20th ERIH Annual Conference – Call for Papers now open
Topic: Environmental Sustainability - How to come from Buzzword to Action The ERIH Annual Conference 2024 will take place from 23 to 25 October 2024 at different ERIH Anchor Points EC1, Museum of Textile, Manufaktura in Lodz, Poland.
Climate change is now the greatest threat to our cultural heritage. Numerous concepts and framework agreements such as the European Green Deal or the Cultural Heritage Green Paper call for CO2 neutrality by 2050 (already 50% by 2030). There are also targets, benchmarks, demands and concepts at national level. The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for many activities. Countless working groups on the topic of "sustainability" are looking for participants. Various labels and certifications for culture, tourism, events etc. are in competition. A large protest movement has started. Young people prefer to demonstrate on Fridays, climate activists like to get stuck in and a general malaise against "green washing" is spreading. Sustainability at all levels is seen as a cross-cutting issue and is increasingly expected by guests, visitors and employees as a basic requirement. Sustainability labels will have an even greater influence on future travel decisions. In view of these challenges, it is crucial to go beyond mere rhetoric and develop concrete strategies that lead to genuine environmental sustainability.
Whereas "sustainability" used to be more of a buzzword, it is now a permanent task and a basic prerequisite for any action. Questioning established norms and familiar behaviour patterns and developing new habits is a demanding, sometimes exhausting, but indispensable process.
What does all this mean for industrial heritage sites? How can the major framework concepts be broken down into manageable local or regional solutions? What can the sites achieve with their often limited personnel and resources? What (architectural) possibilities or obstacles are there? How can visitors, employees and partners be involved in the change processes? What contribution can industrial heritage sites make as high-quality educational centres for sustainable development? What opportunities and new potentials open up when we initiate and implement sustainability processes?
We want to explore this question at the ERIH Annual Conference 2024. How do we move from "buzzwords" to concrete activities at the sites? Therefore we invite speakers to present their best practice examples. Deadline to submit your proposal: 20th June 2024
Registration will open soon.
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