European Mobility Week: Sustainable mobility saves energy | Umweltbundesamt

The energy crisis affects many people's everyday lives and has prompted them to rethink. The motto of this year's European Mobility Week – Saving Energy – picks up on these developments. Against this background, municipalities from all over Europe are showing how sustainable mobility can work in everyday life. Because walking, cycling or sharing transport saves energy. This leads to fewer emissions, lower costs, a higher quality of life and thus protects the environment at the same time. The creative activities during EMW are intended to illustrate what sustainable mobility can look like in everyday life, which also saves energy and money", says Dirk Messner, President of the German Environment Agency.

In 2023, 177 cities, municipalities and districts will participate in the EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK in Germany. In addition, 85 non-municipal actors, including associations, universities, transport groups and companies, are involved in EMW with their own MOBILITY ACTIONS. They all show what sustainable mobility can look like on the ground: Mobility options are presented, tested and the street environment is changed in such a way that the focus turns to sustainable mobility and quality of life. Information events, competitions and glimpses behind the scenes also provide new perspectives and inspiration for everyday life.

In many municipalities, such as Backnang, Buchholz in der Nordheide and Gütersloh, campaigns are taking place around routes to school, addressing the issue of parents driving their children to school, and working together with children and young people on safe routes to school for cyclists and pedestrians. In Windeck, local car sharing is celebrating its first anniversary, and in Darmstadt, a large-scale traffic trial is testing what it would be like to have a traffic-calmed neighbourhood. In the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, many activities are dedicated to being sustainably mobile outdoors – whether with the X8 all-terrain wheelchair, the Outdoor Active Challenge or guided hikes.

In addition, the support materials of the EMW national coordination office at the German Environment Agency are being deployed in municipalities throughout Germany  From Schorndorf to Hanover to Sankt Augustin, citizens are receiving a small gift for sustainable commuting. Manual counting stations will count cyclists and numerous other campaigns will promote more sustainable mobility.

Further information:

European Mobility Week (EMW) is an EU campaign that gives local authorities across Europe the opportunity to raise awareness of sustainable mobility among their citizens. During the week of 16-22 September and beyond, measures will be established in consultation with citizens to make local transport more climate and environmentally friendly in the long term. At the same time, further actions will take place in more than 2566 cities and municipalities across Europe. In Germany, the EMW has been coordinated by the German Environment Agency since 2016.