The SET project consortium is proud to walk the talk when it comes to green mobility. Two partners embarked on a ground journey from Prague and Zurich to attend the EAIE Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, where they took part in a session on how to step up institutional support for student green mobility.
Petra Šmídová is the outgoing student mobility coordinator at the Erasmus+ office of Charles University and oversees all new programme initiatives, including environmental sustainability. With a combination of train, bus, and ferry, she enjoyed slow travel, giving her the opportunity to disconnect from personal and professional commitments whilst having the possibility to have meals, buy necessities, and get fresh air. She advises having ample time (at least 1 hour) during layovers when changing modes of transport and/or stations.
Somara Gantenbein is an environmental psychologist and project leader for sustainability in university operations at the Sustainability Hub of the University of Zurich. In this role, Somara worked on measures to support the university’s climate-neutrality goals. She has been committed to train travel in Europe since 2016, and her green journey allowed her to stop at Copenhagen, her Erasmus home in 2017, and to reconnect with old friends. She appreciates the unexpected, pleasant conversations with fellow passengers, the simple joy of watching the landscape change outside the window, as well as the freedom from airport hassle: no long security queues, no luggage restrictions.
When asked about sharing tips, they recommend using websites such as chronotrains.org and rome2rio.com as great starting points for inspiration on how to get anywhere in Europe by ground transport. If the schedule permits, build in stopovers to explore one or more cities, making longer journeys more enjoyable, memorable, and full of new experiences.
Stay tuned for more green traveller stories by signing up for the SET mailing list.