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
To reduce CO₂ emissions by one third by 2030, train travel must be chosen over air travel wherever possible, but the overall number of trips also needs to decrease. The following guidelines apply (see also the Codex):
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Limit the number of trips by making use of online meetings and conferences. Ghent University provides the necessary tools and dedicated facilities.
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Air travel is not permitted if the journey can be made by train in less than 8 hours. The following cities fall under this rule (non-exhaustive list).
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Air travel is standard in economy class. Business class is permitted in exceptional cases if there are valid reasons. This requires the approval of the budget holder. When flying in business class, the CO2 conversion factor is adjusted, which will increase the CO2 contribution by a factor of 3.
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Train journeys of 2 hours or less must be booked in 2nd class. For longer journeys, 1st class tickets may be booked. For overnight trains, a private compartment may be booked.
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International travel by train, bus or boat is subsidised at 50%. Please submit this application form to request the subsidy.
For every Ghent University flight, a contribution of €50 per tonne of CO₂ is charged. This contribution is used to finance reforestation and forest restoration projects, subsidise train travel, and support a ‘living labs’ fund.
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!
- In international research collaborations, you can take the lead by making prior arrangements concerning travel behaviour. Here an example of a charter.
- Help students choose a Green Erasmus exchange.