Sustainable everyday life in Vienna

The Erasmus+ program gives special importance to the topic of the environment and combating climate change which is one of the horizontal priorities of Erasmus+. As such, students who travel by environmentally friendly means of transport receive special financial funding from their home universities through the Erasmus+ program, to name just one example for this.

 

Here you can find inspiration on how to make your everyday life in Vienna more sustainable:

Eating and drinking

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  • Drinkable tap water from the Alps

    Vienna's tap water is of excellent quality and drinkable. The fresh spring water comes directly from the Lower Austrian-Styrian Alps to Viennese households and university buildings via spring water pipelines.

     

     

  • Drinking fountains in public spaces

    The city of Vienna has around 1,500 public drinking fountains, which provide free drinking water in the city during the warmer months of the year.

  • Save food from being wasted

    Some initiatives try to combat food waste. With the TooGoodtoGo app, for example, overproduced food can be purchased at a reduced price. Participating restaurants and stores can indicate in the app if they have leftover food or dishes. You can then simply pick it up on site at a reduced price and save it from being thrown away.

Sustainable shopping & selling

You can buy used household items and clothes or shoes at a reasonable price in many second-hand stores or online. Libraries or book exchanges may save you from having to buy new textbooks or literature for your studies, thus protecting the environment and your wallet. At the end of your stay, you can sell the items you have purchased online or donate them to second-hand stores.

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  • Shopping, borrowing, selling
    • In the Carla Shops of Caritas, you can buy second-hand clothes as well as household goods such as crockery and furniture for your home.
    • There are also many second-hand stores, such as the Humana branches, where you can buy used clothes at reasonable prices.
    • Many household or leisure items such as furniture, bicycles or clothing are traded between private individuals via online platforms, for example Willhaben, which is widely used in Vienna; Vinted is also a good option for clothing.
    • Borrow or buy used books: A lot of textbooks and literature can be borrowed from the university libraries or the libraries of the City of Vienna; the book exchange of the Austrian Students’ Union at the University of Vienna (“ÖH Bücherbörse”) connects used books with new owners. 

Waste separation and waste avoidance

Packaging (except paper and glass) is collected in the yellow garbage containers in Vienna. Residential buildings generally have residual waste and waste paper (including cardboard) garbage containers, and some also have organic waste garbage containers. The City of Vienna provides information on waste avoidance and recycling here.

Mobility in and around Vienna

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  • Public transportation inside and outside Vienna

    Vienna has a good public transport network.

    Many surrounding countries can be easily reached from Vienna by train or bus. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) offer national and international train connections, including night trains. If you travel regularly by train, you may be able to save money with a Vorteilscard or a "Klima Ticket".

    If you have visitors in Vienna during your stay abroad, an environmentally friendly arrival and departure may also be an option for them.

  • Cycling in Vienna

    WienMobil has bicycles available throughout the city that can be rented at low cost.

    The city of Vienna also has a well-developed cycle network. 

     

     

  • Interrail Pass for Erasmus+

    This pass is valid for 6 months and can be used by Erasmus+ participants for arrival and departure as well as for travels during the Erasmus+ stay. 

    Please see here for detailed information: Interrail Pass for Erasmus+

Footprint calculator

The footprint calculator for Austria (“der Fußabdruck-Rechner”, link in German only) from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology calculates your ecological and CO2 footprint using questions on the following four areas of life: food, housing, mobility and consumption.

Sustainability at the University of Vienna

The University of Vienna makes a sustainable contribution in the areas of research, education, outreach and in its own university management. With its wide range of disciplines and over 180 degree programs, the University of Vienna is broadly positioned and has a strong basis for dealing with these challenges in a targeted manner and promoting interdisciplinary thinking.

On this website you will find information on a wide range of topics related to sustainability at the University of Vienna.

At the same time, everyone at the University can contribute to sustainability, e.g. in the areas of printing and online storage space or energy saving.