Programme Meeting October 2020

This programme meeting includes following sessions:

Media and art for the environment 2^nd unconference: ‘Validating the Rural: The participation of rural communities in environmental sustainability’

Discussion workshop: What needs to change in communication practice to facilitate sustainability transformations?

Emotions in environmental communication

Appraising the role of storytelling in sustainability transformation

Comments and feedback?

Media and art for the environment 2^nd unconference: ‘Validating the Rural: The participation of rural communities in environmental sustainability’

Tuesday, 20^th October  
9:30-12:00

Organisers: Nico Carpentier, Vaia Doudaki

Farming and rural development as key factors for sustainable development
Kjell Ivarsson, Senior Policy Advisor, Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF)

The dilemma of population density and urban designed cultural programs on environmental sustainability - When it almost failed
Daniel Urey, Process Leader, Färgfabriken

Movements in a rural context through an artistic practice
Sofia Sundberg, interdisciplinary artist and educator

A place disappearing
Fanny Carinasdotter, artist, Norrakollektivet

Four short presentations will function as an invitation for reflection and discussion, by the event’s participants, on the challenges that communities in rural areas face when it comes to participation in activities, projects, policies and discourses regarding issues of environmental sustainability.

The unconference will be an invitation for reflection on how to support and stimulate the participation and action of these communities in environmental issues, but also how the use of concepts such as ‘rural communities’ and ‘rural development’ frames the conversation around these issues.

The unconference will also a brief welcome to the overall programme meeting and

Who would find this interesting: Of general interest to everyone in Mistra Environmental Communication // Of special interest to societal partners and researchers working on rural development, rural communication, farming, forestry, etc.

Contact: vaia.doudaki@fsv.cuni.cz

Discussion workshop: What needs to change in communication practice to facilitate sustainability transformations?

Tuesday, 20^th October
14:00-15:30

Organisers: Hanna Bergeå, Anke Fischer

What is the role of communication in fostering societal change towards sustainability? What do we think needs to change in communication practices? We hear about the experiences of three people working in organisations connected to Mistra Environmental Communication, including:

• Raymond Wide (Skogsstyrelsen),
• Laura Hartman (Sustainability department, Uppsala municipality)
• Sönke Lorenzen (Greenpeace International)

We then split up in small groups to identify, based on our own experience, how communication in these and other organizational contexts needs to change to support societal transformation more effectively.

Who would find this interesting: Anyone working with communication for change. The session will help us to get a shared understanding of what it is that Mistra Environmental Communication needs to address – maybe we can even develop ideas for concrete activities (e.g., think/do tanks). 

Contact: hanna.bergea@slu.se, anke.fischer@slu.se

Emotions in environmental communication

Wednesday, 21^st October
10:00-12:15

Organisers: Keri Facer, Maria Johansson

This workshop will give us a chance to reflect on how emotions come up in our work on environmental communication – our own emotions, the emotions we expect others to have, the emotions we might try to encourage in others. It will explore the range of emotions that might be at play – from grief to humour - and think about the link between individual emotions and wider social structuring of emotional responses. We will listen to music, talk with each other in small and larger groups, have a couple of presentations on the view of emotions from individual and social perspectives. And will think about how we can share our intelligence about working with emotions as part of the programme. It should be an enjoyable, accessible, stretching conversation – do come!

Who would find this interesting: Anyone who is interested in thinking about emotions in environmental communication – whether their own or others? This won’t be a highly theoretical workshop – but will be focused on thinking through the implications of noticing emotions for our own work and practice

Contact: Keri.Facer@bristol.ac.uk

Appraising the role of storytelling in sustainability transformation

Wednesday, 21^st October
13:00-15:00

Organisers: Martin Westin, Sofie Joosse

Narratives structure human meaning making. Storytelling can shape our ability to imagine and achieve societal transformation. To tell stories is, no doubt, part of the efforts to transform societies. Yet, it is far from self-evident what role storytelling ought to play in societal transformation. Value-laden questions abound. What is the place of storytelling in relation to other “tools” for transformation? Who ought to tell the stories? Who wins and who loses in alternative transformation narratives? When is storytelling a legitimate form of communication? In this seminar, we normatively appraise the role of storytelling in sustainability transformation. We listen to examples of sustainability stories, and jointly figure out what to make of them. 

Who would find this interesting: Anyone wondering about the potential and pitfalls of using stories in environmental and sustainability communication.

Contact: martin.westin@slu.se, sofie.joosse@slu.se

Comments and feedback?

Wednesday, 21^st October
15:30-16:00

Organisers: Anke Fischer, Eva Friman

Have you got thoughts or comments on this meeting, or suggestions and ideas for the following ones? Or maybe you’ve got ideas for other activities, or more general questions? Join us for this short, informal chat.

Contact: anke.fischer@slu.se, eva.friman@swedesd.uu.se