A toolkit for greener mobility
How can universities and colleges of higher education reduce their CO2 emissions during mobilities? Our toolkit gives you tips on how your students or employees can travel to their exchange destination in a more environmentally friendly way.
The idea is to assist international relations offices tasked with handling mobility in increasing student and staff awareness with regard to choosing a more environmentally-friendly means of transport than the plane when travelling abroad. Each institution is free to use this promotional tool in accordance with their sustainable development strategy.
Handy and fun information
Students and staff from higher education institutions or colleges of higher education may often have the chance to travel abroad to study, do a traineeship, teach, follow continuing education courses or attend conferences. The means of transport can be chosen according to the duration of the stay and the destination. A 3-day seminar in Paris may be seen in a different light from a one-year study period in Helsinki. Nevertheless, the aim of this kit is not to moralise or establish restrictive rules. It is more a question of raising awareness by providing information enabling those concerned to think more closely about the options available.
The kit consists of:
- Tips and tricks for travelling by train (ticket sales, planning, luggage transport, etc.)
- Positive arguments and elements when choosing to travel by train
- A decision tree with regard to travelling abroad PDF or JPG
- A map of Europe created by Swiss Railways and the ETH Zurich which serves to compare a journey by train and by plane in terms of travel time and the C02 generated.
Further initiatives and inspiration
The international relations offices of higher education institutions are invited to make use of these documents when promoting international mobility.
Interrail Erasmus+ Pass
The new Erasmus+ Interrail Pass is now available to SEMP participants, offering a unique opportunity to enjoy four to six days' travel over a six-month period, while travelling sustainably across Europe. What's more, SEMP already covers half the cost of the pass!
Go2Rail Initiative
The Go2Rail initiative helps students to find fellow travelers who make the same journeys, so they can combine business with pleasure and meet new people before they even reach their destination.
Simple Train
Simple Train, a Swiss start-up, makes booking train journeys from Switzerland to anywhere in Europe easy and personalised.
Projet SET
The Sustainable Eramus+ Travel (SET) project aims to understand students' motivations for travelling in a more sustainable way and to highlight “green soft skills” acquired during the trip. Information sheets are available on the website.
The Higher Education Students' Handbook to Travel Green raises awareness of the need for sustainable travel among students going on mobility trips, and provides practical tools and accounts of sustainable mobilities.
Chronotrains
Chronotrains offers an interactive map showing possible train journeys (day and night) from many European stations according to a given Duration.
Back-on-Track
Back-on-Track is a database that provides an interactive representation of the European network of cross-border night trains, as well as advice on travelling by night in Europe.
Other tools
Sulitest was initially designed by the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) to test and improve sustainability literacy of citizens and organisations. Everyone can help higher education institutions to develop awareness and knowledge about sustainability on the campus.
International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN)
The mission of the ISCN is to provide an international forum to support higher education institutions in the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices for achieving sustainable campus operations and integrating sustainability into research and teaching.
Financial aid with the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP)
Within the framework of the SEM, financial aid is available to students (both outgoing and incoming) who choose to travel to and from their destination using sustainable means of transport (e.g. by train) receive a grant that is CHF 100 higher. This is intended as an incentive for green mobility.
