At the new Climate Action Museum in Chicago, there is no room for doom and gloom. Instead, the exhibits highlight ways to cut carbon pollution and inspiring reasons to do so.

Farr: “If you’re a homeowner, we have a list for you. If you own a car, we’ve got suggestions, etc. … So this idea that everyone has agency of some sort and probably may not have thought about it.”

Doug Farr is one of the museum’s co-founders and an architect who specializes in sustainable design.

Farr: “It’s my day job. It’s my passion. … So the Climate Action Museum is very much an extension of my firm’s work.”

As a result, much of the museum focuses on how to reduce carbon pollution from buildings.

It provides visitors with ideas for making their homes more energy efficient. And it encourages them to swap out cooktops, hot water heaters, and other equipment that runs on fossil fuels with electric appliances that can be powered with clean energy.

Another exhibit highlights the environmental, social, and health benefits of living in walkable communities that are not dependent on cars.

Farr says he hopes the museum helps move people from what he calls a hazy sense of defeat to optimism that …

Farr: “Lots of people are taking action, and actually there’s a lot we can be doing, and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media