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The logo for Our Green Stories.

Our Green Stories

Our Green Stories

Museums care for artefacts dating back hundreds and thousands of years (and beyond), but our work is rooted in the present day. We conserve objects and archives to record the memories of the past—how people lived, the communities they formed, the environments they occupied, the animals and plants they were familiar with, the natural resources they exploited, and the tools and technologies that sustained them—and share this knowledge with our audiences. And whether sewing with our volunteers or sowing seeds in our garden, people use our spaces and unique collections to enrich their daily lives in myriad creative ways, from starry-eyed children to veteran researchers.

Our Green Stories is a creative campaign by Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL and Reading Museum funded by Arts Council England, exploring stories of the changing environment through museum collections in Reading and highlighting ways of building a sustainable future both locally and beyond.

In the pages below, explore the Our Green Stories programme at The MERL. We will be adding events and blogs throughout the year, highlighting different parts of our collections.

Blogs and online exhibitions

Events and Activities

Past Events

Our Green Stories: Life on Land Films

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The logo for Our Green Stories.

Our Green Stories: sustainability in our community

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jigsaw box featuring chocolate box thatched cottage and garden

Same displays, different ways: Our Green Stories gallery tours

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Green Stories from The MERL Garden: Summer

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Museums Partnership Reading doing consultation for Our Green Stories.

Our Green Stories: the next chapter

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school children wearing bee masks running around an adult wearing a daffodil headdress

Earth Day is keeping us grounded

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flowers planted in a wheelbarrow in the MERL garden

Green Stories from The MERL Garden: Spring

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A Singer sewing machine.

Fast Fashion: Then and Now

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The MERL garden in winter.

Winter gardening with The MERL gardening volunteers

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Suttons Seeds materials.

The story of Suttons Seeds: 1806 – present

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The logo for Our Green Stories

Our Green Stories in the Galleries

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Grow Your Own display in the Town and Country gallery at The MERL

Turning Wasted Opportunities into Food Futures

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Green Explorers: discovering the great outdoors at The MERL

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Our Green Stories logo

Our Green Stories Gallery Trail

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Visitors and volunteers looking in the archive drawers in the MERL galleries

‘Climate Change’ Artwork Display

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Model wearing a cape that is part of the Sew What exhibition

Sew What?

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – June

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Families toasting marshmallows in the MERL garden during a Green Explorers session

Green Explorers – 30 November

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – July

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – September

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – May

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Our Green Stories logo

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – April

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Our Green Stories logo

Our Green Stories Gallery Tour – March

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Life on Land logo

Our Green Stories Youth Workshops: Life on Land

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Our Green Stories logo

Our Green Stories Gallery Tours – February

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Our Green Stories Tours: Our Green Fingers

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Thomas Hofland, View Across the Park to Whiteknights House, oil on canvas, 1814. UAC/10236.

Our Green Stories Tours: Our Green Artists

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Watercolour of an elephant

Our Green Stories Tours: Do not feed the animals

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Shellmex in red capital letters on a white shell-shaped petrol globe

Our Green Stories Tours: Fossil Fuels

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Woman painting a picture of a flamingo

Garment upcycling using fabric paints

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Collage butterfly in the MERL garden

Fun Butterfly Collage

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Climate Change curator-led tour

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Tote bags hanging up in the Sew What exhibition

Family workshop: Totally Tote Bags

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child painting flowers for Earth Day event

Earth Day: Invest in Our Planet

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Life Below Water: Artist-led workshop at The MERL

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Tours with Alice Mauchline

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Tours with Alex Arnall

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Tours with Jenny Chamarette

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Visitors in The MERL galleries

Our Green Stories Tours with Mike Goodman

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Materials for a sashiko repair.

Welcome to our January to March programme

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