Partir Vert – more than just a financial support…(EN)

What does Partir Vert mean to you?

When the Assocation Sciences Po Environnement carried out a carbon analysis in 2009 we found out that more than 80% of our carbon emissions were related to travel. A bit of a shock perhaps but it made sense when we thought about how much students, professors and associates moved around it made sense. On the one hand this mobility of people was an integral and enriching part of life at Sciences Po. On the other hand something had to be done to reduce the impact of this.

So, what did we do? We came up with a financial support for those who switched to less emitting forms of transport such as the train or the bus or even the bike etc. Furthermore we help pay for offsetting your flights.

What’s more though, we started thinking about travelling in general. When you leave for another country how do you get there? What does the journey mean to you? For us, it’s a time to reflect, to meet different people, a bubble between your two destinations. I know I have so many stories from the journey itself which were more than half of the fun. I’ve also used that time to rest, to read, to break away from every day life or even to get the work done for my final destination. It’s also a transition which you can really experience, you can follow the changing scenery and see the changing architecture and history. Think about what travelling means to you?

On top of that do think about your impact when you leave. There’s an English saying about travelling “take only photos, leave only footprints”. I would change this to “take only photos, leave no carbon footprint”. So think about what “partir vert” (travelling green) means to you as well?

Think about it, and I look forward to hearing more about our journeys…