Culture(s) in Sustainable Futures is the title of an international conference on cultural sustainability to be held in Helsinki 6-8 May 2015. A call for proposals for parallel panels is open for submissions till 5 December.

Is culture the fourth pillar of sustainability, alongside the ecological, economic and social aspects? How does culture act as a catalyst for ecological sustainability, human well-being and economic viability? What would our futures look like if sustainability was embedded in the multiple dimensions of culture, including different worldviews and values, ways of life, and other forms of cultural expression?

A cultural transition that embeds sustainability in the cultural understandings and daily practices of society has the power to shift humanity’s currently unsustainable trajectory. Culture already plays many roles in (un)sustainability but the scientific, policy-making and societal spheres lack understanding of the essence of culture and how it influences sustainability.

Call for proposals

You can participate in the conference in the following way:

• Chair or present a paper at a research paper session [note: deadline has passed for submissions]


• Organise or participate in a panel [deadline: 5 December]


• Perform, talk or present your poster or visual art on the open stage [deadline: to be announced]

Parallel panels

are sessions with 3-4 presenters, a chair and a discussant. These sessions provide a moderated dialogue between the contributors. In particular, we encourage transdisciplinary debate on a specific theme between scientists, policymakers, and different practitioners for instance from the fields of art, culture and administration. To organise a panel you should invite 3-4 presenters and a discussant. The proposals for panels including the confirmed contributions and abstracts (the abstract of the panel: 250-300 words, abstracts of the presentations: 150-200 words) should be sent by an online submission system by 5 December, 2014. The panel proposals will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee.

The open stage

for posters, artistic expressions and performances is a space to explore the relationship between culture and sustainability through different presentational forms, by employing the methods of science and/or arts. These contributions will be organised in a transversal way by a curator according to the themes they display. This space will be open continuously throughout the conference. The call for proposals runs from - to: TBA. The proposals should be submitted through an online submission system. The curator will review the proposals. NB. Further information coming up!