New Green Travel Incentive for AEC events!
Building on AEC’s broader sustainability journey and promoting greener travel choices to attend AEC events, we are happy to announce the launch of the Green Travel Incentive, our pilot initiative. It is designed to support environmentally friendly travel and reduce the impact created by event-related travel.
The Green Travel Incentive was first introduced during the AEC’s International Relation Coordinators (IRCs) meeting at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest (17–20 September 2025) and was then proposed again at the AEC Annual Congress at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg (5–8 November 2025).
This initiative encourages and normalises low-carbon travel, such as by train, bus, or shared mobility—as a sustainable alternative to air travel. It reflects the AEC’s ongoing commitment to reducing its environmental footprint (e.g. two AEC staff members also travelled from Brussels to Salzburg by train). The initiative also aims to raise awareness of the impact of travel choices within the higher music education sector (for further guidance, see the Play Green! Recommendations).
Selection criteria included distance travelled, geographical diversity, and total travel time. The winners were waived of the registration fee, received encouraging gifts and were recognised at the Opening ceremony and on AEC social media platforms.
The winners of the Green Travel incentive for AEC IRCs 2025 are Anita de Jong and Noémi Parragh (Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität), Annalena Zernott and Sabine Jakobs (Musikhochschule Münster), and Katarzyna Bartos (K. Lipinski Academy of Music in Wroclaw).
The Green Travel Incentive for the AEC Congress was awarded to Ema Proso Šepec (Academy of Music, University of Zagreb), Joris Blanckaert (Hogeschool Gent School of Arts), and Daniel Abrahamsson (Malmö Academy of Music).
Keep reading to discover what inspired participants to skip the plane and choose more environmentally friendly ways of travelling.
At the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, we are preparing a strategy in which sustainability will become an integral part of our institutional vision and practice. […] Participation in the AEC Congress through low-carbon transport is an extension of our current efforts to model environmentally responsible behaviour within our high music education community.
Ema Proso Šepec, University of Zagreb Academy of Music
Choosing the train instead of flying reflects my personal values and my desire to contribute to a more sustainable and responsible way of participating in European events. Train travel is not only more ecological but also offers a calm and reflective rhythm. It offers me time to prepare for the congress and to think about how I can make the most of what I will gain, both for my personal development and by enriching my fellow students through sharing the knowledge and ideas from the congress. … I strongly believe that sustainability should be an integral part of both our artistic and academic life. Through this choice, I wish to support the AEC’s vision of raising awareness about sustainable travel within higher music education and to set a positive example for other students who wish to reduce their environmental footprint.
Marina Kelaidoni, Conservatorio di Musica C․ Pollini – Padova
For all my AEC-related travels […] I have travelled and will continue to travel green. There’s not much to explain: it’s my way of reducing my ecological footprint. My family and I have also decided not to fly for holidays, opting instead for wonderful long-distance train journeys. The advantages are plenty and easily outweigh the downsides: it’s comfortable, there’s time to actually read, the locations and historical value of most railway stations are far more interesting than airport terminals, babies cry less, and most importantly: there’s no music, which is infinitely better than airport Muzak.
Joris Blanckaert, Hogeschool Gent School of Arts
This decision is not just about one trip: it’s part of a broader commitment to environmental sustainability that I try to apply both in my personal life and in my professional practice. Travelling by train significantly reduces emissions per passenger compared to air travel, and I see this choice as a concrete step toward more climate-responsible behaviour. …This is also a response to the broader cultural shift that the AEC is helping to lead. I strongly believe that those of us working in education and culture have a duty to make more sustainable choices, even when they require more effort…
Francesco Zangheri, Conservatorio di Musica C. Pollini – Padova
Stay tuned to apply for the Green Travel incentive for our next events.
