This project has aimed to raise awareness among citizens about the need to change their behaviour habits in order to collaborate in the fight against climate change, through the use of Greenways.

This project has aimed to raise awareness among citizens about the need to change their behaviour habits in order to collaborate in the fight against climate change, through the use of Greenways.

Thus, the Spanish Railways Foundation (FFE) has promoted travel on these tracks, making citizens aware of their contribution to saving CO2 emissions, compared to other alternatives for travel, leisure and tourism that are polluting when carried out by motorised means.

The specific objectives of the project have been:

• To raise awareness and promote the participation of citizens in sustainable mobility and transport models, through the use of Greenways in their journeys.
• Raise awareness among the population about the threat and effects of climate change and its relationship with polluting gas emissions.
• Save on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, in a sector as key for our country as transport.

To this end, a series of activities have been developed:

Creation, maintenance and dissemination of the online tool “Greenways, Zero CO2” on the www.viasverdes.com website. A tool for measuring CO2 emission savings through the use of Greenways, which was operational from 1 April to 31 October 2011.

An emissions savings calculator tool was created, with the collaboration of ECODES, which has made it possible to quantify the number of participating users, the total kilometres travelled, the most travelled Greenways, the tonnes of CO2 saved and their comparison with vehicle trips.

Presentation and launch of the campaign. This activity served to present the project and the beginning of the campaign to the general public and to the collaborating partners. In April, a press release was sent to 19,000 recipients, including 1,500 media outlets, which kicked off the campaign. It set out the objectives and challenges of the meeting, trying to involve citizens and the media. For their part, the collaborating partners of this campaign disseminated the statement of the beginning of the “Greenways, Zero CO2” campaign among their members and associates.

Intense campaign in the media, social networks, and two trips to the Greenways with journalists and personalities. Special communiqués were sent to the press, television, radio, digital media, social networks, etc. As a result of the dissemination work, interviews were given and news and reports were published in various print media.

On the other hand, two press trips to Greenways were organized with journalists and personalities during the duration of the campaign. For the first, the press was summoned to participate in the visits to two Greenways in the Basque Country. These technical visits were part of the First Conference on Greenways in the Basque Country (14 and 15 June 2011), organised by the FFE. The second took place on September 17, 2011. The FFE organised a trip for journalists, personalities and collaborators of the campaign, together with the Biodiversity Foundation, Ferrovial and Renfe to the La Jara Greenway, in the province of Toledo. It was attended by about 20 journalists and professionals.

Campaign in organizations, collectives and collaborating companies through environmental groups, cyclists, etc., as well as the managers and promoters of the 83 Greenways. The campaign has included an action aimed at attracting support from organisations, groups and companies that has been carried out in parallel to the dissemination actions. Thus, informative material was prepared, which was sent to be placed in the tourist offices near Vías Verdes, accommodation, restaurants, mountain bike centers, rehabilitated stations, museums and environmental interpretation centers, courses and seminars in which it has participated and in general, among the partners and collaborators in the campaign.

The entity placed special emphasis on the distribution of informative material on the occasion of the National Greenways Day, celebrated on May 8, 2011, and the European Greenways Day, celebrated within the framework of the European Mobility Week, from September 16 to 22, 2011.

Citizen involvement campaign. One of the main activities developed in this action has been to promote the organization of “meetups” to travel the greenways in order to add kilometers to the project. These are open calls, which were very well received.

Informative event of the campaign. It was held on the Vía Verde de la Jara on September 17, 2011, coinciding with the second press trip and the presentation of the results of the campaign. During the activity, part of the 1,000 backpacks and 500 reflective bracelets screen-printed with the title of the campaign and the logos of the Spanish Railways Foundation and the Biodiversity Foundation were distributed.

Presentation of the results of the campaign. The entity took advantage of the trip organized for journalists to the La Jara Greenway, on September 17, within the framework of the European Mobility Week to present the results. The director of the Biodiversity Foundation participated in the event.