I’m off to the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences conference in Portland, where I’ll be chairing a session on new media and environmental communication. I’ve never chaired a talk session before, so we’ll see how this goes! This conference has a discussion-heavy format (in contrast to the 15-minute presentation, 5-minute question format I’m used to), which should give us some good time to talk over some interesting ideas.
Here’s the abstract for my session:
New networked and interactive Internet tools offer “green” communication possibilities and challenges that can be very different from those posed by traditional media. While traditional environmental communication strategies can sometimes be effective in this new realm, relying only on traditional methods can prevent groups from utilizing the full potential of new media. Even in traditional media, new approaches offer the potential to radically change the communication landscape. This session will explore new features and characteristics of the changing communication landscape, such as new participatory tools that can help create environmental change from a local perspective or create a new dialogic space for large-scale public outreach efforts, and creative new uses of traditional communication formats. While new technologies allow the rapid dissemination of “green” ideas and messages, using these tools thoughtfully is the most effective way to take advantage of them.
Should be a fun and interesting meeting!