Sustainable Conference Planning

As an organizer of academic conferences, we can contribute to make a change by including in the planning and act to our best ability to reduce our ecological footprint.

For the ECSWE conference in Oporto-Matosinhos the EASSW have taken into consideration eco-friendly choices for planning the conference by mainly holding meetings online to reduce our travelling, eco-friendly lodging and catering with local food choices, compost and recycle.

In the forthcoming sections you can read about some things you can consider when planning your participation. The information is inspired by the IASSW (International Association of Schools of Social Work) Climate justice program. We recommend further reading in this webpage: https://www.ifsw.org/social-work-action/climate-justice-program/educate/.

How can we shrink our ecological footprint?

There are several things we can do to reduce our ecological footprint by considering travel and transportations, lodging and accommodation, food, and dining. In the sections below we provide some aspects of we can act responsible for the planet.

Travel and Transportations

When you plan your travel to the conference venue, find out the best possible way how to travel to make the least impact on the environment. Choose eco-friendly choices, such as train instead of flight if possible and public transport as a means of transportation once you arrive at the conference site. You will find public transports in Oporto/Matosinhos accessible and easy to use: https://beportugal.com/public-transport-in-porto/

Lodging and Accommodation

When choosing lodging, plan for the best possible choice of accommodation – hotels or B&B options. When you are in place, think about being mindful of how you can save water for example by reusing towels and save electricity by not leaving lights on and so on.

There are plenty of eco-friendly lodging choices in Oporto/Matosinhos. When booking your lodging choose the option “sustainable trips”.

Food and dining

Think about choosing local, organic food whenever possible and dining in local restaurants, which helps to reduce food travels. Consider using compostable or recyclable materials when dining. Support local restaurants that include climate justice in their mission.

Photo by Mona Livholts

Climate justice contribution

Please find guidance below about how to make a climate contribution by using a travel calculator:

https://www.ifsw.org/product/climate-justice/climate-justice-contribution/

https://www.ifsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ClimateJusticeContribution_Steps_Notes.pdf