Monday 08-07-2019 - 13:33

Last week we welcomed back our triumphant Green Lancaster Sustainability Team, after an epic journey to the Green Challenge in Copenhagen.

As a result of winning the Inter-College Sustainability Challenge with their innovative idea, the Pendle College team got to take their pitch to the next level at the annual Grøndyst (Green Challenge) event.

Grøndyst is an international competition of inventive sustainability solutions, where students from all over the world travel to the Danish Technological University (DTU) to pitch their idea to a panel of judges. Doing so gives students the opportunity to win funding, hone their presentation skills and help to develop technological solutions to the environmental problems we face.

Of course, the trip wouldn't have been complete without a sustainable journey and with a little inspiration from the great Greta Thunberg, the team turned their backs on air travel and chose to take to the rails.

It's no secret that frequent and unnecessary air travel is taking its toll on our planet and thanks to the likes of Greta Thunberg, rail travel is increasingly recognised as a more sustainable alternative. In many cases, as much as 90% of carbon emissions can be saved by choosing rail over air travel. 

 

Speaking with our Environmental Sustainability Development Manager, he said:

“In the context of the Climate and Ecological Emergency, it is absolutely vital that we find low carbon solutions to our existing social and mobility systems. This is particularly important for collaboration within Europe where it really is possible to significantly cut carbon emissions by replacing short-haul aviation with land or sea-based transport. The DTU Copenhagen trip demonstrated exactly the direction of travel we need in order to achieve the efficiency and environmental gains of reducing demand for short-haul air. Topically the trip visited Denmark, part of the Nordic group of countries where very recently the #Flygskam agenda has come to the forefront of media attention. There has been particular attention to this Swedish term that translates as ‘Flying Shame’ across Scandinavia where heightened awareness of the contribution of aviation emissions to the Climate Crisis has led to lifestyle changes and increasing numbers of people voting with their feet by replacing plane journeys with the train.”

 

 

 

 

The group assembled in London on the evening of Monday 24th June before setting off early morning on Tuesday 25th.

Travelling all day Tuesday, setting off from the famous St. Pancras station aboard the Eurostar, the team got to take in a number of iconic northern European cities including; Brussels, Cologne and Hamburg - a luxury inaccessible to plane passengers.

Finally Copenhagen the team enjoyed tours of the DTU campus, hands-on activities, cultural experiences, and a City tour of Copenhagen to give them a real feel for the city during their short stay.

 

Notably, their trip coincided with a late-June heatwave across Europe, which scientists have identified was made 5 times more likely as a result of the Climate Crisis, following the record heatwave of summer 2018. This was a poignant reminder for the Grøndyst teams of the importance of de-carbonising daily life (particularly high-impact activities such as international travel) and the motivation of sustainability initiatives such as Grøndyst.

 

 

 

 

Our trip Media Ambassador Kyle Mckenzie said:

"Traveling via train echoed the message that the team were conveying at the Green Challenge. To truly make a difference it is crucial to consider the social practices we have grown accustomed to and analyse how they have an effect on the environment, questioning whether or not there are any alternatives."

Although the team weren't among those selected to receive funding following a day of fierce pitching, the teams 35 hour journey alone sent a strong message by sharing the joy of the journey, as opposed to the dread of air travel. What's more, we'll be sharing a short film of their journey very soon. 

The trip was made possible by the 'Lower Carbon International Travel' fund, thanks to a collaboration between Lancaster University Facilities, Lancaster University Global Experiences and the Lancaster University Students' Union.