The Social Dimension of SCANZ and Engaging With the Envrionment

The single strongest thread woven through all SCANZ events and the participants is a concern for the environment. As many residents come to know, SCANZ is all about lived experience – the environment and engaging with indigenous peoples is part of the lived experience, which impacts many people significantly.

From this orientation point in the environment, SCANZ draws participants into a creative, technological and environmental event where the social dimension is recognised. When Polar Circuits were first started in the Northern Hemisphere near the Arctic Circle, it was in part a response to realising that some of the better moments of conferences were not only in the lecture hall hearing the keynotes, but also the meeting points over coffee. Many and more significant connections can be made in the social context.

The ‘SC’ of SCANZ stands for Solar Circuit, which derives its name from Polar Circuit. Another of the heritages from Polar Circuit is the location of SCANZ in rural areas – that is, in non major city locations. This facilitates the direct engagement with the environment rather than the distanced discussion of it. These threads all come together at SCANZ, forming life changing experiences for many participants.