Green Mobility Days: Travel sustainably across Europe with Arqus Project Officer Ninon Böhme

International exchange and networking are essential to solving global challenges. Internationalization is more important than ever for universities, although personal contacts cannot replace video conferences. That’s why we travel a lot. At the same time, we need more climate protection and sustainability for a secure future. On the occasion of the first Arqus Green Mobility Days, which will be celebrated in April, “Earth Month”, Ninon Böhme, Arqus Project Officer at Leipzig University, shares her personal experiences, examples and ideas for green mobility in order to keep the ecological footprint small despite frequent business travel.

What is the best way to travel through Europe in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way?

Since 2019 I have been the Arqus Officer of the Arqus European University Alliance at Leipzig University. One reason why this position enriches me is, in addition to the international cooperation, the business trips to exciting cities in order to exchange ideas with my colleagues on site. At the same time, the topic of sustainability is very important to me personally, and that seems to be a contradiction. That’s why I’ve decided to reach as many locations as possible by train – so called green or sustainable travelling.

Everything is a question of time

Our partners are spread across Europe and we are fairly centrally located. This gives us a perfect starting point for traveling in different directions by train. I have already travelled by rail for Arqus to Brussels, Graz, Lyon, Padua and Wroclaw. Going by train is often dismissed because it takes longer than flying. But that is a fallacy, because you should not only compare the pure flight and train travel times, but also all the ways there and in between. To illustrate this: You can fly to only a few destinations directly from Leipzig Airport, so sometimes a long transfer is necessary. There are direct flights from Berlin, but you also have to be there at least two hours beforehand. It can also take a while from the airport to the city centre, but you can often arrive in the centre by train, like in Wroclaw. The shortest train connection from Leipzig to Wroclaw takes around six hours. Also, our colleagues from Austria were able to arrive there by train. Unfortunately, train connections to our partners in Maynooth, Granada and Vilnius are not (yet) possible or are simply too far. Here I prefer direct flights because that at least causes fewer emissions.

Train romance – About the advantages of traveling by train

For me, taking the train is the less stressful option: I get on at Leipzig train station after buying some provisions, which I of course ate in the first hour. But no worries, if necessary there is still the on-board bistro or I can grab a snack when I change trains. While moving forward, I turn on my notebook and can work mobile thanks to WIFI or prepare documents offline. Every now and then I rest my eyes and look into the distance. Otherwise there is also time for a book, podcasts or my favourite series.

Things are also looking good in our neighbouring countries and partner universities. Going by train in France is efficient and fast due to the TGV, in Austria and Italy you can’t help but be amazed by the landscapes and in Poland you will receive good and inexpensive care on the train.

There are many ways to go

We regularly connect virtually with our colleagues, as established collaborations can be continued digitally. However, we meet in person at one of the locations about three times a year to spend more time on certain topics. My next trip will take me to our partner university Minho in Portugal for the Annual Conference. It is quite far and not easy to get here by train, but with an overnight stay and wine stop in southern France still possible. Also, just one trip could be by plane and the other one by train, including a stopover on the way there or back to discover something new or if you want to combine it with a holiday.

It also an idea to meet in the middle, like in Brussels, to shorten travel times for everyone. In the end, it is important that a trip is worth it and you should always weigh that up. In this sense it is also advisable to combine different meetings at one location. There are many possibilities and even financial incentives for avoiding planes. In case of Erasmus+, the use of environmentally friendly transport such as buses or trains can be additionally supported as so-called “green travel”. In the future perhaps also for (electric) ferries.

Keep exploring!

Ninon Böhme
Leipzig University

Photos by Sven Böhme.