On 21 October 2025, NRENs and member organisations from around the world came together virtually for a special joint session between the Special Interest Groups on Marketing and Communications (SIG-Marcomms) and Sustainability (SIG-Sustainability). The meeting brought together marketing and communications professionals and sustainability leads, reflecting the growing recognition that how we tell the story of sustainable services, green practices, and internal culture is just as important as doing the work itself.
The event was structured around two main sessions:
How can we make sustainability more visible?
The first session opened with Alessandro Roveri from Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Modena and Claudio Allocchio from Rete GARR, who presented the Butterfly Project, which works to reimagine the full-scale opera production through a more sustainable lens. They showcased practical choices, from materials and energy use to stakeholder communications, that shifted the production towards greener outcomes. This was made possible thanks to LoLa, the ultra-low-latency system that runs on high-speed research networks, connecting three European theatres: Teatro Comunale Pavarotti-Freni in Modena (Italy), Opera Box in Helsinki (Finland), and Opera Bałtycka in Gdańsk (Poland). The presentation highlighted how communications teams can help bring attention to sustainability efforts not only in services or IT, but also in cultural contexts.
Next, Hendrik Ike from GÉANT gave a overview of how sustainability is being integrated across the organisation. He emphasised that GÉANT’s sustainability work is not a box-ticking exercise but a genuine, ongoing effort, with the organisation committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. Hendrik also shared insights into GÉANT’s CO₂ emissions reporting and underlined the key role of communications in driving internal awareness and cultural change, as well as in showcasing progress externally.
We then welcomed Albert Hankel from SURF, who unpacked the concept of a maturity model specifically tailored for green IT within research and education networks: SURF’s Green IT Maturity Model. The model helps organisations benchmark where they stand (in terms of energy use, emissions, and circular economy) and plan communications accordingly. For marcomms professionals, this offered a valuable framework to translate technical green IT efforts into compelling stories of progress and ambition, providing structure to understand where an organisation is, what’s next, and how to communicate that journey.
We concluded the first session with Fiona Howard from Jisc, who shared the journey of Digifest at Jisc, illustrating how sustainability evolved from a vision into a series of concrete actions embedded in an event context. Key takeaways included how to plan a hybrid event with lower environmental impact, supported by practical examples and clear methods for measuring results. For those in marcomms or events roles, this was a strong case study in how to make community events more sustainable.
How are NRENs educating their staff on sustainability topics?
The second session opened with Thulsi Prabakaran from Jisc, who presented Stickerbook, an internal staff engagement pilot using gamification, visual cues, and internal communications to raise sustainability awareness in a fun and accessible way. The presentation emphasised that communications aren’t only outward-facing: they play a vital internal role in building awareness and driving behavioural change.
The meeting concluded with a three-part presentation from Andy Byrne from HEAnet, who spoke about sustainability training for HEAnet staff, the HEAnet Sustainability Fund, and the organisation’s data centre closure from a sustainability perspective.
The session reinforced the idea that sustainability efforts have maximum impact when sustainability experts and communications professionals collaborate from the very beginning of every project or initiative. Whether discussing cultural projects, IT services, or events, how you tell the story matters.
We appreciated the diverse range of speakers and case studies, which truly served as inspiration. Many thanks to everyone who attended, presented, and contributed to the discussions. The conversation doesn’t stop here — if you are interested in marketing, communications, or sustainability topics, don’t forget to subscribe to the respective mailing lists to stay updated on future events.
Learn more about SIG-Marcomms and about SIG-Sustainability. The SIGs are part of the GÉANT Community Programme. For more information, visit community.geant.org.
