This page gathers various resources about eco responsibility at IRMP, as a complement to the Université en transition page. IRMP members are encouraged to share suggestions and testimonies they would like to see appearing on this page by sending them to the sustainable development comity.
Train travel
Brussels is particularly well connected to the european rail system. Most of the major cities of France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland can be reached in less than 8 hours of train. Some are even accessible in less than 5 hours (see image below, source: https://www.chronotrains.com).
Some useful resources to prepare a train trip:
- raileurope.com and thetrainline.com for searching for itineraries and purchasing tickets (more tips about purchases at https://www.seat61.com/railshop.htm)
- chronotrains.com (cities less than 5 hours away) and direkt.bahn.guru (cities reachable without changing trains)
- ecopassenger.org and myclimate.org, to compare CO2 emissions of a given journey done by plane, car or train
- www.seat61.com, a gold mine for tips and tricks
- sustainable travel from UGent, with a list of easily reachable cities, among other information.
Testimony (BRUSSELS – GENEVA)
For a trip from Brussels to Geneva, one can change in Lyon instead of Paris: while the travel time is similar (6h15), this avoids changing station in Paris using the RER or subway. The Lyon-Part-Dieu station also features a "zen space" to wait for your connection.
Commuting by bike
Please check the "vélo" page on the UCLouvain website. Notable information:
- You can get reimbursed for your bike commuting (see here)
- Showers are available in the MdH building in rooms WG 028/029
- A bike shelter is available in the Mendel building and soon another will be installed in front of the MdH
Elsewhere, at UCLouvain
The IRMP sustainable development charter was build as a response to the proposed charter from UCLouvain (see La charte pour une mobilité internationale responsable ). Another similar initiative is ingé en transition.