'UU should make sustainable travel mandatory'

Utrecht University aims to be CO2-neutral by 2030. However, most members of the University Council doubt that the university will achieve this goal with the current business trip policy. In a memo addressed to the Executive Board on October 21, the University Council proposed several measures to transform UU into a CO2-neutral university. "It is not a specific plan yet, but we came up with various suggestions to show the Executive Board that we could be doing much more," explains staff member Eleni Braat, an assistant professor in Political History.

According to the council, the new policy must be easy, affordable and binding. The council members also believe that centralising all bookings in an internal travel agency would allow the university to obtain discounts on international train journeys for its employees. The budget for sustainable trips would also be larger were UU to have its own travel agency. The responsibility to comply with the rules must be key to the university's strategy, council members argue. 

Easy
Braat, who drafted the bill, says that it should be easier for employees to choose sustainable travel options. Currently, UU's policy is based on a campaign titled "Right on Track", which encourages the staff to choose the most sustainable journey by utilising a website that calculates CO2 emissions for each option. The university advises employees to take a train when travelling distances shorter than 700 kilometres, but it doesn't help them any further with their bookings. That's why the UU Council proposes an internal travel agency specialising in train journeys within Europe. Such an agency would not only make things more convenient for everyone, but it would also keep track of data about UU employees' travel behaviours. Braat recommends the website "Train Travel in Europe" for employees who need help booking trains in the continent right now.

Cheaper
Sustainable travel must also be affordable for UU employees. They often get a travel budget from their faculty and end up choosing a low-cost flight over the most sustainable travel option, which is often more expensive. The memo proposes a specific budget so that the employees who choose the most sustainable option are reimbursed for the difference in price through their faculty. The university could also make deals with train companies to reduce the costs.

Binding
Furthermore, the new rules must be binding. "The current guidelines are not binding, so they are not adequately complied with," argues Braat, answering questions posed by different faculties. "Employees should be required to obtain permission from their managers to book non-sustainable trips." In Braat's view, many managers are not aware they have this responsibility, hence the council's desire to see the university exert more control over business trips. Unsustainable travel options should only be chosen when no other options are available. For example, the "Right On Track" website says that if you have an appointment for which there is no option but to fly, you could do it remotely instead of in person. However, that is just a suggestion. Employees are not obliged to follow. The new memorandum proposes to turn this into a mandatory policy so that meetings and conferences are organised as sustainably as possible. The rule would also apply to visitors from other universities. The council members believe that considerations would be made more thoroughly if employees were obliged to write a convincing explanation as to why they should attend a conference in person instead of online.

"Practice what we preach"
The UU Council would also like to see UU taking a leading role in the field of sustainability. "UU's mission is 'working towards a better world.' Well, sustainability is about a better future, so you have to show that to the world around you. The university would set an example by acting firmly on this topic." 

Moreover, the memo says that UU should start an awareness campaign to emphasise the positive effects of a sustainable choice. For example, UU could mention that an employee would have to be vegetarian for five years to compensate for a flight to San Francisco. 

Mentality change
Braat emphasises that the memo calls on the university to do more and makes several suggestions of what it could do. However, how exactly the university will do that is up to the Executive Board. "The climate crisis is worsening so quickly that it is not strange that UU needs to take additional steps," says Braat.

According to her, there is no need to be afraid of spending more money. “The current policy is cheap. Employees spend a lot of working hours booking sustainable trips because it is often complicated to do so. ” Even though a travel agency would cost money, Braat believes the university should take the working hours wasted by its employees into consideration. She thinks that a lot could be achieved without too much investment.

In addition, Braat says that the Executive Board prefers not to impose something that affects convenience. Although they too take convenience into account in the memo, it is a misconception to assume that it is possible to act against climate change without addressing the speed and ease with which we travel, she argues. "That mentality must change and there is already great support for that."

Travelling sustainably is fun
Braat herself travels as sustainably as possible. She says that the booking process is complicated and longer train journeys are indeed more expensive. According to her, her colleagues like to travel by train too. There even seems to be some slight peer pressure in the Faculty of Humanities. Braat emphasises that one can get a lot of work done while travelling by train, but the same can't be said about flights. Last but not least, "travelling by train is just fun."

The bill will be offered to the Executive Board on October 22. The Executive Board can then decide to get started immediately or talk about it to the University Council again on November 4. It is still unclear whether or not that will happen. Even if adopted, it would take a while for the measures to change.