Sustainable mobility

Click on the figure or here to download the decision trees

The Department of Biology stimulates sustainable mobility. This engagement means that all professional travel should be as environmentally friendly as possible. For short trips, we prefer bike and public transport over car transport. For longer travel we consider all alternatives before deciding to take the plane (from train to e-meeting). Here we show the decision trees for both long and short travel and trips, and list all info on all alternative travel options.

Sometimes flying is unavoidable. A study area in the tropical rainforest is challenging to reach by bike, scientific conferences sometimes have to be visited to keep up with current science trends. In the end, sustainable travel is the responsibility of the individual researcher, but all researchers agree to actively consider sustainability when choosing a transport option.

The research groups of the Global Change Ecology Centre go one step further: they initiated a CO2-offset project in Kenia together with Wildlife Works: forest in Kenia are protected and restored. The project also has a social dimension, actively investing in the engagement of the local people.

We aim to also offer the offset possibility to all research groups or individual researchers in our university. Professors from other departments or research groups (Nick Schryvers, Jacques Tempere, Steven van Passel, Gudrun De Boeck, Lieven Bervoets) already joined. We also compensate for all flights of the students that go on the Tanzania training course.