Today marks the start of European Mobility Week (EMS), a campaign coordinated in Spain by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment under the slogan “Move for Cleaner Air”. The aim of this campaign is to invite citizens to reflect on the impact of transport on air quality and to commit to cleaner air.

Today marks the start of European Mobility Week (EMS), a campaign coordinated in Spain by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment under the slogan “Move for Cleaner Air”. The aim of this campaign is to invite citizens to reflect on the impact of transport on air quality and to commit to cleaner air.

Within the framework of the SEM 2013, the Biodiversity Foundation is launching the “Sustainable Mobility Challenge” Campaign, an initiative that seeks to promote citizen participation in improving mobility. Through this campaign, which is expected to reach 20,000 users, it is intended that society and administrations acquire a commitment to carry out individually or collectively a challenge that they can disseminate on social networks through the hashtag #RetoMovilidad.

As part of the campaign, the Biodiversity Foundation has organised an Entrepreneurship Survey on sustainable mobility. Organized by the Red emprendeverde, it was held on September 12 at the headquarters of the MAGRAMA in Gran Vía de San Francisco with the aim of publicizing various business initiatives linked to sustainable mobility. In the same way, the Biodiversity Foundation will publish a special edition of the Red emprendeverde information Bulletin with specialized content around sustainable mobility initiatives.

The European Mobility Week emerged in 1999 and from 2000 onwards had the political and financial support of the European Commission. It is held every year, from 16 to 22 September, with various dissemination activities to promote sustainable mobility and encourage the development of good practices and permanent measures in cities. It is also about promoting the benefits of using more sustainable modes of transport such as public transport, cycling and walking.

On September 22, the event “The city, without my car!” will also be held, the origin of this European initiative, which aims to find new solutions to the problems associated with the increase in traffic in cities.

The theme chosen this year by the European Commission has been “Move for cleaner air” to draw attention to the impact that transport and the individual decisions of citizens have on the air we breathe and on our health. The SEM has become one of the most comprehensive awareness-raising instruments at European level. This year, of the 1,561 European cities that have joined this initiative so far, 368 are Spanish, which demonstrates their active participation, with more than 1,000 permanent measures presented.

Within the framework of policies to improve air quality, this year the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved the National Plan for Air Quality and Atmospheric Protection 2013-2016 (Plan AIRE), which proposes actions to improve air quality in cities to protect people’s health and the environment.