The ICRS is thrilled to announce the introduction of a new award, the Sustainability Award. Designed to champion environmentally conscious practices at coral reef-related events, the award seeks to replicate the success of the 15th ICRS 2022 in Bremen, Germany, which achieved the distinction of being the first climate-neutral ICRS in-person event. This initiative, detailed below, aims to inspire future gatherings in coral reef-related domains by mitigating their impact on climate change and fostering both ecological and economic success. Nominations for the Sustainability Award 2024 are due December 31, 2023.
Description of the award: The 15th ICRS 2022 in Bremen, Germany, was the first climate-neutral ICRS in-person event (please see here). This event can serve as a model for future meetings, workshops, and conferences that are related to coral reefs including future ICRS, regional meetings such as the European Coral Reef Symposium (ECRS), and chapter/committee/consortium meetings. This award will thus help coral-reef related events not contribute to climate change, which is unfortunately a primary cause of coral reef demise.
Since the ICRS 2022 was not only ecologically, but also economically, successful, the leadership of the International Coral Reef Society and the organizers of ICRS 2022 from University of Bremen together decided to establish a new award that supports green strategies for upcoming coral reef-related events. In each of the next 5 years (2024 until 2028), up to $10,000 will be awarded to the host institutions organizing such events.
Level of experience required: None
ICRS membership requirement: None
ICRS service requirement: None
Frequency of awards: Annually
Number of awards: 1 per year (until 2028)
Recognition: Certificate and $10,000 cash prize
Due date for applications: 31st December. See detailed below for submissions
Instructions for proposals
Proposals for support of events in 2024 can be submitted as a PDF (maximum 2 pages in length). Proposals need to briefly describe the event itself (number of attendees, geographic scope, etc.), explain how the emissions will be estimated, and then outline the green strategy of the event such as measures to avoid CO2 emissions, and ideas how to best compensate the non-avoidable CO2 emissions. Upload your proposal here.
Proposals also need to include a budget, i.e. on how the award will be used to facilitate a climate-neutral event. All proposals will be evaluated by a partnership jury of ICRS council members and staff from Marine Ecology Department of University of Bremen.
For any related questions, please contact Christian.wild@uni-bremen.de.
