Sustainable travel
What does Ghent University to reduce CO2 emissions from academic business trips? Which cities are easily accessible by train? And how can you get started yourself? Let us inspire you!
Sustainable travel policy
Ghent University commits itself to fly less, more thoughtfully and more sustainably, and thus to reduce the CO2 emissions of its air travel by at least 1/3rd by 2030 in comparison with the reference year 2019.
- Transition plan sustainable travelling 2020-2030
- Goals for each faculty: check the mobility barometer!
- Sensibilisation tools: postcards from 'train' destinations (in Dutch)
- Sensibilisation logo: 'I didn't fly'
- Inspiration: Ghent University professors on why they prefer the train (and you should too)
Cities easy to reach by train
If we can get somewhere within 8 hours by train, we do so. With this webtool, we show which cities are easy to reach by train, how to book them, what other people's experiences are, etc.
Guidelines sustainable travels
In order to reduce CO2 emissions by 1/3 by 2030, trains should be chosen instead of planes where possible, but also the number of journeys should be reduced. The following guidelines apply:
- Reduce travel through online meetings and conferences. This is what Ghent University supports.
- If we can get somewhere within 8 hours by train, it's expected to do so.
- Train, bus and boat journeys are subsidised by 30 EUR for tickets > 100 EUR or by 100 EUR for tickets > 200 EUR. Here the way how to do it.
- In international research collaborations, Ghent University takes the lead by making prior arrangements concerning travel behaviour. Here an example of such a charter.
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For each flight, a contribution of 50 EUR/tonne of CO2 is charged. This contribution is used to realize reforestation and forest restoration projects, to subsidise train journeys and to feed a provision for 'living labs'.
You want more?
Then you are absolutely right. How do we balance the need for an academic institution to be internationally active with the need, again according to academia, to take into account the urgency of the climate issue? Weigh in on the debate!
- Be inspired by good examples from your peers!
- Help students choose a Green Erasmus exchange.
Useful links
- Stay Grounded
- What happens in Ghent (sustainable) travels abroad: our process
- Masterthesis How to reduce the carbon cost of academic air travel? A quantitative analysis of the air travel behavior at Ghent University. Sarah Van Acker, 2020
- Evaluatie van de CO2-bijdrage van vliegreizen aan Universiteit Gent. Irene Govaert, 2019 (in Dutch)
- Reizen in een institutionele leemte: Kan de UGent het voortouw nemen in een duurzaam reisbeleid? Mieke Burrick, 2018 (in Dutch)