Hello all,
In response to the climate crisis, the West Bengal Wikimedians User Group
has joined hands with other affiliates from around the world and committed
to a cross-affiliate initiative to reduce the environmental impact of the
Wikimedia movement. The initiative can be looked at as one of the first
steps to implement Movement Strategy Recommendation #1.8
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2018-20/Recommendations/Increase_the_Sustainability_of_Our_Movement>-
"*While we grow and become more sustainable as a Movement, we will also
align our practices to support the environmental sustainability of our
planet.*"
The user group took part in drafting a document which we call as Wikimedia
Affiliates Environmental Sustainability Covenant
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Affiliates_Environmental_Sustainability_Covenant>
and became one of the first signatories of the agreement along with
Wikimedians for Sustainable Development, Wikimedia Deutschland, Wikimedia
France, Wikimedia South Africa, Wikimedia Italia, Wikimedia UK and
Wikimedians of Tamazight User Group.
The agreement till now is as follows -
1. Affiliates commit to reducing their carbon footprint through a
variety of measures, including but not limited to:
- drastically limiting the number of kerosene-based flights taken by
affiliate staff and representatives and community members,
through measures
such as
- caps for flights taken on behalf of the affiliate,
- increased technical and organisational support for remote events,
- travel policies that discourage flights over other means of
transport and that encourage the use of public transportation, and/or
- travel policies that require compensation for the environmental
cost of air travel,
- switching to renewable energy for their electricity consumption,
where possible,
- divesting their financial investments from carbon-intensive
industries,
- when engaging in carbon offset programmes, supporting only the
planting of native trees in uninhabited areas and not using offsets as an
‘excuse’ for their carbon emissions,
- implementing other practices listed below.
Affiliates related to Most Affected People and Areas shall only have
limited responsibilities in this regard, and shall receive support from
other affiliates to meet them.
2. Affiliates call on other Wikimedia Movement entities, including and
especially the Wikimedia Foundation, to follow their example, specifically
concerning the sustainable operation of the Wikimedia Foundation’s data
centres.
3. Affiliates commit to supporting initiatives aimed at improving the
coverage of the climate crisis on Wikimedia projects.
4. Affiliates commit to regularly (at least yearly) sharing their
experiences adhering to this covenant to inspire each other and others
inside and outside of the Wikimedia Movement.
As an affiliate with very limited capacity and resources and from a
developing nation, the user group will have technical and infrastructural
limitations implementing many of the clauses, but during the next AGM which
is going to happen in mid January 2022, a travel policy will be formulated
in compliance with this agreement. As before and with agreement with the
covenant, the UG will also keep committing to actively promote remote
virtual events including conferences, workshops, meetups whenever a
physical event can be avoided or deemed unnecessary. The UG will also
continue to support projects which focus on digital conservation of nature
like Wiki Loves Butterfly etc. There might be some more plans which can
come up gradually as our commitment to the agreement.
You can learn about this initiative presented by different speakers at
different virtual conferences from this year.
- Wikimania 2021:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Towards_a_more_environmentally_sust…
- WikiIndaba 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch? <goog_766684395>
v=uXIVCUNoGu4 </>
- WikiArabia 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aENERdAmdAo
- CEE meeting 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oAIMDlc13M
- WikiConference North America:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbJ7IO9cJYg (at 3:33:10)
- WikiConvention francophone 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlUD8MVPsyU (at 3:53:00)
- German-language WikiCon 2021:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2021-10-01_Klimaschutz_in_der_Commu…
Many affiliates are internally discussing the document and reviewing it
right now. If you as an affiliate are also interested, you are welcome to
do the same and join this effort. We look forward to your active
participation.
Regards,
Bodhisattwa
(On behalf of West Bengal Wikimedians User Group)