2019:A sustainable conference
To achieve a sustainable conference the team has focused on three broad areas that connect to a number of the SDGs. The areas are outlined below. Feedback on what more should be done can be added on the Discussion page.
Background
- Areas with largest environmental impact:
- Participants' flights. For information on sustainable travelling, see this page!
- Food.
- Printed material and signage.
- Energy.
Ecological sustainability
Action points
At the conference the following choices have been made to reduce the negative impact of an international conference:
- The conference is fully carbon offset.
- Active communication to participants covering that:
- We make it easier for the conference participants to travel collectively to the event by informing on the website and in welcome message about climate-smart travel options, the nearest subway/transit station and bike parking.
- We encourage visitors to use car sharing through our website and welcome mail.
- There is a page dedicated to sustainable travelling
- Most of the food will be vegan or vegetarian.[1]
- Recycling stations for food waste will be available during all meals.
- No single-use plastics.
- Providing reusable water bottles as a way of encouraging participants to drink tap water rather than bottled water.
- Active actions to reduce printed material such as program information, flyers and other advertising material and signage. Giveaways and SWAG to be sustainable from all aspects (ecological, social and economical).
- No metal or plastic in participant badges; collect badges after the conference.
- Enable remote participation and recording of the conference activities.
Social sustainability
Action points
At the conference the following choices have been made to reduce the negative impact of an international conference:
- Gender neutral bathrooms in the main building Aula Magna.
- A quiet space will be available at the conference venue, in Aula Magna, where conference attendees can spend time away from noise, lights, and other stimuli of conference spaces. The quiet area is not available for conversations or meetings.
- The venue is wheelchair accessible.
- The venue has hearing aid in the form of a loopset available in all rooms in Aula Magna (but not in the class rooms in Södra huset). In Södra huset: 6 out of the 10 rooms we have booked do not have hearing loops installed, however there are 3 portable aids available that we can use in any of the rooms. Rotunda does not have hearing loop installed and the portable aids do not work in there.
- Amplified Sound/Microphones will be available in the following rooms: Aula Magna (in the Auditorium), in Södra Huset (in B5 Lecture Theater, and room A5137, B499, B416). All of the other rooms do not have amplified sound, as they are the smaller seminar classrooms that don't typically need this.
- The program committee works actively to ensure a diverse program in terms of e.g. gender.
- A friendly space policy is used and ensured through informing and active efforts to upholding it.
- Native English speakers are reminded of their obligation to speak slowly and to avoid metaphors (starting with the WMF CEO).
- To give random tech products a longer life there is a tech swap shop where participants can leave and take things.
Economical sustainability
Action points
- The conference activities are recorded.
- A multi-year conference wiki is set up.
Resources
- The Wikimedia Sustainability Initiative
- Ken Hiltner: A nearly carbon-neutral conference model. White paper/practical guide, 2018.