JISC

Greening Events will conduct an exploratory investigation into how to minimise the sustainability impacts of academic events (such as conferences and seminars) while gaining the maximum benefit from them. We will:

1. Develop a systemic impact analysis methodology and use it to conduct assessments of the primary, secondary and tertiary (direct and indirect) sustainability impacts of events;
2. Explore the use of a variety of technologies leading to prototype software to allow event organisers to plan their events and attendees to get connected and/or get information (for example via mobile devices) towards “greener events”.
   

Aims and Objectives

Key project aim: To go some way to answering, “To what extent can the availability of knowledge tools help reduce the carbon footprint of an event?” Objectives:

1. Conduct a system impact assessment of virtual and physical events using innovative technologies that may reduce the carbon footprint (this involves an examination of the wider knock-on impacts that may include behavioural changes and wider socio-economic impacts).
2. Develop a prototype toolkit for event organizers to help them make informed decisions on how best to deliver their event such that they maximise event benefits while minimising their negative sustainability impacts.

Project methodology

Project Analyst Paul Shabajee will develop Systemic Assessment tools with the development team, conduct systemic assessments of the JISC Digital Media Training events and Economics Network Conference (among other events), and work with UKOLN to link the Toolkit development with business planning.

Debra Hiom will project manage integration of the analysis parts of the project with technical development, in liaison with the event organisers involved in Greening Events and with input from the Steering Committee which includes the Head of Sustainability at the University of Bristol.

The technical developer will develop CREW and Mobile Campus Assistant software to support more sustainable events.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

Major deliverable: Pilot “MyEvent” Software used for the case study events and installed for use during the project, will provide the event organisation and just-in-time information for those travelling to events as described above. The open source software will be made available post project.

Major deliverable: Systemic Impact Report & Toolkit, to include a literature view (covering both systemic impact assessment and the wider value and contexts of academic events), details and outcomes of initial pre-case study activities, the assessment toolkit developed during the project and the outcomes of the case study event assessments.

Technology / Standards used

Mobile Campus Assistant technologies and CREW software for organizing and disseminating events online and non-online. Both use Semantic Web Standards (including RDF and SPARQL) among other Standards such as for Java Web Applications (J2EE) and Mobile Software development.