About 250 UG employees might lose their permit for a parking spot at the university. This will affect people who live less than fifteen kilometres from their workplace.
The measure is to ensure that employees become aware of their car use and that the emission of harmful gases and particulate matter is reduced. It is part of the UG’s Sustainability Roadmap, which strives for a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions in 2026.
The limitation of the parking permit mainly affects people who work at Zernike. Now, the limit there is set at 8.1 kilometres. For people who work at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, the limit is 12 kilometres. Arts is already applying a 15-kilometer limit.
This being said, employees do not have to turn in their permits immediately: there will be a transitional arrangement first.
Commuting
Additionally, the UG is going to take a fresh look at the compensation for commuting and see if a higher compensation for public transport might be useful. There are also plans to expand the bicycle compensation arrangement.
Business travels should also become ‘greener.’ Starting 1 January 2023, employees are only allowed to travel by plane if they have to travel more than 800 kilometres or are travelling for more than nine hours. At the moment, the limit is set at 500 kilometres or six hours of travelling time.
100 percent compensation
By 2026, the UG wants to compensate 100 percent of the carbon emission from air travels. How this should be done is yet unclear. Finally, the travel agent where the UG purchases its business travels is going to make clear how much carbon a plane trip emits per person (anonymized).
‘That way, the impact of such a choice is immediately made clear’, Hans Biemans of the board of directors says.