Early this summer, Alex Franklin, RECOMS coordinator and mentor acted as track chair at the annual International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) Conference that instead of being in Budapest went online. Alex's session was organised around the theme of ‘public participation and the role of stakeholders’, where Alex could also channel in some inspiration derived from RECOMS.
ISDRS
In July 2020, Alex Franklin acted as track chair at the annual International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) Conference. Organised around the theme of ‘public participation and the role of stakeholders’ Alex used the opening introduction as an opportunity to briefly present on the RECOMS ITN as both scholarly and in-practice inspiration for the track. She spoke of the possibilities which already exist for enabling a full range of stakeholder groups to work together in the sustainable management of environmental resources, but also the need for on-going critical review to ensure that such practices are genuinely equitable. She also took a moment to reference some of the inspiring examples of grassroots action around local food supply networks, as well as broader wellbeing and social support initiatives which have played a significant role in overcoming the social and psychological challenges of the covid-19 pandemic. Despite the conference having to take place virtually, all sessions including this RECOMS themed track were relatively well attended. Despite this, for many, being their first major online conference experience, the presentations (with the assistance also of the chat function) stimulated some lively and engaging discussions. Overall the consensus appeared to be that the virtual ISDRS 2020 had been a renowned success. Sincere thanks to the organisers for all their creativity, determination and responsiveness in helping to ensure that this was the case. For further information on the track theme see here.