Abstract-TakingTheMessage-Hasan

=Taking the Green IS Message to the World = Helen Hasan, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, Australia Despite the extensive activity of the IS research community, most of what we have to say is published in IS journal or presented at IS conferences. It is doubtful whether many people outside academia or indeed anyone outside the IS discipline know about much this body of work. Although we believe that our research should inform practice, it is questionable that practitioners ever read or use our findings. For most academics this is not critical to their career and so is not high priority, however, the field of Green IS may change this.

Concern for the future of the planet is a powerful motivator for IS professionals to use their knowledge, skills and expertise to provide solutions to problems that threaten the environment. Green IS projects, programs and initiatives have the potential to influence the sustainability of our organisations and communities where they are under threats from climate change and other aspects of environmental degradation. We conduct research into how IS can find ways to support efforts to mitigate these threats or to adapt to the circumstances where their effects are already felt. However, if we just follow the traditional path of publishing the findings of this research in IS conference and journals will it really make a difference?

It is clear that issues of environmental responsibility are of such global importance that it is incumbent on those who take up the Green IS banner to take their knowledge outside the IS community to those who can make use of it in practice. This paper and presentation investigates what, where and how we can achieve this outcome. It concludes with the observation that this may be a great opportunity for IS to make a significant contribution to global affairs and to be widely recognised as an important field of endeavour. You can download my slides with commentary here. You may prefer to read my musings as text here media type="custom" key="7454523"