Sustainability Guidelines For Symposia Convenors
11.1 Please try to avoid ‘swag’ that will just end up on the landfill. Reduce and recycle waste, and avoid/ban disposables and plastics (e.g. use paper name tags).
11.2 Remind delegates to bring their own reusable cups, bags, notebooks and pens and consider only providing FSBI branded items to those that forgot theirs. These can then be passed onto future meetings. Note: tote bags are not that sustainable: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/style/cotton-totes-climate-crisis.html
11.3 Please make use of the existing FSBI flag to signpost the entrance, rather than making a new one for every meeting.
11.4 Consider increasing vegetarian options and reducing red meat, and just generally thinking about the sources and sustainability of food choices.
11.5 To reduce the carbon footprint and increase opportunities for members from the Global South to attend, try to have at least one session hybrid with all talks streamed. If possible, make the entire conference hybrid. Some ideas: Consider using pre-recorded talks (but potentially risk live Q&A) to help stay on schedule. Share talks (pre- and live-recorded) on FSBI YouTube channel for asynchronous viewing. While hybrid poster sessions can be challenging, an online speed talk session before the poster session can work well. Finally, be aware of the Company of Biologists’ Fund for Innovations in Sustainable Conferencing in the event you do wish to apply for more funding: https://www.biologists.com/sustainability-hub/sustainability-initiative/grants.
11.6 Please promote the FSBI Green Travel Awards (#FSBIGreenTravel) and provide information on your webpage well in advance of the symposium so people can plan the greenest travel possible.
11.7 On the conference webpage provide clear information about public transport options and share a link to an app or shared Google spreadsheet to connect people to support lift sharing. Highlight it and share the link in emails/social media/newsletter well before the conference.
We aim to achieve the highest standard, maintained through the good will and dedication of the council (who are the charity trustees) for the FSBI. We are always interested to hear member feedback, and are pleased to attend the Annual Symposium to ensure we stay in touch with all those concerned.
The FSBI is registered in the United Kingdom as a charity (Number: 256475) and is affiliated to the Royal Society of Biology. Contact FSBI support Line at 020 3925 3477 or Email theteam@fsbi.org.uk
