International keynote speaker: How do I reduce my carbon footprint?
Dr Robin Youngson
Award winning medical specialist, trauma therapist at Neuroscience of Healing, published author of four books including 'The Science of Miracles'.
Why can't I find an obvious and reliable solution for virtual (video-linked) keynote presentations at international conferences?
I've been passionately campaigning and speaking in many countries for a decade, trying to inspire more compassion and humanity in healthcare. My last trip I flew all the way from my home in New Zealand, to Doha in Qatar, to give a keynote address at an international healthcare quality forum. I was there three days did some workshops, and then flew all the way home again. Crazy!
I feel deeply uncomfortable about the conflict between my desire to create more health and wellbeing in the world, and the damage done to the environment by my air travel - the carbon footprint of just one long-distance air journey eclipses my emissions for the rest of the year. Also, long-distance travel impacts negatively on my pwn health and wellbeing.
So the obvious solutions is to video-conference and to stay at home. I'm prepared to spend a lot of money on equipment and subscriptions to get a high quality service:
- I need absolutely reliable, high-definition video with no drop-outs
- I need to be able to see the audience in high definition during my talk so I can judge their emotions and reactions
- I need to easily show and control a slide presentation in the remote auditorium and be absolutely clear what's visible to the audience - that needs a minimum of two screens in the auditorium
- At home I probably need three video screens - my own image, the audience, and my slides
- It would be nice to have a 'conversation booth' at the conference venue where I could talk to individuals after my keynote
I live in a small, rural town in New Zealand but we have good broadband service: 20Mbit/sec download and 10Mbit/sec upload - should be easily good enough.
So why can't I find a solution despite extensive Google search? Why aren't conference organisers and conference venues being pro-active in sorting out the technology and service?
Who can help me find the answer? If we can solve this problem for speakers like myself we can dramatically cut costs and carbon emissions - surely a worthwhile endeavour.
Doctor, Patient, Systems thinker, Author. Reimagining Healthcare with tools that increase ownership, engagement, innovation and collaboration
5 年Silvia Pfeiffer can you recommend a keynote video solution?
Winner of NHS Excellence in Supply Award 2019 Improving Patient Experience -Therapeutic Nature Film Art Installations
6 年Have you found Solution yet? This crossed my mind in response to your article about events. I struggle with this with being in UK and wanting to be in New Zealand. Hence I did not travel for 10 years ehich was too long being away.
Professional supervisor Experienced nursing leader (strategic, operational and professional practice)
8 年https://www.hinz.org.nz/page/2016HINZConf
Author & Speaker at ART OF WELCOMING
8 年I would add that one benefit of going digital would be the we could experience many Robin Youngson at the same time when you can appear at many venues at the once. Another thing is the participants, how did they get to the venue and why don't they experience you on the screen instead of traveling to a conference center? Today we see more and more people seeing the event on a screen. Being an international Keynote speaker myself I talked with some colleagues here in Sweden on this topic a while ago. The question I raised was why a company in my country would pay $500,000 for a speech by Bill Clinton flying in from the U.S., be it a wonderful speech. Our conclusion was that they would pay the money for him being in the room making the meeting, the participants and the company feel more important. So one root issue here is why do organizations bring people together in one big room in the first place, what is it they want to achieve by this? A digital expert in our group told us that there is wonderful technology already today and more is coming, like having Mr Youngston as a hologram that will make it really hard to know if he actually is there. All this will be driven by an digital industry that sees a huge profit potential and us humans waking up to a world that we need to be good guests in. One challenge in all this and for the planet is that the demand for oil and all fossil fuel is projected to go down which will keep the cost for bunker for airlines low, since they cannot run planes on renewable energy, like housing, cars, factories, etc. But who knows in these times, maybe the next generation of planes will run on solar... But until then I hope to be able to see you live on a screen soon!
Founder and Director Secure My Treasures, Advocate, Writer, Podcaster
8 年What a brilliant post! Its not just your carbon footprint that is at is issue....its the potential on your own health and well being. I would really like to host seminars addressing key issues without anyone needing to travel and still being able to create the atmosphere that comes with a live audience. If only???????