SIGCHI Equity Talk #9: Making SIGCHI Sustainable

[Kelly Widdicks]

Please see email below about the next SIGCHI Equity Talk #9: Making SIGCHI Sustainable.

Hi all, 

Ninth in our Equity Talks series will be our roundtable on Making SIGCHI Sustainable, to be held Tuesday, June 1, at 4pm GMT (in your time zone). 

Participate on Discord, pose questions on Sli.do before/during, or join us on Zoom. This session will be co-led by Chris Clarke, Jason Jacques, Bridget Kane, Kelly Widdicks, and Kristin Williams. We will discuss prior and ongoing efforts to make SIGCHI sustainable, and how these efforts might be supported and promoted towards more sustainable futures within HCI.

Concerns around sustainability surface issues of equity when we consider how our use of constrained resources in the present impacts the resources that we leave behind for future generations. We invite participation from those with expertise on sustainability, as well as those conducting research in Sustainable HCI and related fields, and others with an interest in learning how they might make contributions in this area. We will aim to discuss various SIGCHI commitments and where they stand regarding sustainability—travel and where we might cut back on it, conferences and how they can be sustainable and equitable at once, and most importantly, how we can make sustainability an active and achievable goal across all activities.

The questions we propose to address are as follows:

Naming the Problem(s): Where are we failing when it comes to making SIGCHI sustainable, and what has hindered sustainable efforts in the SIGCHI community thus far?

Fostering Solidarity: What might a more inclusive, supportive infrastructure and culture within SIGCHI look like for supporting sustainable choices?

Identifying Nuance: What are some barriers to participation in this regard? How do these impact different participants differently, based on different positionalities and life circumstances?

Actions Towards Change: Where does the responsibility for change lie, and what actions can and should SIGCHI take to effect this change?

We look forward to seeing you! If you’d like to know what to expect, you can check out our blog summaries from prior Equity Talks #1: Being Global, #2: Making SIGCHI Accessible, and #3: Reviewing and Mentorship.  

Warmly,

Neha Kumar

SIGCHI VP at Large