The next issue of Branch will explore the theme ‘Attunement: Designing in an Era of Constraint‘ and will be released in July 2025. This open call is an invitation to the Branch community to submit suggestions for articles they’d like to see included.
Attunement: Designing in an Era of Constraints.
Attunement: i) bring into harmony, ii) to make aware or responsive
We are at a critical threshold in our computational futures. Rapid expansion of data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and fossil fuels are booming in response to unprecedented capital expenditures and government investment in the promises of a new digital age. In 2024, the 1.5C global warming limit was surpassed across the entire year and the boundaries of several life-supporting planetary systems have been exceeded. More intense heat waves, storms, fires and floods remind us of how human activity impacts all life on this planet.
Much of the internet today is part of larger, extractive systems that are exhausting critical resources like water, land and raw materials, intensifying environmental harms across the technology supply chain, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions which heat up the planet and concentrate wealth in the hands of a few.
But this doesn’t have to be how the internet’s story ends.
A different way is possible.
What if we rebuild the internet to respond better to the constraints of the energy grid? How could we adapt the browsing experience to use less resources when fossil fuels are being burned and support awareness of how the physical realities of the planet affect our browsing experience?
What if we reimagine digital infrastructures attuned to life systems? Digital futures that are built by default to operate within planetary constraints.
And what’s more, what if we could prioritize community ownership of the internet, joy, and just the right amount of technology to meet collective needs?
This issue of Branch sets out to play with these possibilities through the lens of grid-aware websites. Together we’ll explore what’s possible right now and where we can take things through the collective imaginings of future pathways. We’ll also touch on ideas such as tiny infrastructures, regenerativity and other alternative approaches to bring our browsing experiences more in touch with the natural world and the more-than-human lives all around us.
We invite participation and contributions from all corners of the internet and the globe!
We invite you to get involved.
Here’s a list of prompting questions to spark your creativity in addressing this topic:
- How can we reimagine and rebuild our digital browsing experiences to be attuned to the physical / natural world and help us feel more connected to it?
- What would web components and patterns designed to respond to the constraints of variability and intermittency in renewable energy look and behave like?
- Who is integrating energy data into websites and services, why and what can they share about their experiences and dreams for doing this better and more systemically?
- How can we reduce resource use in ways that also truly support collective decision-making and well-being online?
- Who has lived experiences oriented to natural cycles, such as tidal schedules, moon phases, harvest calendars and other natural phenomena that might inform healthier, more sustainable digital experiences?
- What are other fun experiments or ideas that play with grid-awareness or attunement more broadly?
We’re looking for a variety of pieces that cover a range of writing styles and content types, such as: text, code, mixed media, comics, recipes, interface designs, audio, video or games or whatever other medium helps you express your idea.
Pieces can:
- vary in length- long max 2,000 words – short 500 words
- can come from a single or collective voice
- be in languages apart from English: we’d like there to be an english translation for each piece – we can provide translation help
What we can offer.
- For successful submissions
- an optional stipend of €250
- support from professionals with copywriting/proofreading and illustration
- promoting your piece via various channels
- For unsuccessful submissions:
- A clear, timely decision within the timelines stated
- Apologies but it may not be possible for us to provide feedback on each submission
Timelines.
Wed 23 April – Call for contributions closes
Fri 25 April – All submitters notified about decisions
Mon 23 June – First draft of all articles received
Fri 11 July – Final draft of articles received
Tues 22 July – Issue 9 launch day
Thurs 25 July – online launch party for all contributors
How to submit your ideas.
Submit your ideas using our Google form by Wed 23 April, midnight PST (UTC-8). If you have any issues using Google forms drop us a line via support@greenwebfoundation.org.
Issue editors
Issue 9 of Branch is being led by members of Green Web Foundation
Republishing content as launch partners
Like our previous issues, all the content will have the same permissive creative commons license, which means you’re free to use this commercially, as long as you keep the attribution.
We do this to increase the reach of the ideas contributed to each issue, but also because we want them to develop beyond this publication. If you’re interested in working with us on distribution, and we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at support@thegreenwebfoundation.org.