Inspired by conversations within ESTRO and between colleauges, a group of twelve researchers from Aarhus decided to travel green for this year’s ESTRO conference in Vienna.

A big part of radiotherapy professionals’ lives is international collaboration, meetings, seminars and conferences. We have learned from the pandemic period that we can host effective meetings online, but just as important is it to gather for scientific conferences, share our ideas, network and be inspired.

The annual ESTRO conference gathers European radiotherapy professionals, this year in Vienna May 12-16. The live presentations and discussions are an essential part of radiotherapy research and treatment developments. So how to reduce your carbon footprint when travelling across Europe? One way is to skip the flight and get on the night train.

‘Caring for the planet while strengthening the team by travelling together is a “win-win” situation which carries both personal and professional motivation and value,’ explains professor at DCPT, Kari Tanderup.

In close collaboration with PhD student Nadine Vatterodt, they launched the initiative aiming to inspire and engage everyone in green initiatives but at the same time wanting to increase the team spirit among colleauges.

‘I want to encourage people to consider green transportation whenever possible, because it is one of the practices I find to be the simplest to implement for a more conscious lifestyle. Inspiring and motivating each other to make a positive impact on the planet is way more fun than acting independently,’ Nadine Vatterodt says.

There are also PhD students on their research stays abroad traveling by train to Vienna from Amsterdam and all the way from Stockholm.

Not for everyone – yet

The group would of course have liked all of their colleauges to travel green. Some of the obstacles the organisers faced were evident and understandable; travel prices and schedules of course matter in a sometimes hectic professional and personal life. Clinicians might find it specifically challenging to take out extra travel time from the clinic. Also, availability of train tickets was a challenge even when booking more than two months in advance, and joint bookings required joint payments.

The first step was launching a survey locally in Aarhus to evaluate the interest. Many respondents showed an interest in joining the green travel options, highlighting the future potential.

Hopefully, the green travel options will develop more in the coming years.

‘I hope that train transportation in Europe will develop so that more travel options become available at a price competitive to flights. Also, it is so important that our managers and organisations prioritise green travelling, even if this option is more time consuming,’ says Kari Tanderup.

Facts

Green travel inspiration for the radiotherapy community:

  • Follow the travel experiences of the Aarhus group via social media and the hashtags #GoGreen23 and #TheAarhusGreenTeam