How might we reduce emissions from business travel and commuting to and from ANU?

About this Event

This digital workshop (via zoom) provides an opportunity to share your ideas for how the Australian National University (ANU) might reduce greenhouse gas emissions from travel. The event will kick off with very short presentations to set the scene by:

• Nancy Richardson, Executive Officer in the Office of the Dean of the College of Science
• Anne Napier, ACT Government Active Travel Coordinator
• Caitlyn Baljak, Undergraduate student at ANU
• Josue Martinez Moreno, PhD student, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences

Participants will then be invited to share their ideas for how ANU can achieve this goal (40 mins). All contributors are requested to keep their statements very short and concise to allow a range of people to contribute.

This is a public workshop event and will be recorded. The recording will be made available through the ANU Below Zero website and to those who register using the Registration link above. Please read the Consultation Information Sheet, User Guide and Moderation Guidelines which detail important information and the terms and conditions of engaging with this process.

ANU Below Zero Consultation

In February 2020, ANU called for urgent action to address climate change and committed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to below zero, as soon as possible.

ANU are now undertaking a consultation process around how we can address climate change. Consultation is open from 8 Sept -20 October 2020 and you can participate by:

• Registering for this workshop
• And / or contributing your ideas and build on other people’s ideas via our online idea capturing platform - Ideanote*

*In order to post/save your idea, you will be asked to join ANU Below Zero after hitting the submit button. You can use your ANU ID and password by clicking the Single Sign On (SAML) option.

The consultation has been divided into seven themes. You can also engage on the other themes:

• Energy and Buildings
• Behavioural Change
• Reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases
• Integrating Below Zero operations, research & teaching
• Finance, investment and purchasing
• Leadership and targets

Background on travel

Before COVID-19, business-related air travel comprised one of the University’s largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Commuting to and from campus is also a major source of emissions that has yet to be quantified.

To enable ANU students and staff to make wise decisions about how to reduce GHG emissions from their travel, we will need good information about the GHG impacts of planned travel and alternative approaches.

COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to reset our habits around business and personal travel, demonstrating what can be achieved by video and tele-conferencing.

Encouraging the use of low and zero emissions forms of transport will require a combination of practical measures, behaviour change campaigns and incentives to facilitate and encourage emissions-free commuting options. Many, but not all, of these approaches have been outlined in the Acton Campus Master Plan.