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CONSENSUS, in conjunction with NUI Galway, is hosting its second international conference on sustainable consumption from 21-22 May. This year the theme of the conference is ‘Sustainable Consumption Transformations: Implementation and Impacts’.

This two-day conference will provide an international platform for both scholars and policymakers in the field of sustainable consumption to discuss and debate on-going research in this important area. The CONSENSUS conference is the only dedicated conference on the topic in Ireland and the 2015 programme will focus on implementation and impact of research on policy and action.

Dr Mary Jo Lavelle, School of Geography and Archaeology at NUI Galway, is coordinating the event. Dr Lavelle said: “This conference will provide an international forum for the exchange of pioneering research in the field of sustainable consumption, as well as a platform to disseminate CONSENSUS research findings that will feed into national policy action and academic literature on behaviour change.”

The conference programme comprises of a mix of presentations, panel discussions and lightning talks from policymakers, researchers and practitioners. Speakers and attendees will be drawn from Irish and international audiences, with Professor Martina Schäfer of Technische Universität, Berlin, providing the keynote address on Friday, 22 May.

Paper presentations will include: Professor Audley Geus, Kingston University, London; Professor Magnus Bostrom, Örebro University, Sweden; Dr Stewart Barr, University of Exeter and Dr Ben Wooliscroft, University of Otago.

The conference also features a joint plenary from Professor Philip Vergragt, Tellus Institute and Clark University, USA; Gemma Adams, Forum for the Future, London; Neil Coles, Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP); and Kathleen Stokes, NESTA.

CONSENSUS (Consumption, Environment, and Sustainability) uses innovative social science and collaborative research methods to explore trends and solutions for sustainable household consumption in Ireland. Launched in 2009, the project involves researchers from NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin. CONSENSUS is funded by the STRIVE (Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment) Programme which is administered by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency.

The public lecture by Professor Martina Schäfer’s will take place at 6.15pm on Friday, 22 May in ENG-G018 in the University’s Engineering Building.

The conference is supported by NUI Galway’s School of Geography and Archaeology and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information on the conference visit www.conference.ie.

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