On 4-6 February 2025, the University of Barcelona hosted a three-day "Student Mobility Summit" on the theme "More mobility, less carbon footprint". The meeting brought together sustainability and green policymaking experts, university representatives and students to address one of the most pressing issues in higher education: how to reconcile the ambitious goals of increasing international travel with environmental sustainability?
Participants engaged in a variety of session types, from roundtables and hackathons to training sessions and hands-on workshops. By addressing the topic of sustainable mobility of learners from many perspectives, the diversity of formats allowed the summit to translate ideas into action plans, immerse in discussions, and at the same time gain practical tips for problem solving.
Last but not least, the Summit provided a platform to showcase innovative practices and explore ways to reduce the carbon footprint of mobility while maintaining the accessibility and inclusivity of international trips.
The following insights emerged from the summit:
Sustainable travel alternatives: the importance of train/bus travel offers and improving infrastructure for greener travel..
Institutional commitment: universities are increasingly integrating sustainability into their internationalisation policies, but stronger coordination and monitoring of pathways is needed to expand these efforts.
Students' perspectives matter: involving students in shaping sustainable mobility policies is essential to ensure their feasibility and effectiveness.
Success stories: promoting real-life stories and tips is important for a collective paradigm shift on what the mobility experience can be.
Several good practices and examples were presented during the event, highlighting the progress made in the field of sustainable student exchanges.
Notable initiatives include:
Sustainable Travel Policy at the University of Zürich: the aim of this new policy is to promote sustainable travel options for students and employees with a focus on reducing the carbon footprint of mobility programmes.
Mixed Intensive Programme U!Train: the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya has shared an innovative programme that combines physical and virtual elements to reduce the need to travel while maintaining an international learning experience.
The Sustainable Erasmus+ Travel (SET) project: this initiative offers valuable resources for greener travel within and beyond Erasmus+, including an interactive repository of 'green competences'. This inventory highlights cross-cutting skills that students can strengthen when travelling sustainably. Charles University is also involved in the project and has developed a questionaire on sustainable mobility, shared across Europe during autumn 2024.
The Barcelona Summit confirmed that the path to sustainable student mobility is difficult, but not impossible. The tools, strategies and policy recommendations exist, but their implementation requires sustained cooperation, commitment and innovation.
Charles University has long supported sustainable mobility for its students and staff and it is an integral part of the UK's sustainable development strategic documents.
Author: Mgr. Petra Šmídová, DiS. (International Relations Office)
Ing. Lenka Henebergová
Member of the Rector's Board for Social Affairs and Sustainable Development
Mgr. Ing. Nikola Rusová
Sustainable Development Manager
