3.6 Sustainable Travel – #SaveTheClimat Students Subsidies have been introduced to encourage ULiège students to use the train for international travel. In order to support the efforts of students seeking to reduce their carbon footprint, particularly in the context of Erasmus stays, ULiège has announced the possibility of receiving a subsidy intended to finance travel by train. In concrete terms, this grant of 168€ is awarded to any student who applies for it as part of an Erasmus study stay in Europe, provided that the destination is located more than 350 km from the university. This desire to support and encourage students in their environmental commitments has resulted in an average annual increase in recipients of 48%, bringing the number of recipients to 70 for the year 2022-2023, out of a total of 149 travel grants awarded over 3 years. FIND OUT MORE Similarly, the UNIC (The European University of PostIndustrial Cities) alliance, which brings together 10 universities in as many European countries, offers participating students a travel grant: TIP (Train Instead of Plane). All students whose destination is located more than 350 km away can apply to receive a subsidy of 185€, the equivalent of a 3-day interrail ticket over one month. FIND OUT MORE Following the analysis of the international mobility of staff members, the Board of Directors adopted a new environmental policy which came into force on 1 April 2022. Its objective is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the University community’s travel by reducing the use of air travel and promoting more sustainable alternatives. An action plan has been put in place around four axes: 1. Raising awareness among the University community of the impacts of international travel. 2. Developing alternatives when the presence of participants in the same place is not essential, in particular through the use of videoconferencing. 3. Limiting the environmental impact of international travel, in particular by encouraging the use of trains whenever possible. 4. Creating an internal fund to support sustainable initiatives, which is financed by a voluntary contribution from air travellers. By default, the train must be used to all ‘green’ destinations accessible in a maximum of 6 hours. Train travel is also strongly recommended to ‘orange’ destinations accessible in less than 8 hours and to airport hubs accessible in less than 6 hours (for flights with stopovers). The intention is also to improve the comfort and productivity of train journeys, in particular by authorising 1st class travel for all national and international journeys, provided that this expenditure is not charged to a research agreement. There is also conditional financial support for those wishing to travel by train where the cost is significantly higher than by air. FIND OUT MORE Mandatory train travel Recommended train travel 3.5 A Policy to Reduce the Impact of our International Travel 18 | ANNUAL REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT ULIÈGE | 2021 – 2022 19 | ANNUAL REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT ULIÈGE | 2021 – 2022
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