An Overview Of Our Solution
We apply to “Solution Search” to get funds to create a website for containing a "Manifesto on Sustainable meetings" which at the same time should serve as a platform to share information and experiences to help organizers and attendees in the way of co-creating/organizing/participating in sustainable meetings.
The website will be created to
1) contain the Manifesto on sustainable meetings,
2) exchange information on sustainable meetings and related initiatives,
3) include Nitrogen and Carbon footprint calculator as indicators of implementing measures towards sustainability in scientific meetings (e.g. Less travelling distances, lowered amounts of animal protein served at meetings).
- Population Impacted: Sustainabilty researchers
- Continent: Europe
Last name
Organization type
Context Analysis
As researchers working in the field of climate change and sustainability related issues we consider that it is time to enhance the coherence between the messages, from our researches; we share with society and our behavior as scientist. Although the environmental impact of conferences has rarely been discussed or problematized, there are many ways of making them more sustainable. With this objective, the “Cercedilla Manifesto on Sustainable Scientific Meetings” was conceived. Our manifesto builds on existing guidelines for sustainable meetings, but goes beyond them in particular in encouraging the avoidance of meetings or attendance to meetings by making use of modern technologies, and calling for vegetarian or vegan catering at meetings organized to discuss and advance the science on sustainability.
Describe the technical solution you wanted the target audience to adopt
A website will be created to
1) contain the Manifesto on sustainable meetings,
2) exchange information on sustainable meetings and related initiatives,
3) include Nitrogen and Carbon footprint calculator as indicators of implementing measures towards sustainability in scientific meetings (e.g. Less travelling distances, lowered amounts of animal protein served at meetings).
Once created and presented in the next INI conference (Berlin, 2020) and next N workshop (Madrid, 2021), the website would be maintained and managed through public funds coming from institutions and initiatives supporting the principles of the Manifesto.
The budget of the grant would be used for: 1) web domain and design, 2) management of the site within 2019, 3) organization of two presenting events at the Berlin INI conference and Madrid N workshop.
Type of intervention
Describe your behavioral intervention
The elements considered as a matter of re-thinking when organizing or attending a meetings are:
• Exhaustive preparation involving participation and communication between attendees and organizers.
• Good communication and evaluation
• Information: the website should serve as a useful communication tool to access to relevant practical information for organizers (with suppliers) and attendees (with organizers).
Main areas of action to get high standards of sustainability are:
• Logistics (possibility of remote connections, fully or partially remote attendance)
• Tranportation (reduce/avoid flights, favor regional meetings, provide info on public transportation)
• Food (Vegetarian or vegan as default; establish good communication with chefs; tap water)
• Food wastes and overconsumption
• Other wastes
• Water saving
• Energy (adapte heating/cooling to season - compensate with clothing, renewable energy sources)
Note: We argue that vegetarian or vegan catering must be default, as scientifically it is still unclear what level of animal sourced food in diets is optimal (environmentally and nutritionally), it is obvious that during a few-days meeting no animal sourced food is required for healthy and enjoyable meals.
As needed, please explain the type of intervention in more detail
Website/digital platform to upload the “Manifesto on Sustainable Meetings” as well as exchange experiences and information on sustainable meetings. This platform might also be a space for contact between meeting organizers, attendees, etc. By mean of this tool and the Manifesto itself, we aim to strength, firstly among the scientific community, the necessity of being consequent with our behaviors when participating in scientific meetings.
Describe your implementation
The main indicators of success might be:
1. Number of scientists signing the Manifesto
2. Number of meetings and conferences organiced following the principles of action towards sustainability contained in the Manifesto.
3. Evolution and trends of C and N footprint of both individuals (attendees) and conferences/meetings.
The main barriers for the achievement of the objectives of this action are mostly related to
1) the reduction of animal protein in food offered in scientific meetings and
2) the increase in the frecuency of remote meetings.
These are mostly socio-cultural barriers. Consumption of meat and other animal protein based foods has deep roots in several societies and
regions. Although remote connection for scientific meetings could be facilitated by new technologies, there is a tendency among scientists to
travel to places to meet.
External connections
Key partners: beyond individuals committed to the principles of the Manifesto on Sustainable meetings would be Universities and Research
Centres supporting the organization of conferences, private entities organizing conferences, international agencies and organizations already
sensitive to the necessity of enhancing the sustainability of conferences and meetings (e.g. WHO, UNECE, TFRN, etc.), NGOs devoted to
sustainability issues in the field of climate change, health and food security.
Who adopted the desired behaviors and to what degree?
We aim for a awakener for scientist working on sustainability. We see incoherence between research and behavior. Our intervention should be a disruptive. making scientist clear that they are not in an ivory tower feasting while telling the people outside that they should fasten. Researchers’ role is not only to point the finger to problems and explain solutions, but live them as far as they concern their own lives.
The 'nitrogen community' aims at organizing meetings since a few years. Examples are: INI conference 2013 (Uganda, see Leip et al. 2014); INI conference 2016 (Melbourne); meetings of the Expert Panel on Nitrogen and Food (see http://www.clrtap-tfrn.org/content/epnf).
Leip A., et al. (2014) Nitrogen-neutrality: a step towards sustainability [WWW document]. Environmental Research Letters 9: 115001 URL http://stacks.iop.org/1748-9326/9/i=11/a=115001?key=crossref.e00563c757…
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
Re-thinking the necessity of attending physical meetings and promoting remote connections would directly impact on decreasing GHG emissions due to transportation of scientists . Continental (roundtrip) flights within Europe are generally between 300 and 700 kg CO2 equivalents. Intercontinental flights are easily several tons CO2equivalents. Thus in terms of GHG emissions, avoiding attendance has a huge impact. Food and in particular livestock products are significantly contributing to GHG emissions.
What were some of the resulting co-benefits?
Our motivation is not only focused on GHG emissions, but also on other pollution, such as through the emissions of reactive nitrogen. For nitrogen emissions, food plays a major role which can amount (depending on distances to travel, days of meeting etc.) to more than half / two thirds of emissions. Nitrogen pollution impacts air, water, soil quality, climate change and biodiversity. While the GHG emissions of meetings usually are dominated by travel, food is the significant or even dominant source of emissions of reactive nitrogen to the environment caused by meetings.
Sustainability
No
Return on investment
Sustainable meetings are difficult to organize as they are not yet 'standard'. However, principally they are not more expensive (or even less expensive!) then meetings not considering sustainability.
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
We are focusing on meetings for scientist - which is our peer group. However, the principles can be applied to all kind of meetings.