As part of the VIMAS project, guest doctoral researcher İlker Gül presented his developing paper titled “A Framework for Categorizing Public Goods in Nature-Based Tourism” at the 6th Conference on Managing Tourism Across Continents (MTCON’25), held in Istanbul from April 30 to May 3, 2025.

The session was chaired by Prof. Sara Dolnicar, editor of Annals of Tourism Research, and provided a valuable platform for discussing how public goods are defined, categorized, and delivered within the context of nature-based tourism.

İlker Gül commented about his experience: "MTCON offered a valuable platform for attending various sessions, workshops, and keynote speeches. I had the opportunity to meet with leading researchers Sameer Hosany and James F. Petrick, editor of the Journal of Travel Research. We exchanged ideas on sustainability and how it may shape travel and tourism activities in the future. Moreover, the conference experience reshaped my developing paper, and I restructured it with a more tourism-based approach for public goods. This conference also helped me gain insights into current trends in tourism research and develop a broader perspective for my future academic work."

The project "Visitor monitoring and management in protected and recreational areas: new challenges, novel solutions for the Anthropocene (VIMAS)" aims at developing more efficient governance of nature areas for tourism and recreation, in the best way possible for biodiversity, people’s quality of life and business development. This will be achieved through research about smarter monitoring methods, improved visitor management and more inclusive governance.

From 15 to 19 September E³UDRES² alliance will organize Intensive I Living Labs with topic  "From Art to Extreme: Unmasking Harm in Creative Industries".
Are you ready to explore the power of creative media and make a real difference? The E³UDRES² Intensive I Living Lab comes back in September 2025 and invites you to investigate the powerful influence of creative media, uncovering both its bright and dark sides. You'll collaborate in international and interdisciplinary teams to expose the dangers in various media content and develop innovative strategies to counter harmful narratives, such as misinformation, fake news, violence and radicalization.

The programme focuses on real-world challenges within creative industries. Using a Design Thinking approach, you will work together to create solutions that promote positive media practices and foster a more inclusive and empathetic society.

Deepen your media knowledge, improve your collaboration and problem-solving skills and make a meaningful difference. Join us in this exciting journey to unmask harm in creative industries and harness the power of media for positive change. Apply now and be part of the solution!

3 Reasons for joining the Intensive I Living Lab:

✅ You get to know new people from different countries, cultures and disciplines

✅ You work on real challenges submitted by businesses or other institutions, helping to further develop European regions

✅ You'll get to improve skills like analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, creativity and intercultural communication

More info: Intensive I Living Labs 2025 | E³UDRES²

Apply here: Intensive I Living Lab 2025: Registration | E³UDRES²

The E³UDRES² Alliance is organising at Vidzeme UAS, Latvia from 4 - 6 June 2025 a workshop entitled "Strategies to enhance the E³UDRES² alliance rate of success in getting funding for research projects".

Content and Target Groups

The workshop is organized by the task force "Research and Knowledge Users" with the aim to share information on open research grant project calls within E³UDRES² research areas and proposal writing tips and tricks, as well as to gather feedback from other researchers on how to improve proposal writing even more. All members of the E³UDRES² Research Centres of Excellence, as well as the entire community of researchers from all E³UDRES² partner institutions are invited to participate.

During the workshop participants will visit Vidzeme UAS's laboratories and Open Innovation Hubs, meet regional stakeholders, learn about the open research calls from the Latvian Council of Science experts, share their proposal writing experience and more. There will be time slot dedicated, for the E³UDRES² Research Centres of Excellence and the Alliance's community of researchers, to work on project ideas and initiatives.

REGISTER HERE

The detailed programme can be found below:

Change(K)now! project manager, Lead Researcher, Associate Professor Aija van der Steina with researchers from Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Linda Veliverronena and Liene Ločmele (the study involved also researchers Barbara R. Burke, Nadezhda Sotirova, University of Minnesota, Morris, USA) presented a study on portrayal of reusable packaging in Latvian media at the 16th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CSBE 2025) which took place in the University of Cambridge, UK, on 24-26 April 2025.

The presentation "Convergence of meanings: consumerism, sustainability, and Latvian media discourse on reusable packaging" explored how reusable packaging is portrayed in Latvian media. Through Critical Discourse Analysis, the study investigated the meanings tied to green consumption, sustainability, and circular economy as promoted by experts.

Key findings revealed that reusable deposit cups are framed not only as waste reduction tools but also as lifestyle markers and souvenirs, aligning with trends of eco-consumerism and "ecopiety"—a romanticized form of environmental responsibility. However, the presentation argued this media narrative risks reinforcing pseudo-circular behaviours and traditional consumerism rather than promoting real structural change.

The authors call for more critical and diverse discourse around sustainability, one that includes eco-design values, deeper circularity principles, and perspectives beyond the end-user. The study contributes to the broader discussion on how local media discourses shape public understanding of circular economy concepts and the challenges in moving beyond superficial environmental messaging.

More information about the conference