Sustainable geography in theory or in practice? Reflections from a participant at NGM 2019

Abstract

ABSTRACT Academic conferences have a large carbon footprint due to long-distance travel by participants and contribute to increased consumption in other ways. With reference to Stephen Sterling’s distinction between education about sustainability and education for sustainability, the aim of the article is to address the question of in what sense and to what extent was the NGM 2019 conference on sustainable geographies sustainable in practice? Accordingly, the author draws on her own experience as a conference participant, information about a carbon budget provided by the host institution, and e-mail correspondence with both the head of the organizing committee of NGM 2019 and the environmental manager of the host institution, NTNU. The author argues that while the conference was about and for sustainability, sustainability in practice was not achieved to an extent that the conference could be described as sustainable in Sterling’s terms. In conclusion, the article’s contribution is to initiate a conversation within Nordic geography about sustainability as a scholarly aspiration and how to conduct sustainable geography conferences in the future.