer Camp will learn about the basics of climate change, impacts on the arctic ecosystem, and actions that people can take. As a culminating project, students will take their own photos and create a photography exhibit documenting their thinking on climate change, which will be on view at the museum on Friday, July 18 from 2-4 pm.

Its gonna be very cool…or hot (depending on the summer weather)…having these young minds in the museum for a week, brainstorming about ways to tackle climate change. I for one am excited to hear their ideas!

- Julia

Steven Kazlowski shares polar bear tales on KUOW

Posted by: Julia Swan

KUOW aired a fantastic interview with Seattle wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski on today's Sound Focus.

In it, Steven shares some interesting and captivating stories about his very real encounters with the largest land carnivore on earth--the polar bear. He has been in much closer proximity to a wild polar bear than most people ever (hopefully) will and his accounts are fascinating.

Steven also has a very unique perspective on the politics of climate change and how the polar bear has recently become the face of this global issue, which he discusses with Sound Focus's Dave Beck.

If you missed the show, never fear, for KUOW is quick to put a podcast version of the interview online. You can find the podcast of "People and Polar Bears" here.

Meet Steven in person Saturday, June 28 at the Burke Museum's opening of The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World. Steven will be giving guided tours of the exhibit at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm.

- Julia

Facing reality, finally

Posted by: Julia Swan

Yesterday, the Interior Department announced its decision to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. This action came as a result of intense lobbying from environmentalist groups, recommendations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a court order from a federal judge to make an immediate decision, and overwhelming evidence that the Arctic sea ice on which polar bears hunt and live is rapidly disappearing.

Although the polar bear is the first species to be granted federal protections because of global warming, the repercussions of the decision on entities that contribute to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere remains to be determined. At this point, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has stated that the polar bear decision will not impact regulation laws, oil exploration, or other activities that can contribute to global warming.

As for the remaining 20,000-25,000 polar bears currently living in the Arctic, the designation of threatened species status upon the largest living land carnivore on earth is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Perhaps the polar bear will join the list of dozens of other once-threatened species that, through concerted human efforts to protect and preserve, have experience a major revival.

- Julia

Photo top left: A polar bear sow and her cubs on the tundra (coastal area, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Photo bottom right: Sow with cub on the pack ice of the frozen coastal plain (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), photograph by Steven Kazlowski/www.lefteyepro.com. On view in The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World, June 28 – Dec. 31, 2008, Burke Museum, Seattle.

Everyone loves a good haiku

Posted by: Julia Swan

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Hoh River, one of the nation’s last untouched rivers. This week I’m writing to announce that Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story is now on view at the Burke. I was really impressed by Keith Lazelle’s photographs and was easily able to find a moment of zen in a busy work day by sitting in the exhibit space and listening to the accompanying nature sounds by Emmy-winning recordist Gordon Hempton. I recommend you come check it out—it’s a small, but extremely calming and pleasant photo show.

Keith Lazelle was inspired to become a photographer through a book of photographic translations of Japanese haiku poetry. In the spirit of haiku-loving, I propose a Burke Blog Haiku Contest! Feel free to leave a comment with your own favorite haiku—if you need a prompt, try writing about your favorite outdoor location. I’ll start it off with a brief ode to the Hoh River:

Deep in the mountains
A small river flows—untouched
Makes its way to sea

Ok—your turn!

- Julia

P.S. The talented Karyn Gregory has once again recorded a great podcast. This time it's with Keith Lazelle, talking about his experiences in the Olympics. Click here to listen.

Introducing the Hoh River

Posted by: Julia Swan

In just less than a month, a new environmental photography exhibit opens on April 24, 2008 at the Burke called Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story. The exhibit showcases 14 framed color photographs of the Hoh River by acclaimed nature photographer Keith Lazelle.

I have to admit, until recently I knew very little about the Hoh River. I grew up in the backyard of the mighty Columba River, so 50 miles of flowing water in the Olympic Peninsula seemed more like a stream to me. Of course, once I started learning more about the Hoh River, I realized that this small river, tucked away in one of the most beautiful places in the Pacific Northwest, has quite a fascinating story.

The Hoh River helps support one of the planet’s last intact temperate rainforests, the Hoh Rain Forest. Enormous Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar trees tower at up to 300 feet and are part of a rich and diverse ecosystem of plants and animals. Bald eagles, northern spotted owls, Roosevelt elk, black bears, bull trout, and salmon are just a few of the species that can commonly be found in the Hoh Rain Forest.

The Hoh River plays a crucial part in sustaining this luscious forest habitat. The waters of the river, and its tributaries, are an important life source for nearly all of the living creatures and green plant life in the forest. That’s all fine and well, but the truly unique feature of the Hoh River is that it is one of the only rivers in the contiguous United States that is in pristine condition—in other words, the Hoh River and its floodplain has escaped the onslaught of damming, logging, and other sorts of development that has affected so many American rivers.

In an age when untouched natural environments are increasingly vulnerable, the Hoh River is an important symbol of why conservation matters. Luckily, groups such as the The Hoh River Trust, our partner in bringing this exhibit to the Burke, have worked hard to protect and preserve the river and the land that surrounds it. One look at the gorgeous photos from Fast Moving Water, and I’m sold. In fact, once that sun comes back out, I might have to a plan a little venture into the rainforest!

- Julia

Photos by Keith Lazelle, on view in Fast Moving Water: The Hoh River Story, April 24-June 6, 2008, Burke Museum.

The Adaptable Turkey

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

This Thursday, millions of Americans will enjoy that traditional Thanksgiving culinary delight: turkey (in the United States at least – Canada’s Thanksgiving is on the second Monday in October). The plucked and frozen turkey most available at the grocery store is a domestic turkey.

But did you know that thanks to reintroduction efforts, their wild cousins have returned from the brink of extinction? They are now thriving in the suburbs of New England, seven million strong! From the linked article:

"Wild turkeys have been spotted in towns and suburbs across New England—and have even been seen strolling through downtown Manhattan.

The turkeys' ability to take to these urban environments was a surprise to biologists."

- Karyn

Photo: Male North American turkey, M. gallopavo. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

We're ready...

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

The last of the images are hung and labels are in place. Join us on Sat., June 16, 10 am – 5 pm for the opening day of Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam.

Opening Day Schedule

10:15 am ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
11am ~ “The Origin and Status of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative”
12 pm ~ “The Columbia Highlands - Making the Rockies to Rainforest Connection”
12:30 pm ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
1:30 pm ~ “Wildlife Bridges Across Interstate 90”
2pm ~ “From the Cascades to Karakoram – a global exploration of bears”
2:30 pm ~ Photographer Tour with Florian Schulz
3 pm ~ “Bringing Critical Wildlife Conservation Issues to the Public”

I’m most looking forward to the tours with featured photographer, Florian Schulz (pictured left). I’ve been working with his images for months now in preparation for the show, but when I finally met him and heard him talk about trailing grizzlies through the mountains for 10 years, it struck me how deep the stories these pictures tell really are. Florian hangs off of precipices, dives underwater, tracks animals that could kill him in an instant, and sits still for hours and hours at a time just to capture that one glorious instant we see in an image on the gallery wall. It seems like there is so much wisdom living in those mountains, and it lives in him now too.

- Rebecca

Bon Voyage!

Posted by: Karyn Gregory

Just a bit south of here, two humpback whales – a mother and calf – have finally started home after swimming 90 miles through the San Francisco Bay and ending up in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. They were spotted heading for the Sacramento harbor on May 13, arrived on the 15, and have been attracting massive crowds of whale watchers to the area. Ever since then scientists have attempted to lure them out before the whales hurt themselves. Biologists are concerned because "...they are at the end of their hibernation season, [therefore] they have less blubber to rely on for fuel than they would later in the summer or fall."

First, the scientists tried playing whale songs and when that didn’t work, they planned on scaring them with loud underwater noises. Fortunately, it looks like the whales came up with their own idea and began following two tugs out of the Port of Sacramento towards the Pacific Ocean. They still have a long way to go, but it looks like they’re on the right track. Keep it up you guys!

You can see video of the whales on KIRO TV here.

-Karyn

Photos
Top left: Humpback mother and calf, courtesy of OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP)
Bottom right: Humpback tail flap, courtesy of OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP)

Dr. Leakey Podcast is Up!

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

If you weren’t one of the 555 people who came last week to see Dr. Richard Leakey’s UW talk, Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth, you’ll want to check out our latest podcast.

The podcast picks up at the end of Leakey’s two-hour presentation when he opens the discussion up to the audience to take questions. It’s a candid peak into the brain of one of the world’s most influential and controversial conservationists.

It’s always exciting when a big name comes into town, and Leakey’s visit did not go unnoticed. Check out the Seattle PI interview and the Seattle Times article.

Were you at the talk? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

- Rebecca

Baby Orca Brings Hope

Posted by: May Evans

A new orca calf brings the endangered Puget Sound orca population up to 86.

Puget Sound is home to 3 pods, or groups, of Orca whales for at least 6 months out of the year. The pods, designated by the letters K, J, and L, provide scientists with a means of understanding the influence of humans on the health of Puget Sound. According to Bob Lohn, head of the NOAA Fishery Services Northwest regional office in Seattle, “These animals are part of Puget Sound’s cultural heritage and its ecology. We have an obligation to see that this population once again thrives.” This past fall, with the deaths of three adults and two calves, the pod population dropped to 85. But now, a new calf has been born.

L109, as the newest member of the L-pod, faces what could be a very difficult year. Scientists are unsure of who mothered the calf, but they have narrowed down the possibilities to two adult Orcas, a mother and her daughter. Orcas are contaminated with industrial chemicals and these collect in the fatty tissue and milk. These pollutants are then passed on to the first and second calves born to a mother. After that, "the mothers sort of clean themselves out," according to Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research. So if L109 belongs to the mother, it has a greater chance of survival because it will be her third calf, but it would be the daughter’s first, making it more susceptible to premature death. Experts say that if L109, whose gender has yet to be determined, survives through the summer, it has a good chance of living a full life.

The calf gives new hope to NOAA Fisheries Service, which has set its goal for local Orca recovery at a stable population of 120 animals. The most pressing dangers facing the whales are pollution, oil spills, the effects of boat traffic, and a lack of food. NOAA is working to combat these threats, and is seeking suggestions regarding the reduction of boat traffic-related trauma on the whales. Public hearings start in April, and in the meantime, be sure to download the “Whale Wise” boating guidelines.

-May

Photo by Nancy Black, Monterey Bay Whale Watch

Sustainability is sexy

Posted by: Rebecca Durkin

Why sell guilt when you can sell sex?

Last week, the Seattle PI highlighted an interesting UW student-run campaign going on right outside our museum doors. Led by the Young Democrats, students are using a bold slogan to promote sustainable consumer choices – “Sustainability is Sexy.”

Plastered on t-shirts, buttons, and stickers, the slogan promotes awareness for campus incentives to reduce consumerist waste. Bring your own coffee cup to a UW coffee stand and save $1 on drip coffee or get 10 cents off an espresso drink.

If you’re interested in more info about alternative coffee choices, try this great local resource: ¿Más Café? Vicky Lawson and Colleen Donovan of the UW Department of Geography put together this handy Web site providing you with info on fair trade, organic and shade grown coffee. TransFair gives us this list of Washington State fair trade certified licensees.

Personally, I go sustainable by reusing a coffee travel mug plastered with a childhood picture of my sister and me playing Atari and suffering from some mean Saturday morning bed head (admittedly not sexy). How do you go sustainable?

- Rebecca

A Waste-Free Holiday for All!

Posted by: The Burke Staff

The staff at the Burke Museum sends it warmest holiday wishes to you. During this season of heightened consumerism, we encourage you to consider your impact on your community and the environment. Here are some of our staff’s personal recommendations for a sustainable holiday season:

• Go organic! Choosing organically grown food and drinks for the holiday season not only keeps our environment clean and healthy, it also treats you and your family to a cleaner, healthier diet! This year try a few new organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and even wines. A 100% organic holiday dinner? Go for it! – Tim Stetter, Environmental Education Coordinator

• I exchange favorite (carefully used) books from the past year with my mom, sister, and niece – this gives us great material for conversation the next time we get together! – Jennifer Dirking, Director of Development

• I am giving local coupon books for gifts this year. They have deals on restaurant meals and tickets to venues all around the area, which is fun to use all year. – Judy Davis, Administrator

• Give the packaging-free gift of an experience. Check out Waste Free Holidays for discounts on Washington experiences: from a Burke membership, to a day at the spa or a night at the opera! - Rebecca Durkin, Public Relations Assistant

• Make a gift to a museum or non-profit in honor of someone. – Anna Frey, Annual Fund Coordinator

• Show support for community initiatives with your gift giving: Habitat for Humanity allows you to purchase in honor of someone a part of a project, like a light fixture or a sink. Mercy Corps kits also make a great gift. – Regan Samul, Museology Graduate Student

• Re-use old newspapers for gift wrapping. – MaryAnn Barron, External Communications Director

• Donate to a charity in someone's name or buy them a gift card so that they can get things they need. – Shana West, Museology Graduate Student

• Serve up fair-trade coffee from places like East Timor to your holiday guests – Laura Phillips, Archaeology Collections Manager

Some additional ideas:

• Skip the disposables and have re-usable dinnerware at your holiday parties.

• Edible gifts!

• Share your holiday party leftovers with your local soup kitchen.

Do you have any ideas of your own? Please share them in the comments section.

- The Burke Staff