Faculty academics embrace sustainable business travel
03 Oct 2025
Colleagues from across the Faculty have shared their experiences of travelling sustainably, reflecting on both the environmental impact and personal benefits of opting for slower, greener travel.
The University aims to limit annual emissions from air travel to 50% of our 2018/19 level as part of our commitment to prioritising environmental sustainability. To support this goal, the University’s travel policy sets out that domestic travel and travel to European hubs with high-speed (and Eurostar) connections should be made by train.
While international travel can be an integral part of working in academia and is key to maintaining global relationships, many colleagues across the Faculty have been swapping air travel for train travel in a bid to reconsider high-carbon practices and reduce our carbon footprint. For example, a train journey from Manchester to Paris emits 53kg of CO₂, as opposed to 187.4kg by air travel, saving a total of 134.4kg of CO₂.
At the end of the last academic year, the Faculty’s Social Responsibility team alongside the Faculty's Research team held a workshop on sustainable research practices, where colleagues were invited to share their experiences of slower international travel.
Anastasia Valassopoulos, Professor of Postcolonial Literatures and Cultures (SALC), reflected on her experiences of slow travel from Manchester to Casablanca – a journey she’s embarked on twice now.
She said of her travels: “What an experience – wonderful trains, ferries and buses in France, Spain and Morocco, and meeting people from all walks of life who were kind and helpful.
“I factored in some days of rest and exploration and planned stops in Tangiers, Barcelona, Madrid and Granada – the olive groves in southern Spain and the casbah in Tangiers alone made the long trip worthwhile. I would recommend the routes that I took and am happy to chat with anyone interested in undertaking this journey.”
Colleagues also heard from Matthew Paterson, Professor of International Politics and the Director of the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SoSS), who travelled by train to Stockholm in 2022.
Matthew said: “The travel itself was great. It took two days, but it was very relaxing, made it easy to work and I saw a few sights along the way. You need to plan for the time it takes, but it is definitely a better way to travel.”
Anke Bernau, Humanities Associate Dean for Environmental Sustainability, appreciates both the environmental and personal impact of travelling in a more sustainable way: “Making the decision to travel only to conferences I could reach by train has been transformative for me. Even though there can be logistical hiccups (as there can be for air travel too, of course!), I savour the time afforded and find it easy to get work done.
“It has definitely meant being more selective about which and how many conferences I go to, but making those choices has been clarifying, allowing me to reduce some of the ‘busyness’ I hadn’t previously questioned.
“On a personal level, this is one of the most impactful things I feel I can do as an individual in the face of climate crisis. Business as usual just doesn’t cut it any more.”
At the workshop, Anke also delivered an update on the University’s signing of the new Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.
The Concordat represents a shared ambition to continue delivering cutting-edge research, but in a more environmentally responsible way. By signing it, the University is signalling its commitment to recognising the need to change how we conduct research and innovation, and to take shared action now and in the future to reduce and eliminate negative environmental impacts and emissions.
By choosing to travel in a greener way, colleagues are actively supporting the University’s aims to reduce research-related emissions and embedding sustainability into their research practices, while also getting to experience fulfilling and enriching journeys they might not have had the chance to otherwise.
Professor Maggie B. Gale, Humanities Vice-Dean for Research, noted: “This was a really enjoyable and productive joint event, and we were very pleased to have been involved. Huge thanks to the participating researchers who shared their experiences and ran the Q&A session so generously."
Professor Dimitris Papadimitrious, Faculty Vice-Dean for Social Responsibility and Inclusion, said: “The reduction of our travel emissions by 50% against the 2018-9 baseline is an integral part of the social responsibility agenda of the University and our Faculty.
“Whilst I recognise that travel is an important part of our research and teaching, I strongly encourage colleagues and students to make considered choices in order to reduce the impact of our professional lives on the environment.
“The University offers generous support to colleagues who wish to travel more sustainably. It is great to see that an increasing number of colleagues are building sustainable practices when it comes to their fieldwork, dissemination and knowledge exchange practices. We should all follow their example!”
We encourage researchers across the Faculty to consider slower travel in the future to help the University achieve its goal of limiting air travel emissions. As making sustainable travel choices can sometimes be more expensive than flying, the University offers a top-up fund to support colleagues by covering additional costs that arise from travelling in a more sustainable way, including accommodation costs. This fund is also open to PGRs.
To apply for the top-up fund, please complete this form. You can find out more about the fund and the University’s travel policy requirements by visiting this StaffNet page.
Further information and resources
- View the University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2023-2028
- Read our travel FAQs to address concerns you may have when attempting to reduce your air travel
- Find out more about environmental sustainability in research
- Use our carbon emissions comparison tool to find out how much carbon different travel options emit
- Read our environmental sustainability conversation guide to help you consider environmental sustainability when preparing research grant applications
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