The Natural History Museum in London has entered a partnership with the Stourbridge Glass Museum to deliver a new environmental project centred on a trail through the local area. The route, running from the Bonded Warehouse to the Stourbridge Glass Museum, will be transformed as part of the initiative, which is one of eight schemes funded through the museum’s Interconnected Programme. That programme is designed to engage young people in climate action through cultural and community-focused activities.
Trail links mural to carbon-neutral glass studio
A central feature of the project will be a large, participatory mural co-designed by young people aged 13 to 25. The artwork will explore Stourbridge’s environmental journey, contrasting its industrial heritage with future visions of ecological recovery. The trail will connect the mural to the museum itself, where visitors can see Europe’s first carbon-neutral glass studio in action.
A spokesperson for the Natural History Museum said: “The trail will link the mural to the museum, where visitors can see Europe’s first carbon-neutral glass studio in action, and explore pathways from environmental impact to climate action and ecological hope.” The museum also highlighted the local context, adding: “In August 2026, Stourbridge was devastated by wildfires, so understands more than most communities the importance of a net zero future.”
Street murals to replace tagging along canals
Elliot Goodger, director of Stourbridge Glass Museum, said: “Stourbridge Glass Museum is delighted to be partnering with the Natural History Museum, who were runners‑up to us when we won Sustainable Project of the Year 2025.” He outlined plans to deliver a series of street-mural artworks along the Wordsley canals, replacing decades of tagging and vandalism with high-quality, nature-inspired public art.
“This is regeneration at its best, bringing pride, creativity and heritage back into the community,” Goodger added. The project will also offer visitors the chance to learn about sustainable glassmaking and explore real-life examples of climate action along the trail.
Part of wider climate engagement programme
The initiative is one of eight recently funded through the Interconnected Programme, which supports cultural and community-based projects aimed at involving young people in climate action. The partnership brings together the national institution with a local museum known for its sustainable glassmaking credentials, including its award-winning carbon-neutral studio.
The trail and mural project are expected to provide a permanent public artwork that reinterprets Stourbridge’s industrial past while pointing toward ecological recovery. The collaboration is set to run through the coming months, with the mural and trail enhancements delivered as part of the funded scheme.
