ECOTH

I was the creater and co-organizer for the Environmental Conference of the Humanities (ECOTH) at the University of Lethbridge. ECOTH is an open conference which made its debut in November 2025 and encourages emerging scholars (Undergraduate, Master, and PhD students, as well as, post-doctoral researchers and scholars in early stages of their career), along with any academic who is interested in the subject to present their research in this field. Environmental Humanities has emerged as an interdisciplinary subject and embraces the fact that environmental concerns are, in their nature, interdisciplinary. My main duties were:

• Collecting and organizing the call for papers. This involved sending out the call for paper and attempting to reach as many potential presenters as possible. This included: sending the call for paper to departments within the University of Lethbridge, putting up advertisements around campus, sending the call for paper to other surrounding universities, and sending the call for paper to organizations that focus on the subject of Environmental Humanities. After the call for papers was sent out, I was responsible for organizing abstracts, communicating with the scientific committee, and sending results and updates to the presenters.
• Finding funding and organizing the budget of the event. This involved applying for as many avenues of funding as possible through donations from departments, University grants (GSA and LPIRG), and community donations (Environmental Alberta, Sill and Soil, Urbane eight). Once sufficient funds were acquired, I was responsible for organizing the budget, so that the financial support was used in a responsible manner. This means that all the money will be used to benefit those taking part in the conference by providing refreshments, lunch, and potentially semi-reimbursement for printing costs. I ensured that the money for the conference was used to encourage participation.
• Overseeing conference logistics. I was responsible for ensuring that the conference ran smoothly. This involved making sure that everything was prepared for the day of the conference, such as facilities (tables, chairs, and poster space), name tags, schedule, and catering. I also directed volunteers to help with checking in and chairing sessions. The 2025 inaugural conference was a great success with a full day of talks and creative presentations. The new goal of this project is to secure funding for next year and pass the torch on to the next set of organizers.