[ASA] ASA Sustainability Working Group - call for Expressions of Interest

[Cathryn Trott]

Dear ASA Members,

Over the past few months, ASA Council has been discussing Australian astronomy's carbon emissions, and explored options to measure, track and reduce our footprint internally within Council, and externally in the broader astronomical community through ASA's activities. This discussion has been prompted by concerns raised with Council from members of the community, and by the discussions within the US and Canadian astronomical Decadal Plans, and activities within Centres of Excellence and the Australian Astronomy Mid-Term Review.

At its November meeting, the ASA Council decided to create a Sustainability Working Group, initially Chaired by the ASA President, with a membership formed from interested parties within the community. The ASA Council sees a national role for the Society to provide leadership in this area, and create a forum for the membership to drive initiatives.

This is a broad call for expressions of interest to join this Working Group. Its remit will broadly be to discuss and facilitate a reduction in carbon impact for professional Australian astronomy. The specific Terms of Reference for the group will be discussed during its first meeting, which I plan to convene in early February 2020. Note that ASA membership is not a requirement for joining the WG, however activity in, and association with, professional Australian astronomy will be expected.

If you are interested in joining this discussion, please contact me via email before Friday January 17, 2020, and provide a short statement outlining your primary reasons for becoming involved. We are seeking people who are willing to contribute their time to make a genuine impact.

Kind regards,
Cathryn

_______________________________________________________
Cathryn Trott

Associate Professor
ARC Future Fellow

President, Astronomical Society of Australia

ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D (ASTRO 3D)

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
Curtin University
Bentley WA, Australia

cathryn.trott at curtin.edu.au
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