[Experiencemaillist] Reminder, Call for Abstracts by 19 Jan | Sustainability Science Days 2020

[Ahola Markus]

This is a last minute reminder - the deadline of Call for Abstracts is close, Sunday 19 January. We are eagerly waiting for your contributions to the Sustainability Science Days –conference in May 2020.


Sustainability Science Days May 6-7th 2020

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – Destruction & Creativity







We invite you to submit an abstract for the Sustainability Science Days organized 6-7th May 2020 in Helsinki & Espoo, Finland.  Abstract submission is open until 19th January 2020.


The Sustainability Science Days is a two-day conference organized jointly by Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and Aalto Sustainability Hub (ASH). The overarching title of the conference is Destruction & Creativity. The conference will concentrate on radical changes that are indispensable for creative solutions to the present sustainability crisis. Please find below the sessions, which now welcome abstracts.


As part of the Sustainability Science days there are twelve (12) thematic scientific sessions, 90min each. The sessions are convened by pairs of scientific leaders, with one from Aalto University, and one from the University of Helsinki with a commentator from practice, nudging critical discussion about sustainability. We hope to catalyze and facilitate inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration and welcome proposals from experienced academics as well as beginning scholars and doctoral students. Submission instructions can be found below in the message.


The sessions display a variety of perspectives on the topics through three thematically structured tracks:



Track ”Materialities”

Session 1: Extractivisms and Alternatives: Bridging Disciplinary Understanding

The session is robust exploration of renewables, recycling, and new tech developments that could help to address the current forms of destructive and unsustainable extraction of raw materials.


Session 2: Building up carbon-neutral cities with wood?

This session discusses recent research on and shares practical cases highlighting challenges and opportunities in the adoption of wood and hybrid building solutions, and their role in sustainability transformations.


Session 3: Finnish road to sustainable metallurgy

The session will be an opportunity for the researchers from different fields of materials engineering and processing to present their recent studies on improving the sustainability of metals production, with a particular emphasis on metals recovery, reuse and recycling as well as optimization of existing processes.


Session 4: Sustainable bio-based plastics innovation ecosystems through disruptive business and regulation

Interactive and multi-disciplinary discussions on the disruptions needed in the business, legislative and policy frameworks to transition towards a more sustainable innovation ecosystem for (3D printable) bio-based plastic products.

Track ”Transitions”

Session 5: Ecowelfare state? Trajectories toward wellbeing in a post-growth society

The welfare state is claimed to indicate sustainability, but also economic growth and resource-hungry patterns of everyday life. This session explores the potential and limitations of transformation towards an eco-welfare state.


Session 6: Deep Transformations and Destruction?

In this session we invite submissions that take a deeper, more creative approach to explore and enact transitions and transformations in cities, focusing on cultural shifts, knowledge integration and/or deep leverage points, as well as structural and value changes in our societal systems.


Session 7: Innovative approaches for reconfigurations in consumption and production

How to accelerate fundamental, systemic changes in consumption and production towards sustainability? How to disrupt present practices and reconfigure more sustainable ones?


Session 8: From the Culture of Waste to Circular Economy: Past, Present and Future Challenges

This session aims to answer the overarching question “How can we destroy cultures of waste?” from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, such as arts, business, engineering, environmentally focused humanities and social sciences. The goal is to facilitate truly interdisciplinary dialogue on waste and overextraction.


Track ”Societies”

Session 9: The challenges of gender equality and indigenous peoples’ rights for realizing a just transition

The session invites scholars to submit abstracts discussing the topics of gender equality and the rights of indigenous peoples through the lens of case studies underlining the challenges, paradoxical and controversial aspects of sustainable development, together with initiatives that may propose a counter narrative fostering just sustainabilities for all.


Session 10: Social aspects of the energy transition

Emphasising the social aspects and human agency of the energy transition. How to enhance just creative destruction?


Session 11: Climate finance

The finance sector is ready and willing to mitigate climate change but needs research on how to do it.


Session 12: Participatory extreme environments and SDGs #9 #11 - What to learn, what to give?

By presenting and discussing views on the potential of participatory extreme context, we wish to co-explore and learn a way towards a common path where more focus and dedication is given to the creation of novel sustainable solutions regarding SDG #9 and #11. "Participation is shapeshifting the way we see power and engagement. Out of extreme grows the most magnificent innovation."


Submission guidelines

To present your work in the conference please submit an abstract (max 500 words without references, as a pdf “Session_#_Lastname_SSD2020”) on your research on any of the topics listed above. The abstract should include the key research questions, theoretical underpinnings, empirical foundations (if applicable) and expected contributions to the discussions of the selected theme. Submit your abstract via the submission system: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/EP/0BD9F887FBFF6D87



The submission is open until 19th January 2020.


Click here for full descriptions of sessions and the Call for Abstracts. <https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/sustainability-science-days-conference-2020/call-for-abstracts>

Notification of acceptance/rejection for submissions will be sent February 14th  2020. Registrations for the conference will open in spring and session programmes are published in March 2020. All sessions are open and free of charge.


See below for more information on the whole conference. Full program here<https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/sustainability-science-days-conference-2020/programme> and introduction of keynote speakers.<https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/sustainability-science-days-conference-2020/keynote-speakers>



Also a doctoral students´ mentoring event will be organised on Tuesday 5th of May 2020 in Otaniemi. A separate invitation will be delivered to the doctoral students of Aalto and UH.

About SSD2020 conference
Amidst our current global crisis, key obstacles preventing a sustainable future are the persistent attitudes, perceptions, technologies and (infra)structures that hinder the radical change into new ways of doing and making living on the planet sustainable. Inspired by, yet not limited to Joseph Schumpeter's concept of creative destruction, the Sustainability Science Days 2020 focuses on the current detrimental structures and behaviours that need to be destructed and eradicated in order to create opportunities for profoundly novel sustainable solutions, technologies and social innovations to emerge.

In the conference, the underlying premise of creative destruction is discussed especially in the context of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 11. This comprises building resilient infrastructures, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation (SDG#9) with special emphasis on cities and other kinds of human settlements (SDG#11). Creativity and destruction are indispensable to make communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.


You are warmly welcome to submit your abstract and save the dates of the conference already now!

On behalf of the organisers,



Professor Anne Toppinen, Director of HELSUS and

Professor Minna Halme, Director of Aalto Sustainability Hub


SSD2020 is coordinated by:

Paula Schönach, Adjunct Professor, PhD,

Research coordinator

Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science,

HELSUS

+358 2941 57827, paula.schonach at helsinki.fi<mailto:paula.schonach at helsinki.fi>

helsinki.fi/helsus<https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.helsinki.fi%2Fhelsus&data=02%7C01%7Ckati.ihamaki%40finnair.com%7C8b28252f5f734f8d384108d6667b441f%7Cf4b2d972f1c84f3ca73b4f9b2ca3d778%7C0%7C0%7C636809076964524918&sdata=1uxSCgKNzS9MjjxTguGnUE1gvo%2FBfNjc857t8kVWeV8%3D&reserved=0>




Meri Löyttyniemi, Senior advisor for sustainability, Research Services

Aalto University, Sustainability Hub

+358 50 313 7549, meri.loyttyniemi at aalto.fi<mailto:meri.loyttyniemi at aalto.fi>

aalto.fi/sustainability



SSD2020 team and practicalities: helsinki.fi/en/conferences/sustainability-science-days-conference-2020/practical-information

www.sustainabilitysciencedays.fi<https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sustainabilitysciencedays.fi&data=02%7C01%7Ckati.ihamaki%40finnair.com%7C8b28252f5f734f8d384108d6667b441f%7Cf4b2d972f1c84f3ca73b4f9b2ca3d778%7C0%7C0%7C636809076964474878&sdata=%2Bts0yL84kEDJLEB5pBX0RELMelBV0p%2FDPT5wbN9XgZs%3D&reserved=0>