What does academic travel look like when it’s aligned with sustainability and respecting biodiversity? This summer, Hanna Oksanen and Lumi Aalto-Setälä from the BIODIFUL research project are going on a journey from Turku, Finland to Oslo, Norway for the ISEE-Degrowth 2025 conference. A new video series takes a closer look at the different dimensions of academic travel from carbon footprints to institutional policies, and from personal responsibility to planetary limits.
How can travel practices in academia and business be more sustainable? What does it take to reduce emissions without sacrificing collaboration and learning? Are time and money more valuable resources than the nature?
The trip is designed to minimize environmental impact while considering the benefits of academic and business travel. Along the way, Lumi and Hanna will interview researchers, sustainability coordinators and other experts to investigate how institutions and individuals make travel decisions, and how these decisions reflect broader societal values.
As part of BIODIFUL, a research initiative exploring biodiversity respectful leadership and futures thinking, the project links academic theory with real-world action. The journey is part of a social media campaign that invites viewers to reflect on their own academic or business travel habits and institutional structures.
The main goal of this project is to develop and test sustainable travel practices that individuals and organizations can realistically adopt in their everyday lives. We aim to raise awareness of the environmental and social consequences of academic travels. A central focus is placed on how organizations can support and enable green mobility, and how universities might act as leaders and role models for the wider society, including the business sector. Through documenting the journey in real time, the project seeks to transparently share both the practical successes and challenges of making more sustainable choices – highlighting what works, what doesn’t, and what still needs to change.
The project is shared on social media throughout the journey. Before the trip, we interview experts and introduce the research background and explain why we are doing this. During the trip, we post real-time updates, sharing what we learn and experience. We will present a video and visual summary at the ISEE-Degrowth 2025 conference, showing what the journey taught us about sustainable travel. Follow the video series from BIODIFUL’s social media channels (Instagram, Facebook ja LinkedIn) and with #ISEEbyLand.
Who are we?
Lumi Aalto-Setälä is a doctoral researcher at the Turku School of Economics, focusing in the theory-practice gap in environmental decision-making.
Hanna Oksanen is a professional photographer and visual communication specialist at the Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku.
Follow along as we explore what academic travel is really made of and what the future of green mobility might look like.
