Sustainable development
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| UITP Direct welcomes Eveline Branders, Co-chairperson of the Climate Change and Communications Joint Working Group and Sustainable Development Manager of STIB, Brussels’ public transport operator.
The joint Climate Change and Communications Working Group was launched in October. Could you tell us more about the role of this group?
This joint working group highlights that only a close collaboration can enable us to communicate in a convincing way on climate change. Environmentalists can provide complete and accurate information on the subject whereas communicators have the ability to turn it into understandable and accessible messages.
For public transport networks, this is the right moment to communicate as climate change is under the spotlight. We must reiterate to citizens but also to political decision-makers that behavioural change in favour of public transport is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to combat climate change.
One of the first topics in the agenda of the group was the UNEP/UITP international television campaign. What is next in the pipeline?
The next mission of the working group is to create a database of the campaigns already developed by public transport networks around the world. We will collect information on the type of messages conveyed, the target audiences, the type of partnerships developed but also on the way the results are measured not only in terms of visibility but also in terms of credibility and/or behavioural change. We will also look into the level of investments allocated to such campaigns. This database will provide us with a broad view of best practices worldwide and will hopefully enable us to identify targeted and realistic actions that have offered an excellent return on investment for a limited budget.
Ms Branders, thank you very much.
And congratulations to STIB for winning the Belgian 2008 premium award for Energy and Environment.
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For public transport networks, this is the right moment to communicate as climate change is under the spotlight. |
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July 2008
Communicating on climate change
The Climate Change and Communications Working Group, co-organised by UITP’s Communications Department and the Sustainable Development Commission, met in Brussels, Belgium, in July. This working group is collecting examples of communications campaigns that use climate change as one of the main messages. An interesting example of a campaign was presented by the Brussels public transport operator, STIB, which compared the CO2 emissions from public transport to specific brands of cars during the city’s annual car show. The group will be sending out a questionnaire on climate change campaigns during the summer. The results will be presented during the Conference on Sustainable Development in Milan this October, and will also be available on Mobi+.
CONTACT: Aline Talabard, aline.talabard@uitp.org, or Heather Allen, heather.allen@uitp.org
June 2008
Sustainable development in Asia
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Members of the Sustainable Development Commission met in Seoul in June. |
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THE SUSTAINABLE Development Commission met in Seoul, South Korea in June. This was combined with a one day seminar hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Development Institute. Seoul is one of the leading cities in Asia for its commitment to integrating sustainable principles at city development level. This includes its excellent Bus Rapid Transit system with median lanes and a world class smart card system that passengers can use to pay for their trips on both the metro and buses but also for taxi rides and for parking.
Over 150 participants attended the seminar with some 30 international visitors making it a learning experience for all. A group from Barcelona, Spain; Melbourne, Australia; and Salt Lake City, USA, went to Bangkok to visit the metro installations.
Senior management from Bangkok Metro (BMCL) took the occasion to officially sign the charter. UITP also held a masterclass for some 45 of their staff to help them fully understand their commitment to the charter. Any charter signatory wishing to invite UITP to make a masterclass is invited to contact us.
Presentations of the seminar are available on Mobi+.
CONTACT: Heather Allen, heather.allen@uitp.org |
