Green mobility is on the move
Initiatives for more environmentally friendly mobility continue to gain momentum. Universities are trying to reduce their emissions, while European railway companies are expanding their environmentally friendly services. An overview.
The Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down mobility between Switzerland and other countries, but it has also allowed progress to be made on development projects for more environmentally friendly and sustainable travel. Global warming has become an undeniable issue and measures are being taken in all areas to curb the negative effects on the environment. International mobility is also affected.
Active Swiss universities
In the last few years, so-called “green” initiatives for more responsible mobility have flourished at Swiss universities, both on the part of the students and the rectorate. Movetia looked at these projects in its factsheet published in 2020. Today, other strategies have been added to the good practices.
New examples
- Universität Bern: Traffic light system for service trips
- Universität Zürich: “Make Science, Not Miles” business travel policy
- Berner Fachhochschule: Action plan for sustainable development, including mobility
- Universität St.Gallen: Low carbon emission travel policy in institutes + Green Bag Webinar Series
- Eidgenössische Hochschule für Berufsbildung: Reduced consumption and emissions
- Université de Fribourg: Promoting the reduction of CO2 emissions in mobility
- Université de Lausanne: “Travel less, trade better” business travel policy
- Université de Neuchâtel: Rectorate video on travelling
- Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana SUPSI: #iorestoaterra, a pilot project aimed at reducing business flights
The expansion of night train travel offers
The Swiss Federal Railways is expanding its train services between Switzerland and Europe with a clear strategy; it wants to have 25 night train destinations by 2025. “We are in the process of developing an offer with our partners, SNCF, Deutsche Bahn, OBB and Trenitalia”, says Vincent Ducrot, CEO of the Swiss Federal Railways, in an interview published in Le Matin Dimanche and the SonntagsZeitung in June 2021.
It is already possible to travel by night train from Switzerland to 10 European cities (Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, Hanover, Graz, Potsdam, Zagreb, Budapest, Prague and Ljubljana). Amsterdam will also be a new destination by the end of 2021, Rome by 2022 and Barcelona by the end of 2024.
In Europe, the same development is underway with new night train routes and new, more comfortable carriages. The way we travel is changing and the mobility players are adapting their offers accordingly for the benefit of the environment.
ETH Zurich – Interview with the project leader «Stay grounded, keep connected»
ETH Zurich has been developing an innovative and ambitious project since 2017 with the aim of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions per person by 15% by 2025 (compared to the average for the years 2016-2018). Project manager Susann Görlinger answers questions in the summer 2021 edition of the Swiss Federal Railways' Via magazine. A map with air and rail routes with CO2 output is also available and allows you to compare not only travel times, but also the emissions generated by the chosen means of transport.
A change of mentality is needed when it comes to air travel. The latter has partially been achieved: the support for the project is strong and not only within the EPF. Other universities have since taken initiatives to address this problem and we are sharing our experiences in a growing network.
