I am interested to learn what are the options to advance sustainability practices and policies during and after Ripe86 conference.
Some ideas that come to my mind as trajectories-topics to foster DeGROWTH/Sustainability:
#0 How RIPE events can be better?
#1 How RIPE NCC as organization can be/do better?
#2 How community members can do better and share practices?
#3 …?
I have some ideas, as there is quite some contestation around the topic of datacenters around my lek. I also recently contacted our regional ISP to inquire about their SDG practices, but that seemed to hit a nerve. This is odd, because from 2024 they are required to report way more thoroughly then thay are capable of right now. Perhaps RIPE can facilitate these discussions.
links (some translation may be required)
It hinges on #2 mostly. As a leading authority the voice of Ripe NCC can create a ripple effect. When strategically aligned with business incentives, SDG targets and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ambitions then the options to advance sustainability practices and policies during and after Ripe86 conference are increased.
A well-designed SDG mapping for ISPs, either using GRI - Standards or ISO options can streamline collective efforts throughout the industry via e.g. a factsheet approach.
Pardon the buzzword bingo…
#0 How RIPE events can be better?
By including more talks about environmental subjects. Vesna mentioned that we are facing a ‘polycrisis’; multiple crises that concurrently take place and require us to identify overlapping problem areas within RIPE’s ecosystem. The more is identified, the more a net benefit can be found within solving these crises.
#1 How RIPE NCC as organization can be do better?
By funding a range of research and projects that support the objectives within the Degrowth movement. The global scale of the polycrisis is on average outside the sphere of influence a single individual has, but small-scale environmental projects that make the infrastructure of the internet more sustainable could provide new pathways to deal with our problems at scale.
#2 How community members can do better and share practices?
By assembling a diverse discussion group. As environmental, social and economic problem areas might intersect and overlap, they need to be identified through dialogue between people with a broad spectrum of experience and knowledge. This includes people from all walks of life, not necessarily experts or individuals who have enjoyed a certain level of privilege, either through higher education or an elevated socioeconomic class.
A key question here is: is it sustainable for people to continue flying to meetings on a regular cadence?
A more nuanced version of the above: RIPE meetings are fully hybrid, and the online component satisfies almost every aspect of a meeting except one important part: high-bandwidth social moments, primarily “the hallway track”. Similarly, the meetecho chat is often where the action is during sessions, which you likely miss if you’re in the room. So there are two slightly different views of the same meeting. How should the hybrid experience continue to improve so that people no longer “need” to fly to a meeting?
@Z.Blace : Z, thank you for brining this topic to the Forum!
Replying to #1 & #3 : next week, there is a conference/workshop that has both the content & the form which contributes to environmental sustainability & DeGrowth practices: LIMITS 2023 -- Workshop on Computing within Limits (14 - 15 June, 4PM - 10 PM CEST)
How should the hybrid experience continue to improve so that people no longer “need” to fly to a meeting?
This event has found a perfect balance: it is BOTH fully online, AND there are physical meetings: in local hubs! LIMITS' 23 Hubs - Google Docs
@Mosman : I see you are replying in Dutch : we are organising Amsterdam Hub on 14th (Wednesday) : please join, and invite others! Register here: Computing Within Limits 2023: Amsterdam Hub - HedgeDoc
is it sustainable for people to continue flying to meetings
No, it is not sustainable to fly to meetings.
Radical suggestion: if you have to fly, do not go.
There are plenty of conferences that can be reached by train, bus, bike…
Here is work about that by ACM SIGPLAN; SIGPLAN and Climate Change & SIGPLAN Climate Committee Report - Google Docs
And one more: “A nearly carbon-neutral conference model white paper”:
http://hiltner.english.ucsb.edu/index.php/ncnc-guide/
Is it still possible to register a local node?
yes, it is still possible to register a local hub/node!
I disagree that RIPE meetings are fully hybrid. If the action is in Meetecho and people in the room are missing that buzz then we cannot have achieved a fully hybrid experience. At best, we have two different events anchored by a single agenda but with different social experiences. That’s not necessarily bad but it is an important consideration.
Radical suggestion: if you have to fly, do not go.
There are plenty of conferences that can be reached by train, bus, bike…
I don’t think you mean that all conference events are interchangeable. I don’t think they are, either. Each event has a different purpose and audience. The RIPE region is huge and has many island nations. It seems unreasonable to discourage participation by people who cannot get a train to the Netherlands or any other mainland European country from an island nation at a reasonable blend of money and time.
Replying to #3, I’ll be presenting at the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb this summer. You can find more information at https://odrast.hr/.
My presentation is titled “(un)maker Faire,” which was launched as a new festival within a festival in mid-May at Maker Faire Delft. Unmaking is a term that researchers in the fields of HCI, design, and political science have started using after unlearning. They aim to solve issues by not merely creating new things.
I’ll be applying the “(un)made” principle in a new context, specifically in the city of Zagreb, where I’ll be collecting local (un)made objects. That’s what my presentation will be about.
The conference will take place during Zagreb Degrowth Week, a free arts and conviviality festival realized in cooperation with neighboring capitals.
If anyone is planning to attend, it would be great to connect with you!
See you there and then if not before elsewhere 
I started to splinter the top post and link it to new subtopics.
@admins I think RIPE86 should not be (only) tag but a category…
Meanwhile it would be awesome to have #sustainability as tag and #DeGrowth as sub-tag (need those here).