Hi Fae, On virtual participation, we learned quite a bit from a remote-first strategy: https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/09/05/wikimania-2017-materials/
Best, --Ed On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 3:45 PM, Fæ <fae...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 21 November 2017 at 15:00, Andy Mabbett <a...@pigsonthewing.org.uk> > wrote: > > I'm interested to see how we can make our conferences, not least > > Wikimania, and other events more green and, particularly, use less > > plastic. > > > > I see from: > > > > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sustainability_Initiative > > > > that: > > > > <quote> > > > > On February 24, 2017, the board of trustees of the Wikimedia > > Foundation adopted the following resolution as a result of this > > initiative: > > > > The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to seeking ways to reduce the > > impact of our activities on the environment. We aim to always act > > responsibly and sustainably as possible, including favoring renewable > > energy for our operations. We believe that a long-term commitment to > > sustainability is an essential component of our work towards the > > Wikimedia mission and vision.To this end, the Wikimedia Foundation > > makes the following commitments: > > > > * We will seek to minimize our overall impact on the environment; > > * We will consider sustainability as an important part of decisions > > around servers, operations, travel, offices, and other procurement; > > * We will use green energy where it is available and financially > prudent; and > > * Starting in 2018, we will include an environmental impact statement > > in our annual plan. > > > > </quote> > > > > for example: > > > > * use cotton (not plastic) lanyards; or avoid lanyards altogether > > * don't give away cheap plastic pens, etc. > > * avoid bottled water, where tap water is potable, otherwise use glass > bottles > > * avoid sandwiches in plastic (or plastic-lined) packs > > * avoid disposable cutlery and plastic plates > > * ensure waste is collected, appropriately sorted and recycled > > > > How can we build this into our movement? > > > > Should it be a consideration in assessing grant funding applications? > > > > Would a more specific resolution from the board help? > > > > Who at WMF has oversight responsibility for these issues? > > > > -- > > Andy Mabbett > > @pigsonthewing > > http://pigsonthewing.org.uk > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik > i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > > Thanks for raising the topic. It's been raised before, but there > should be more public credit given to events and conferences that make > the extra effort to be green. > > I definitely support this being a more visible goal, along with > helpful checklists, for funding events. Logically the "environmental > impact statement" should be seen to flow down as requirements on all > affiliates, something I'll be looking for in 2018. > > The biggest environmental impact from our conferences, comes from > staff and volunteers flying around the world, when the WMF and > affiliates could do more to encourage virtual meetings and to manage a > stronger virtual engagement. At the moment virtual participation at > WMCON or Wikimania is often limited to the odd livestreamed > presentation or small working group supported by a video hangout; it's > at a low level and it would be nice to see far more experimentation > with technology and virtual presence. > > The deliberately small choices you mention of avoiding plastic or > encouraging attendees to do something simple like reuse and refill one > cup for the day, or ensuring that caters are serving local food with > low mileage,[1] makes a lot of sense. Even if this added slightly to > an event's expenses, I think everyone would applaud the deliberate > selection of venues and suppliers that make low environmental impact a > priority. > > Links > 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_miles > > Fae > -- > fae...@gmail.com https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fae > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wik > i/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe> > -- *Ed Erhart* Senior Editorial Associate Wikimedia Foundation _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
