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Sustainable transport: one goal, more solutions working together

24 October 2023

Travelling represents the largest carbon impact of an event. It can count for up to 56% of the whole event’s carbon footprint 1, and the impact is significantly higher when international participants use flights to reach the event.

With this in mind, we were delighted to award a Sustainable Conferencing Grant to Dr Serena Stanga who came with a solution that combined technology with alternative travelling, leading to a reduction in travel carbon footprint for her symposium “In pursuit of healthy brain aging: unveiling the biology of novel age-related mechanisms leading to dementia”, which was part of the 20th National Congress of the Italian Society for Neuroscience (SINS) 2.

The Forest of Biologists – an interview with Professor Steven Kelly

24 July 2023
Steven Kelly under an umbrella with trees in the background

The Forest of Biologists was launched on 13 March 2023. We recently caught up with Steven Kelly, Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford and former Editor-in-Chief of Biology Open, who planted the seed for this project several years ago.

Funding sustainable travel to the British Neuroscience Association meeting

27 February 2023

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) held their festive symposium, ‘Have your mental health a merry little Christmas’, in Edinburgh on 12 December 2022.

The first Student Conference of Plant Biology organised “by students for students” and respecting the environment

30 November 2022

Written by Mohammadjavad Haghighatnia

SCPB 2022 banner with logo and conference date and locationThe first Student Conference of Plant Biology (SCPB) took place in Prague from 20-22 September 2022 with the motto “by students for students” and “sustainable conference”.

How BraYn 2022 used their Sustainable Conferencing Grant

7 November 2022

Sustainable notebook and pencil
The notebooks and pencils provided at the meeting were made from recycled materials.

The fifth Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists (BraYn) took place in Rome from 28-30 September 2022. The conference aims to bring together early-career neuroscientists for the purposes of networking, sharing expertise and promoting collaborations.

Sustainable menus at events: nurturing with less impact (part 1)

14 September 2023

Event catering can account for 7-17% of event carbon footprint 1 2 3 . Conferences and scientific workshops play a crucial role in the career development of researchers, helping them to spread awareness about their work and connect with like-minded peers 4. Equally crucial is environmentally friendly practices at these events. Organisers can make a difference with eco-friendly menus and encouraging conscious choices.

But what does it take to build a sustainable menu? This is a guideline on how to build a sustainable menu for your next scientific meeting.

Decolonising and Diversifying Biosciences Education – a focus on inclusivity and sustainability

8 March 2023

By Catherine Mansfield

The symposium ‘Decolonising and Diversifying Biosciences Education’ took place from 19-20 December 2022 at Robinson College, Cambridge. This meeting was organised by Dr Catherine Mansfield, Dr Katharine Hubbard, Dr Tina Joshi and Isaiah Ting, with funding and support from the Society for Experimental Biology.

Rethinking sustainability at the Cambridge Neuroscience Seminar

6 December 2022

Conference delegates walking outsideThe 32nd Cambridge Neuroscience Seminar (CNS2022) was held on 29 September 2022 at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. This annual meeting brings together neuroscientists from across the University’s Departments to promote collaboration and strengthen the community. A Sustainable Conferencing Grant from The Company of Biologists helped the organisers to reduce the environmental impact of this year’s meeting.

The Indian C. elegans Meeting goes green

15 November 2022

Indian C. elegans delegate group photoThe third Indian C. elegans Meeting took place in Trivandrum, Kerala, from 27-30 September 2022. The programme featured a diverse spread of the latest research from the nematode community. This year, the meeting also had an environmental focus, with the organisers using one of our Sustainable Conferencing Grants to reduce the environmental impact of their event.

Sustainable Conferencing Grants 2021 snapshot

21 June 2022

2021 Materials, Mimics and Microfluidics: Engineering Tools in Mechanobiology
Assistant Professor Andrew Holle submitted the first Sustainable Conferencing Grant application for 2021. The 3M2021 was a satellite-based hybrid meeting targeted towards Asian-Pacific researchers.

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