I have felt obliged to criss-cross the world for conferences, workshops, panels etc. for the last 15 years. I’m not sure all of that was productive or necessary, especially now that we have all discovered Zoom. In addition, traveling so much took a toll on my family, my health, and sometimes my wallet, I should say — you don’t get honoraria when you are a younger scholar and reimbursements don’t cover all your costs.

Now that it is proven that all that traveling is taking a toll on the planet, I just don’t see how I can justify continuing on that path. But it’s a collective action problem and I’m glad this group is addressing it by creating collective awareness and incentives to resist the returning pressure to hop on flights. I’m grateful and happy to join.