Gabrovo’s Museum of Humour gets serious about fighting climate change

The Museum will stop accepting advertising and sponsorship deals from fossil fuel companies looking to greenwash their image

Last week, the Museum of Humour and Satire in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, announced that it will stop accepting promotional sponsorships from fossil fuel companies in order to combat greenwashing. The decision came after the museum curated an event on solar energy and sustainable electricity with Greenpeace Bulgaria earlier in July.

Margarita Dokovska, the museum’s director was quoted by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, explaining that maintaining a vibrant cultural programme that can reach as many people as possible is a main priority of the museum.

Nevertheless, she continued on by pointing out that apart from entertainment responsibilities, the museum also has a responsibility to the world we live in. She went on by saying: “We cannot allow polluting and climate-damaging companies to use us to greenwash their image.”

Campaigning against fossil fuel advertising sponsorships

By announcing their decision to stop accepting fossil fuel sponsorships, museum officials also decided to join another important Greenpeace initiative. The initiative is about pushing for an EU ban on greenwashing.

In more concrete terms, a citizen-led petition is trying to ban fossil fuel companies from sponsoring and advertising themselves through culture, sports, social and other events or organisations, showcasing their work in a favourable light, while working to the detriment of the planet.  

The initiative is looking to gather one million signatures from across the EU until October when it will present the petition to the European Commission. With that many signatures, the Commission will be forced to examine the petition and take legislative action on the matter.

The Museum of Humour and Satire in Gabrovo has decided to through its support behind the initiative full-heartedly, as it joined the ranks of the Van Gogh Museum and the Guardian newspaper, all sworn to ditch fossil fuel sponsorships.