Preamble
A core aim of PLAN is to facilitate productive interactions and collaborations between active scholars across diverse disciplines and backgrounds who wish to contribute to exploration and awareness of planetary limits. Since a friendly, respectful community is crucial to achieving PLAN goals, we set forth this code of conduct to protect the network against abuses that might impair its primary function. We consider the maintenance of a collegial community to be of paramount importance (more important than the intellectual contributions that any individual Member or Collaborator might make). Our collective work within the framework of this code of conduct will guide us towards more effective transdisciplinary collaboration to tackle humanity’s grand challenges related to planetary limits.
Upholding our Code
All Members, Collaborators, and participants in PLAN’s sociocratic leadership structure agree to hold each other accountable to this code, and are encouraged to report behavior inconsistent with these guidelines to the PLAN Membership Circle so that they can encourage the individual(s) to abide by the expected community behavior. If such encouragement proves to be ineffective in curbing the inappropriate behaviors, the PLAN Membership Circle reserves the right to terminate the Collaborator or Member status of the offending party or parties.
PLAN Members and Collaborators are expected to:
Maintain respectful and civil discourse
Communication across disciplines, professional specialties, and differing points of view can pose certain challenges. PLAN members should exercise patience, be open to learning, and strive to communicate clearly (using minimal specialized jargon) and with the utmost respect for one another. Please feel free to ask for clarifications and be generous in responding to such requests.
Be open to collaboration
The world is inherently interdisciplinary; complex crises demand equally complex approaches and responses. PLAN seeks to generate new insights from the strength of cross-cutting connections within the network. While it would be natural for PLAN-inspired initiatives to be related to members’ current research, PLAN should not be viewed or used as a means for the promotion of or recruitment to individuals’ own projects. Ideal PLAN members are curious, open-minded, and eager to help put pieces of the puzzle together.
Demonstrate respect for the limits of others’ time and interests
As a group formed around the realities of planetary limits, we take other limits seriously too. One of the perks of PLAN is access to a diverse array of scholars who share some important common ground. We exist to facilitate those connections! Please use restraint in taking advantage of them. Selectively sending invitations to communicate via email is fine, but there should be no expectation that all such invitations will be accepted or get a response. It’s fine to follow up on an initial non-response (we all know how emails can sometimes slip through the cracks), but additional unsolicited messages may constitute unwanted contact. If you would like some help establishing contact with fellow PLAN members, the PLAN Membership Circle may be able to help. Please reach out (e-mail plan.membership.circle at gmail.com).