Alternatives to Professional Air Travel Are Flying Over Our Heads
Professional university air travel contributes to growing climate emissions globally. However, viable alternative transportation and conferencing options are not widely recognized. I interned at the University of Washington (UW) Sustainability Office with the objective of reducing the air travel footprint of faculty and staff on campus through improved communication. Awareness of alternatives was raised through presentations to professional parties and a quarterly communications plan. With literature reviews, I analyzed the challenges posed to the success of the alterna- tives, including self-interests and lack of sustainable infrastructure. My work created a stepping stone for providing future communication and sustainable travel efforts.
