I grew up in a city and in a family, that made sustainable travel easy for me. As a child, we took night trains to Italy and Paris and I was always amazed to wake up in a new country in the morning. Public transportation stayed my default. More recently, when travelling from Geilo, Norway to Berlin, Germany, I took the long-distance bus rather than flying. Planning my semester abroad at Lancaster University, sustainability was one of my main considerations. I will travel there entirely by rail: from Berlin to Cologne, Brussels, London, and finally to my destination. It is slower and more demanding, but a way to limit my environmental impact. An added benefit is that it leaves room to emotionally start this new life chapter while slowly watching the landscape change. A good starting point for making my travel plans is always https://www.eurail.com/, as they support Europe-wide route planning.
In Lancaster I will live on campus and I will get around on foot. Additionally, I am especially excited to explore the Lake District, where the the start and end of many hikes can be reached by public transport. Hiking and spending time in nature are probably my favorite activities in life, so I really look forward to that time.
Besides travelling, other life choices can make a difference. I’ve been vegetarian my whole life and vegan for the past few years, and think food is one of the most overlooked climate levers (see ‘We Are the Weather’ by Jonathan Safran Foer or a review of that book at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/06/jonathan-safran-foer-we-are-the-weather-saving-planet-begins-breakfast-review).
As stated in the beginning, I do not believe sustainability should focus on individual lifestyle choices alone. The wealthiest individuals and the Global North overuse resources on a scale unimaginable to most people (see e.g. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/billionaires-emit-more-carbon-pollution-90-minutes-average-person-does-lifetime and https://bbc.com/future/article/20211025-climate-how-to-make-the-rich-pay-for-their-carbon-emissions). This needs to change fundamentally. And to support that, I first became involved in the climate movement and later chose to study Political Science.
I study to better understand global power structures and the resulting inequality and to ultimately contribute to policies that enable everyone to live a secure and fulfilling life within our planet’s limits.
Important actors in battling the climate crisis at a more influential scale are universities. They educate future decision-makers while also having significant potential to become more sustainable themselves. I was encouraged to learn about Lancaster University’s sustainability initiatives at https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sustainability/, including its investment in renewable energy, commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, and a campus second-hand shop.
I hope to contribute to and learn from Lancaster’s sustainability initiatives, because lasting change depends not only on individual action, but on strong institutions and communities.
