Heli Nissilä

Conferences as sequential arenas for creating new sustainable fields

The field-configuring events (FCE) literature has deemed conferences to be important in the emergence of fields. Yet little is still known about how they serve as interventions for deliberately creating new sustainable fields. Emerging sustainable technologies are typically not competitive on the market and are likely to be ruled out by established industries counteracting their development. Hence, they are in need of two types of measures: those that promote the single innovation and measures that generate “disruptive” systemic change (i.e. bring about a transition toward increased sustainability in the technologies, rules and roles that govern established industries). The article applies the FCE literature to a novel empirical context: the creation of a field for solar technology in an especially challenging environment. Based on observations, interviews and archival data on a conference sequence in 2011–2014, the findings show that the conferences triggered processes promoting the innovation that, then, generated steppingstones for processes of “disruptive” systemic change. The study contributes to the FCE literature by arguing that conferences can be fruitful arenas for furthering sustainable fields, as they have the potential to address the two aspects of sustainable field creation simultaneously.

Promoting residential renewable energy via peer-to-peer learning

ABSTRACT Peer-to-peer learning is gaining increasing attention in nonformal community-based environmental education. This article evaluates a novel modification of a concept for peer-to-peer learning about residential energy solutions (Open Homes). We organized collective “Energy Walks” visiting several homes with novel energy solutions and engaging people beyond those with a serious renovation project. We evaluated the intervention in terms of individual, network-centric, and institutional learning outcomes. Learning outcomes were observed on all these levels. We argue that this form of peer-to-peer learning builds capacity for sustainable action in the community by supporting discussion and reflection, rather than merely social learning as modeling.