Tips for organizing a (more) sustainable workshop

Here are some ideas to consider when organizing your next workshop; note that these are not requirements and may or may not be feasible depending on the location of the workshop.

Travel

Consider a meeting location that will minimize that travel distance of your likely participants; for example, immediately before or after a larger meeting may not require additional travel.

When flying is inevitable, help participants to offset their emissions by suggesting an appropriate organization for purchasing carbon offsets (or add this to the registration fee).

Remote participation

Allow people to participate remotely; talks recorded in advance can reduce possible technological issues.

Contact PAGES if you would like information about some available platforms to host remote meetings.

Here are some tips published by Copernicus and others endorsed by AGU about virtual meetings.

Reduce waste

Opt for washable dishes and cutlery when catering meals and/or coffee breaks.

Instead of plastic covers for nametags, one (cost-saving) option is to print them on thick paper and clip the badges directly to the lanyards, which can be reused after the workshop.

Think twice about what materials truly need to be printed; perhaps these can be made available online ahead of time.

Catering

Consider providing local, plant-based or vegetarian food for meals and coffee breaks – or vegetarian with the option of meat! The ease with which you may find a caterer fulfilling these criteria may of course depend on the location of the workshop.

Testimonials and literature

Read what other workshop organizers have to say about their experiences:

Gina Moseley, Climate Change, the Karst Record IX (KR9) - Innsbruck, Austria, 19 - 20 July 2022

Céline Vidal, VICS 4th workshop, Cambridge, UK, 13 - 16 April 2019

Middleton (2019) Phys Today 72: 29-31

Some organizations offering carbon offsets

myclimate (Switzerland)

GoodPlanet Foundation (France)

CO₂ solidaire (France)

 

This page is a work in progress. Do you have thoughts or ideas on how to make workshops more sustainable? Please contact us!