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National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, is located in the old Post Office building next to Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, is located in a former Post Office building next to Union Station in Washington, D.C. The Museum was created by an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Postal Service in 1990 and opened to the public in 1993. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation, study and presentation of postal history and philately. The museum uses exhibits, educational public programs and research to make this rich history available to scholars, philatelists, collectors and visitors from around the world. The National Postal Museum offers a variety of materials and services for educators and students.

"Thanks for visiting the National Postal Museum’s exhibit hall. We’ve laid out some of our web resources we think you will find useful when teaching about climate change. The Education department is committed to helping teachers find successful strategies to integrate subjects and empower student learning. Here are a few ways our museum themes and topics can help you achieve this task."

Welcome!

The National Postal Museum has prepared a special audio tour which provides an overview of the museum, as well as resources that can assist educators teach about climate change:

Click for an Audio Tour: What is the National Postal Museum?

Green Ways to Move the Mail: Where Mail & Climate Change Intersect

Green Ways to Move the Mail The Postal Museum recommends this successful public program model for teacher adaptation in the classroom. We’ve provided you with all our research and resources in PDF format and a guided PowerPoint to illustrate how your students can learn about and teach the gravity of mail transportation on climate change.

Click for an Audio Tour: Green Ways to Move the Mail

	Green Ways to Move the Mail: Activity Sheets This packet contains explanatory sheets for each activity. For each activity, there are seven sections: General Idea, Audience, Goal, Materials, Checklist, Connections, and What You Need to Know.
	Activity Sheets > Addendum 1
	Activity Sheets > Addendum 2
	Resources for Educators

Additional Lesson Plans

Analyzing stamps about climate change impact can provide a whole new way for your students to talk about and indentify with the subject. Both of these simple lessons give your students a visual vocabulary to engage in debate.

	Little Stamps Big Impact In this Lesson, students will learn about climate change awareness through stamps research and design.
	Stamp Stories: Climate Change Teachers, do your students’ eyes glaze over when you mention science? If so, then break the mold with this fun and engaging activity. Stamp Stories emphasizes visual learning with authentic U.S. postage stamps, pictorial windows into American concerns such as climate change.

Arago: Online Stamp Collection

Click for a Self-Guided Tour: How to Use Arago

Stamp images can be used to illustrate climate change topics. You can use Arago, our collections based website, to find images of every US stamp ever produced. Search on related topics (like “Arctic”) and find a wealth of resources to illustrate your lessons. We’ve pulled a few images aside for you.

Click for a selection of stamps related to climate change

The Impact of Mail Delivery on the Environment

Climate Change Conference speaker and Smithsonian scientist Bert Drake spoke at the Postal Museum in 2008 about the impact of mail delivery on the environment. He and other speakers provide three different perspectives on the subject.

	Video: Bert Drake Speaking at the "Green Ways to Move the Mail" Conference "Can we reverse the trend of increasing atmospheric CO2 and avert climate catastrophe?”
	"Green Ways to Move the Mail" Conference Complete videos and power points for the “Green Ways to Move the Mail” conference held in 2008.
	Electric Vehicles in the Postal Service

About the Conference

Explore Smithsonian research and collections related to the evidence, impact, and response to climate change. Alongside Smithsonian scientists and curators, you’ll look at the issues surrounding climate change from the perspectives of science, history, and art.

Site Map

Conference Produced by:

Generous Support Provided by:

The Donnelley Foundation
Smithsonian’s Office of the Chief Information Officer

Climate Change Blog

Spreading the Green Word at SITES October 20, 2009 Teresa Gionis
Smithsonian Education's Online Conference on Climate Change - Encouraging Positive Action October 15, 2009 JarridGreen
Post-Conference - Five Ways to Continue the Conversation October 2, 2009 JarridGreen

	Design It! Giving Voice to America If you liked “Little Stamps Big Impact” this website curriculum has offers more related activities in stamp design.
	Arago: People, Postage & the Post The museum’s digital collection is available online. You may find it helpful because it has every US stamp every issued (plus a lot more from around the world).
	National Postal Museum’s Green Page The Postal Museum is committed to opening a dialogue about the environmental impact of transporting and delivering the mail. Review our programming from 2008 & 2009 at this site.
	Artistic License: The Duck Stamp Story Habitat protection is key to maintaining biodiversity. See how the federal duck stamp program became one of the most successful conservation programs ever devised: “Artistic License: The Duck Stamp Story”.
	Resources for Green Educators The Postal Museum recommends this successful public program model for teacher adaptation in the classroom. We’ve provided you with all our research and resources in PDF format and a guided PowerPoint to illustrate how your students can learn about and teach the gravity of mail transportation on climate change.