Revised travel policy: Travel with consideration for the climate
A revised version of AU’s travel policy comes into force on Monday 3 October. It encourages all staff to travel with an even greater focus on reducing climate impact.
The recommendations it contains will be relevant for you to keep in mind when you book travel, so it’s important that you familiarise yourselves with the revised policy. The most important changes are outlined below. You’ll also find the full text of the updated travel policy attached.
AU’s travel policy has been revised to contribute to achieving the university’s climate goals. The draft was prepared by a broadly representative working group and was sent for consultation at the university. The revised travel policy has now been approved by the senior management team.
Read more about AU's travel policy here.
If you have questions
- about the climate aspects of the travel policy, contact:
Andreas Sindal Stounbjerg, special consultant, the Rector's Office, stounbjerg@au.dk - about other aspects of the travel policy and travel generally, contact:
Eva Kristensen, team leader, Travel Expense Accounts, eva.kristensen@au.dk
A summary of the changes to AU’s travel policy
The new policy explicitly encourages staff to think about their own travel habits and reconsider the forms of travel they use by, among other things:
- choosing the most climate-friendly form of travel whenever possible.
- challenging the number of in-person meetings held in well-established existing networks.
- considering whether the trip can be replaced by on-line meetings, or be planned closer to home.
- travelling by train rather than by plane, if the train trip is less that five hours each way.
When planning a trip, staff should also naturally balance travel time and logistics in relation to the demands of their work schedule and private life.
On business travel by car
- AU staff are encouraged to use AU’s electric cars instead of their own diesel/petrol cars.
- AU staff who use their own cars for business trips are encouraged to carpool wherever possible.
- In relation to car rental, staff are encouraged to rent electric cars whenever it’s practically and economically feasible to do so.
On domestic travel
For domestic travel, as a general rule, staff should travel by train and/or carpool. However, there may be cases in which domestic air travel is necessary for practical or professional reasons, or in connection with international flights.
On booking air travel
Although it’s still possible to book plane tickets directly from the airline, all staff are strongly encouraged to use AU’s travel agency Carlson Wagonlit Travel Denmark (CWT) instead. For one thing, CWT can access data on carbon emissions from trips booked through them. The university needs this data in order to be able to evaluate whether its climate policy is having the desired effect. Read more about how to book travel with CWT and find user’s guides here (the site will be updated Monday 3 October).