Reducing aviation emissions in the tertiary education and research sector series: Final Call
Final Call, a poem by Dr Shona Russell
For the third instalment of our Reducing Aviation Emissions blog series, we have a poem by Dr Shona Russell. Dr Russell is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management, University of St Andrews Business School. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research. She currently serves on the boards of the Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, the Critical Perspectives on Accounting Journal and the Social and Environmental Accountability Journal.
Dr Russell has written a personal reflection on the need to fly for academic conferences, whilst juggling caring responsibilities, via the medium of a poem.
Time?
Avoid the question.
Book the flight.
4 hours flight for £500 return
Time to present.
Time to network.
And see the sights
Tick.
Done in 5 days.
Too expensive!
It’ll blow the budget!
The allure of going slow
Of having …
Space
and
Time
to
Breathe
to
Muse
to
Think
Deadlines loom.
Just decide.
No time.
Commit!
Move on.
Easier just to stay put.
Too much hassle.
Too much time.
Too expensive.
Too many emissions.
Side note from the author:
I wrote a piece about low carbon scholarship with a colleague1 and have been puzzling over the process of making decisions about travel as part of academic life and the realities of conferences and meeting with colleagues.
This is a personal reflection as I have a young family and have purposefully avoided a lot of long-haul travel to conferences due to other commitments. I wrote this as a glimpse into the mundane ways in which a decision to reduce impacts through scholarship can be so challenging in light of other factors. It is not a merely a question of carbon, financial costs but also reflects care, concern for others and the interdependencies involved in work and life.
- Shona Russell, 4 September 2023
_____________________
1 Dey, C., & Russell, S. (2022). Still Flying in the Face of Low-carbon Scholarship? A Final Call for the CSEAR Community to Get on Board. Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, 42(3), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969160X.2022.2094983
This blog is the third instalment in our 'Reducing aviation emissions in the tertiary education and research sector' series. Please visit the series landing page to navigate to EAUC's aviation briefing paper for the sector and the other blogs.
Do you have an article or opinion to share? Please email us at [email protected] quoting ‘Reducing Aviation Emissions Series’.
For the third instalment of our Reducing Aviation Emissions blog series, we have a poem by Dr Shona Russell. Dr Russell is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management, University of St Andrews Business School. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research. She currently serves on the boards of the Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, the Critical Perspectives on Accounting Journal and the Social and Environmental Accountability Journal.
Dr Russell has written a personal reflection on the need to fly for academic conferences, whilst juggling caring responsibilities, via the medium of a poem.
Final Call
She stands.
Waiting.
Backpack on
Passport in hand
She remembers…
The email.
The invitation.
---
Give a talk?
International audience
Present.
Learn.
Connect.
A little glow.
Accepted.
Part of the community.
Her mentor says
“Go for it”
Demonstrate peer esteem.
Build networks.
Essential for career.
All possible.
All positive.
Or is it?
---
She stands.
Waiting.
Backpack on
Passport in hand
She remembers…
The email.
The invitation.
---
Give a talk?
International audience
Present.
Learn.
Connect.
A little glow.
Accepted.
Part of the community.
Her mentor says
“Go for it”
Demonstrate peer esteem.
Build networks.
Essential for career.
All possible.
All positive.
Or is it?
---
What are the costs?
Time?
It’s next year.
Money?
There’s a budget.
Childcare?
I’ll work it out.
Carbon?
Oh.
---
Carbon?
What to do?
What to do?
Avoid the question.
Book the flight.
No.
Gather more info.
Build a spreadsheet.
Build a spreadsheet.
Criteria?
Time
Carbon
Cost
Care
Career
Time
Carbon
Cost
Care
Career
Look at routes.
Delegate.
Ask the travel agent.
Delegate.
Ask the travel agent.
4 hours flight for £500 return
Time to present.
Time to network.
And see the sights
Tick.
Done in 5 days.
What about the train?
Not possible, agent replies.
Huh?
The map says “yes”.
Agent says “no”.
What to do?
Take on the task.
How to get there?
What routes?
Search the net.
Ask around.
Take on the task.
How to get there?
What routes?
Search the net.
Ask around.
An overnight stay.
A sleeper
3 days one-way!
Return £1400
8 days in total
A sleeper
3 days one-way!
Return £1400
8 days in total
---
Is it worth it?
---
Is it worth it?
---
Too expensive!
It’ll blow the budget!
The allure of going slow
Of having …
Space
and
Time
to
Breathe
to
Muse
to
Think
But…
Deadlines loom.
Just decide.
No time.
Commit!
Move on.
---
What to do?
What else to consider?
Teaching?
Family?
Sorting out the everyday?
Exhausted
---
What to do?
What else to consider?
Teaching?
Family?
Sorting out the everyday?
Exhausted
---
Easier just to stay put.
Too much hassle.
Too much time.
Too expensive.
Too many emissions.
---
But…
---
But…
---
She seeks
Connections
Conversations
Inspiration
---
Time to reach out.
Are you going?
How long for?
Time to catch up?
Stay on for a while?
Travel together?
Connections
Conversations
Inspiration
---
Time to reach out.
Are you going?
How long for?
Time to catch up?
Stay on for a while?
Travel together?
Look at the diary.
Is there time?
Can things be shuffled?
Will duties be covered?
Is there time?
Can things be shuffled?
Will duties be covered?
Consult spreadsheet.
Can budgets be blown?
---
She stands.
Waiting.
Can budgets be blown?
---
She stands.
Waiting.
Backpack on
Passport in hand
“Next”
She steps up.
Hands over her passport
Passport in hand
“Next”
She steps up.
Hands over her passport
Side note from the author:
I wrote a piece about low carbon scholarship with a colleague1 and have been puzzling over the process of making decisions about travel as part of academic life and the realities of conferences and meeting with colleagues.
This is a personal reflection as I have a young family and have purposefully avoided a lot of long-haul travel to conferences due to other commitments. I wrote this as a glimpse into the mundane ways in which a decision to reduce impacts through scholarship can be so challenging in light of other factors. It is not a merely a question of carbon, financial costs but also reflects care, concern for others and the interdependencies involved in work and life.
- Shona Russell, 4 September 2023
_____________________
1 Dey, C., & Russell, S. (2022). Still Flying in the Face of Low-carbon Scholarship? A Final Call for the CSEAR Community to Get on Board. Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, 42(3), 208–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969160X.2022.2094983
This blog is the third instalment in our 'Reducing aviation emissions in the tertiary education and research sector' series. Please visit the series landing page to navigate to EAUC's aviation briefing paper for the sector and the other blogs.
Do you have an article or opinion to share? Please email us at [email protected] quoting ‘Reducing Aviation Emissions Series’.
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