Bridging Divides: Spaces of Scholarship and Practice in Environmental Communication

The 2015 Conference on Communication and Environment (COCE)
Boulder, Colorado, USA
June 11-14, 2015
Web: http://theieca.org/coce2015
Twitter: #coce2015
Email: coce2015 at theieca dot org

Conference Hosts: J. Harrison Carpenter and Dale Miller
Program Chairs: Maxwell Boykoff and Julie Doyle

The 13th biennial Conference on Communication and Environment (COCE) will take place in Boulder, Colorado in June 2015. Boulder sits near the American continental divide. The divide extends from the northern-most tip of Alaska to the southern reaches of Chile. From one vantage point, this divide seems permanent with its rocky ridges that cause water to flow on one side to the Atlantic and on the other, the Pacific. So too with its longstanding influence on continental weather patterns and the different ecosystems that have followed the rock, water, and weather. Yet, from another vantage, the divide is ever-changing. The line of rock that tells the water which way to go wears away and shifts over time as it interacts with weather, human activity, and geological forces. The resulting changes to water flows and downstream ecological communities can be subtle or great. Only one thing is for certain though: all waters eventually flow into one great global ocean.

We would like to meet you in Colorado, near the “Great Divide,” to address, discuss, deliberate and bridge the many divides, challenges, and opportunities facing environmental and sustainability communication practitioners, researchers, artists, students, teachers, and organizations.

We invite you to consider, for example, the following divides within the landscape of environmental and sustainability communication, and how we might bridge them:

• environmental communication theory AND practice
• scholars AND practitioners of environmental communication
• differing theories of change in environmental communication
• different environmental discourses
• advocacy intentions AND policy outcomes
• the many disciplines, arts and sciences that inform the field
• environmental attitudes AND behaviours
• aspirations for public participation AND actual opportunities
• media watchdogs AND media lapdogs
• environmental science knowledge AND actual public understanding
• cultures that see, experience, and value the world differently from each other
• communities facing environmental conflicts
• media representations AND environmental literacy
• different environmental, social, and cultural values
• differing political alternatives to address environmental issues

Submission Guidelines

We welcome submissions of scholarly papers, practice reflections, artwork, panels, posters, and workshops.  While we are especially seeking submissions that relate to the conference theme, we will also accept non-thematic submissions. Submitters will be asked to indicate this at the time of submission.

 All submissions must:

• Be written in English.
• Include a cover page with the type of submission; title; author(s)/contributor(s) names, affiliations, and contact information; and a list of 3-5 keywords.
• Be single-spaced.
• Be formatted according to APA guidelines when appropriate.
• Contain no identifying information other than what is on the cover page.

Scholarly Papers

Scholarly paper submissions should be original works of research and analysis that emphasize contributions to knowledge.

• Submit an abstract of 500 words that clearly explains research questions, methods, conclusions and contributions to knowledge.
• Do not submit full papers at this time.
• If accepted, full papers must be submitted by May 1, 2015.

Practice Reflections

Practice reflections should be critical considerations by practitioners of their own projects and campaigns, and should emphasize novelty and applicability in other contexts.

• Submit a self-reflective summary of 500 words on your project or campaign; the reflection should critically examine the goals, strategy, tactics, messages and results.
• Submissions should highlight new thinking and new developments in the practice of public engagement in environmental communication.

Works of Art

Submissions by artists of their own work (paintings, photography, sculpture, dance, music, comedy, digital art or other new media art, etc.) are encouraged if the work addresses some aspect of environmental issues or human relationships with the rest of the natural world, and especially if it specifically reflects on communication. The art will be considered for exhibition and performance during the conference.

• Submit a description of your art, including, dimensions, and installation or performance requirements; append photographs as necessary; do NOT submit the original work.
• When appropriate, submissions should explain the artist’s intentions for the work by way of an “artist’s statement.”
• If a video is required to explain the work, then provide a link to where the video can be viewed online.

Panels

Panel submissions should focus on a unified topic. They can either be panels of scholarly papers, panels of practice reflections, panels of artists, discussion panels or combinations of these. Keep in mind that panels must fit into what will likely be 90-minute sessions.

• Submit a descriptive panel proposal of 500 words, including a rationale for the panel.
• For panels that include individual presentations, include titles and abstracts of 500 words for each presentation.
• List the authors of the individual presentations on the cover page with their titles when appropriate.

Posters

Poster submissions can address any area of environmental communication scholarship, practice, or creation and can be submitted in lieu of scholarly papers, practice reflections and artwork.

• Submit a 250-word abstract or summary of the poster, including any relevant  details described above (depending on type of poster).
• Include visual elements of the poster where necessary

Workshops

Workshop submissions should focus on practical training in some area of environmental communication practice, scholarship, teaching, design, or artistic production.

• Submit a 500 to 1000-word description of the workshop, including time required, a rationale, and learning outcomes.
• Submissions should explain clearly how attendees will participate, and must include a summary of activities, as well as the names and affiliations of all trainers.

Submission and Review Process

In the past, the Conference on Communication and Environment has received many more submissions than it has been able to accept. We don’t know what the ratio will be this time, but we expect it to be competitive.

• Submissions are due by 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Monday, September 15, 2014.
• All submissions must be in PDF format. Please ensure any photos are optimized before creating the PDF.
• All submissions must be uploaded through the IECA web site at the following URL: http://theieca.org/coce2015.
• Author identification should be limited to cover page.

All submissions except workshops will be reviewed anonymously and rated individually. Reviews will be based on overall quality, as well as the following criteria when appropriate: importance and relevance of topic; potential contribution to knowledge; useful synthesis of current knowledge; potential contribution to practice; creative innovation; and relevance to the conference theme.

Workshop submissions will be evaluated for their potential value to conference participants.

Conference Proceedings

Conference Proceedings will be published by the International Environmental Communication Association following the conference. All accepted scholarly papers, practice reflections, panel papers, and posters will be eligible for inclusion in the Proceedings.  For inclusion, full papers must be received by May 1, 2015. Full papers should follow all previously stated guidelines other than length. Full papers must be no longer than 7500 words (including abstract and bibliography) and should be submitted in Microsoft Word format.

Poster presenters are invited to submit a short paper of less than 1500 words to be included in the Conference Proceedings. For inclusion, these short papers must be received by May 1, 2015.

Important Dates

• 15 May 2014 ~ Theme announced and call for submissions distributed
• 15 September 2014 ~ Deadline for all submissions
• 5 December 2014 ~ Acceptance notification
• 5 December 2014 ~ Registration opens
• 31 March 2015 ~ Early-bird registration closes
• 1 May 2015 ~ Full papers and proceedings submissions due
• 10 June 2015 ~ Pre-conference events
• 11 June 2015 ~ Conference begins in Boulder, Colorado
• 15 June 2015 ~ Conference excursions (optional)

Notes about Membership and Costs

We don’t yet know what the conference will cost. We expect to have that information available by the time decisions are made on submissions.

Conference presenters (in all categories) must be members of the IECA in 2015. All IECA members (except those in the professional category) receive discounts on conference registration. Membership information can be found here: http://theieca.org/membership

All conference attendees must pay for their own travel, accommodation and conference registration. All attendees who need them are responsible for obtaining their own travel visas. We will provide invitation letters to those who request them. Send requests for letters to the conference co-chairs:  Dale.Miller@colorado.edu (link sends e-mail) and Harrison.Carpenter@colorado.edu (link sends e-mail).

About the IECA

Founded in 2011, but with roots going back to 1991, the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) is a professional nexus of practitioners, teachers, scholars, students, artists and organizations engaged in research and action to find more ethical and effective ways to communicate about environmental concerns in order to move society towards sustainability. Our mission is to foster effective and inspiring communication that alleviates environmental issues and conflicts, and solves the problems that cause them. More at http://theieca.org.