Written by:
Karin Winter, Postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D in Planning and Decision Analysis, LTH
The season of New Year’s resolutions is upon us and if you are anything like me you are likely to take on something demanding strict discipline. Come March and I will once again have to face my shortcomings. But no rule without exceptions: there is a vow I actually am sticking to without any difficulties. Could it have something to do with how it equally manages to make my life easier and doesn’t make me feel so bad about myself?
If you are guessing that I’m talking about more sustainable travelling, you’re almost right. Included in this bundle is definitely a connecting train departing from Hamburg. Possibly after that yummy meal you’ve just had not far from the central station (Ginza Japanese Kitchen in Lilienstraße 32 is just one of several great options) or perhaps a stroll with an ice cream depending on the season. There is also the possibility of relaxing onboard a train and of finally getting time for that uninterrupted discussion with that colleague of yours. Or, of losing yourself in a creative trail of thoughts mesmerized by the changing scenery you stare at but no longer see.
The vow I’m hinting at is the decision not to bother with research conferences that you cannot comfortably attend without flying. You might be surprised at how much time this decision might free up: now you do not even have to look at conferences on other continents. Much less trying to plan for all that time away and fretting over simultaneously joggling responsibilities at home. Instead, you can now focus on those much fewer conferences that are reasonably close or online. Not only does this take some worries off your plate, but it will also allow you to once in a while set aside enough hours for slower travelling. You might be gone more rarely but when you do you can allocate time to ensure a more enjoyable and less stressful experience.
Like, instead of worrying about making it from Gare de l’Est to Gare de Lyon, buy a ticket that lets you stroll through Paris. Do pick something up at L’As du Fallafel to enjoy in Jardin des Rosiers Joseph Migneret and let this unexpected garden work its magic.
But if you doubt that you’ll have the time to travel reasonably sustainably, do not book the conference. Don’t look at the tracks. Don’t bother writing an abstract. Simple as that. Skip the whole ordeal of going back and forth on flying or not. Either allocate enough time or stay put and be there for your family and students instead.
In addition to making life a bit easier for yourself, you get to feel good about helping to shift away from the fossil fuel-based norms of current academic life. You do not need me to tell you about the absurdity of continuing to embrace practices that literary contribute to destruction. As scholars it is our job to know, and with access to the IPCC reports we have no substantial excuse to ignore what we know. Most of us have already had well above our share of air-travelling in contrast to the majority of people.
Now, it is often argued that a couple of trips more or less make no difference. But, as long as that argument holds sway there will be less incentives to develop other more thoughtful ways of collaborating internationally. I have already been to too many conferences where too many researchers primarily focus on their own contributions and mostly spend time with their colleagues from home. So why not reinvent research conferences as part of a broader movement for more sustainable research? That could certainly make a difference in more than one way, and ultimately upper the legitimacy of research.
Not that old habits are easily eradicated, which is why I fail at most of my other new year’s resolutions. Especially tricky are habits that are connected to social hierarchies and worn as a batch of honor: to be at the important conferences is to be important. But what about challenging this sentiment in the year 2025 by taking a stand for what really is important? What about a joint vow in your research group? Let’s work together to build a more sustainable research culture and get a more enjoyable work year at the same time.
