‘Greening’ Academic Gatherings: A Case for Econferences

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Rockwell, Geoffrey
  • Rossier, Oliver
  • Miya, Chelsea

• Traditional academic conferences that require participants to physically travel between locations have a large environmental footprint. That is why a growing number of researchers believe it is imperative to seek out more sustainable alternatives. This econference case study looks at the “Around the World” virtual conferences organized at the University of Alberta as a model or ‘greenprint’ for hosting successful and sustainable research gatherings without the carbon cost of flying. The success of this online event, with its diverse range of topics and presentation formats (live, pre-recorded, hybrid), shows that the econference format can be adapted to a wide range of needs. Our results show that econferencing, while not without its challenges, is a viable alternative to face-to-face conferencing that can replicate its benefits without the environmental cost.

• Date created

  2020-02-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Research
  • Presence
  • Academic Discourse
  • Communication
  • Case Study
  • Online Conferencing
  • Videoconference
  • Sustainability
  • Econferencing
  • Academic Conference

• Type of Item

  Chapter

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-g2rw-3n59

• License

  Attribution 4.0 International