Future Earth-CSU Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production

Background

Future Earth is a 10-year international initiative to advance Global Sustainability Science, build capacity in this rapidly expanding area of research and provide an international research agenda to guide natural and social scientists working around the world. Future Earth’s five Global Hubs are based in Colorado, Montreal, Paris, Stockholm and Tokyo and coordinate and catalyze new research for global sustainability. Over 20 projects, ranging from the Global Carbon Project to the Earth System Governance project, have joined Future Earth. From this intellectual base Future Earth is launching Knowledge-Action Networks to catalyze new research and partnerships around eight key challenges to global sustainability.

The fields of sustainable consumption and sustainable production have achieved increasing prominence over the past two decades and research within these domains now informs policy decision making in large parts of the world. As such, one of the key focal challenges identified by Future Earth’s Strategic Research Agenda is Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SSCP).

Future Earth, in collaboration with two Global Challenge Research Teams (GCRTs) at Colorado State University, will host a roundtable discussion that aims to contribute to the development of a Knowledge Action Network at a local level (roughly along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming) focused around SSCP. The aim of this roundtable is to identify individuals who may relate their scholarship to SSCP and develop a community of researchers and practitioners along the Front Range focused on SSCP.

Roundtable Objectives:

1. Begin to develop a community of SSCP researchers and practitioners along the Front Range (Colorado and Wyoming, USA).
2. Explore linkages with related networks of researchers and practitioners, such as EJ CSU, SCORAI, and.. others?
3. Explore linkages between this Front Range community members and the international community. What international partnerships already exist? What is desired?
4. Consider the Future Earth SSCP KAN as a platform for collaboration..
5. Solicit feedback on the Future Earth SSCP KAN concept document and explore ways in which the interests of the Front Range community may be reflected in its future iterations.

Expected outcomes

1. Identifications of research and action priorities for SSCP from researchers and practitioners from the Front Range
2. Synthesis of comments and feedback from the Front Range community

Roundtable format (tentative)

1. Welcome and presentation by Craig Starger on Future Earth and the SSCP KAN 
2. Introduction to the Global Challenge Research Teams (GCRTs): Professor Sonali Diddi – (Over)Consumption – The Culprit Causing an Environmental Crisis in Your Closet; Professor Dimitris Stevis – Environmental Justice and Sustainability in the Anthropocene
3. Additional guest speaker (to be determined)
4. Additional guest speaker (to be determined)
5. Coffee break
6. Facilitated discussions

Sign up to the Future Earth-CSU roundtable here.

​Background reading

Future Earth Knowledge-Action Networks
Framing and Operationalisation of Knowledge-Action Networks

Contact

For more information, please email us.

Practical information

The workshop will be held in 122 Johnson Hall on the campus of Colorado State University. Financial support is not available for participation. Light refreshments will be served.