A kit for greener mobility

Following the publication of the handy document entitled “Greener Mobility best practices: Let’s get inspired!” and the organisation of the “Making Higher Education Institutions’ exchange and mobility greener” webinar in 2020, Movetia – and more particularly the Higher Education Division – wanted to continue building on its success. To kick-start the New Year, a kit for the Swiss higher education institutions is now available online. 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.

Higher education institution students and staff 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
• 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.

The international relations offices of higher education institutions are thus invited to make use of these documents when promoting international mobility.

Within the framework of the SEMP, based on the call for projects 2021, financial aid is now available to students (both outgoing and incoming) who choose to travel to and from their destination using a means of transport generating lower CO2 emissions than the plane. This subsidy, christened the Green Travel Top-Up, totals CHF 100 per mobility action.