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Discussions about our individual and aggregate contributions to the climate emergency has changed *fast* in just the past several months. There's no reason to think the pace of change, awareness-raising, or pure panic is going to slow down between now and 2022.
It's conceivable that by 2022 that the idea of hundreds of researchers flying to Japan on carbon-spewing jets in order to share scientific research could be considered morally abhorrent.
So, at the upcoming #TISLR13 in Hamburg, let's get ahead of the conversation. 🙋♂️
So, at the upcoming #TISLR13 in Hamburg, let's get ahead of the conversation. 🙋♂️
Let's assemble a @SignLangLingSoc or #TISLR climate committee. Can we decarbonize TISLR and reimagine future meetings with net zero carbon footprints?
Throwing out some ideas here:
Throwing out some ideas here:
If I'm presenting a talk or poster, is my attendance really required? Can we let researchers stay home and present talks via video links? Could we do moderated poster sessions via Twitter?
(We already seem to be having a totally spontaneous pre-conference poster session on Twitter. It's working well, I think! People are excited.)
Can conference events/dinners serve plant-based vegan food by default, with attendees paying extra for the dietary adjustment of eating meat AND any equivalent carbon offset credits?
Should we require in-person attendees to offset the carbon footprint of their flights before they're allowed to fully register for TISLR? Should meetings cover the carbon expenses of invited speakers? Should universities assume this cost as part of their sustainability goals?
Should conference registration fees include a carbon tax? Ban conference freebies. Who needs yet another tote bag or more branded pens? Ban wasteful full-color paper flyers from academic publishers that get discarded in a hot minute.
More boldly: Experiment with TISLR being regional face-to-face meetings only. Each meeting would nominate the best talks and posters to be presented again via live video streaming with global Q&A sessions, and that gets called the new, reimagined #TISLR(xx). Would that work?
(Bonus: Such a model could address systematic inequalities, e.g., overrepresentation of North American and European researchers, and open up opportunities for members of studied indigenous cultures to participate in research dissemination.)
Ideas inspired by this terrific Guardian article: theguardian.com/education/2019…
I get it. We all 😘 TISLR. For many of us, it's our "home" conference and where we see old faces and make new friends. It's hard to swallow the idea that TISLR must change to reflect our new climate reality and that we may see each other in person less often.
That the world gets bigger, not smaller. But we can't continue with TISLR-as-usual. I don't think the world of the mid-2020s will let us do that so easily.
(Or if they do, they won't look kindly upon us.)
(Or if they do, they won't look kindly upon us.)
I'm writing this thread to jump-start the conversation.
Don't wait until the business meeting at the tail end of the conference to bring it up. Engage your colleagues and friends throughout before, during, and after #TISLR13.
Don't wait until the business meeting at the tail end of the conference to bring it up. Engage your colleagues and friends throughout before, during, and after #TISLR13.
Who wants to make sure we’ve got a climate committee established before #TISLR13 ends? Who’s up for leading or participating in this?
@SignLangLingSoc, can we put this on the business meeting's agenda?
@SignLangLingSoc, can we put this on the business meeting's agenda?
P.S. I am flying from London to Hamburg. 🤦🏻♂️ I wish I listened and bought train tickets instead despite their higher cost and longer travel time. Frankly, I'm ashamed and want to make better choices going forward.
P.S. P.S. There must be a SLLS/TISLR climate committee. I'd like to be on it except this is my last TISLR for a long time (I'm leaving the field; no new SL research projects in the pipeline). So I'm not the right person for this committee. But I can still speak up and advocate.
P.S. P.S. P.S. Yes, entire corporations and governments are far more responsible for causing the climate emergency than a bunch of sign language researchers. Ironically, they're also part of the solution. So why should we researchers need to change our behaviors too?
My answer is that both individual and collective action are needed. I’ve changed parts of my lifestyle, knowing those changes by themselves won’t save the planet, but they WILL help. What’s the alternative? Do nothing?
