EASE Environmental Policy

In this page we present the EASE Environmental Policy, outlining the actions we are taking as an association to conduct ourselves with an awareness of environmental and sustainability issues.

In addition to our own activities, we have created an Environmental Manifesto in which we offer suggestions for how editors can take steps to reduce the environmental impacts in their own particular circumstances.

EASE Environmental Policy Statement

The Association is in agreement with the overwhelming scientific evidence of global warming. Reports from COP26 demonstrate the urgency to act now to avoid the worst consequences for the biosphere and hence for humanity.

As an organisation EASE has made considerable steps to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment over the past 10 years. Much of this was driven by a need to reduce costs, but these steps have also significantly reduced the Association’s carbon footprint.

Secretarial functions

For a number of years now, EASE has made significant steps towards utilising digital media, e-mail, the EASE website (www.ease.org.uk) and social media, for all its communications.

• Invoices for subscription renewals, advertising etc are all raised and sent electronically
• Receipts and remittance advices are produced and sent electronically
• Banking is done using online facilities, and reconciliations are done on a shared spreadsheet without the need to print physical statements
• All correspondence with members is undertaken by e-mail, only a handful of physical letters are received each year.

The secretariat of EASE is undertaken by a freelancer working independently from their own premises. Usually this is either their home, or within the secretary’s existing employer’s premises. This means that there is little additional strain on the environment from the EASE secretariat’s activities.

Publications

The main EASE Journal, European Science Editor, was published in print format until the end of 2019. However there had been an increasing shift towards readers accessing it digitally via the dedicated ESE website. The ESE Journal moved to an open access online platform in 2020. The EASE Digest was produced in print until the end of 2021, when it too went digital only. Any print and distribution we do undertaken adopts the most environmentally sustainable methods.

EASE has various other publications which are all available digitally:

• The Science Editors Handbook is published in print in a soft back edition and made available digitally to members via the EASE website
• The Author Guidelines are available digitally to download from the EASE website and have been produced in many different languages. These are not available in print.
• The Tool Kits for Authors, Peer Reviewers and Editors curate content from a number of trusted industry sources and are available digitally.
• A monthly e-newsletter was introduced in 2018 and is sent electronically via an e-mailing house.

Meetings

EASE holds a number of meetings each year:

• Full Council – 5-6 per year
• Editorial Committee – 3-4 per year
• Programme Committee – 6-8 in a conference year, 2-3 in
  non-conference years
• Specialist topic groups, eg Peer Review, Gender Policy –
  4-12 per year
• Regional/geographic groups, 4-6 per year

These are held virtually apart from those held in conjunction with an in-person event.

In a conference year, the AGM and other committee meetings are held in conjunction with the conference to allow for a face-to-face meeting at a time when lots of the participants are together anyway. In a non-conference year, EASE tries to build a smaller meeting around the AGM meeting on the same basis. This means that the need for face-to-face meetings to be held, involving travel, accommodation and subsistence costs (both financial and environmental) have been reduced to just once per year.

Conferences and workshops

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, EASE held its first virtual conference on a single day in June 2020. In 2021 the EASE Conference was on the theme of Promoting sustainability in scholarly publishing: the role of editors. It was originally intended to be an in-person conference, but was re-imagined as a virtual event because of the continuing COVID-19 restrictions. EASE will consider the following ideas when planning future in-person events:

• Having low carbon footprint catering throughout the conference, to raise awareness
• Minimising single use plastic and providing recycling points
• Providing an environmentally friendly gift, utilising local produce where practical
• Reducing the amount of print produced for the Conference, and using digital media wherever practical
• Encouraging delegates to travel by rail where practical, or in shared transport
• Encouraging delegates to carbon off-set their flights, by providing a method to pay for it during registration
• Encouraging members to be able to join the Conference virtually as well as in person
• Using hotels, venues, caterers and suppliers with sound environmental policies and practices
• Attracting sponsorship from companies/organisations with a sound environmental policy and practices.

We have run a number of member webinars, discussion panels and training events virtually in the last couple of years. We have also used Zoom and GatherTown apps to run virtual social events, such as the Quiz and several Get-Togethers.

Further considerations

Whilst all the initiatives outlined above are commendable, there is still more that could be considered as we move forward in the new decade.

• Encourage members to seek sustainable travel options, eg train, whenever possible, and to pay for carbon off-setting for any flights and travel
• Be more environmentally conscious when dealing with suppliers of all types, questioning their environmental policy and including this in any analysis of cost/quality services
• Be more environmentally conscious when attracting sponsors
• Network with like-minded organisations in order to increase the impact of our activities and share costs and resources.

Most recent update: November 2021