The goal of the “Sustainability Months” running from September to May is to tune our everyday habits to become a bit more sustainable. In other words: we raise topics, spark reflection, and encourage changes in habits. The academic year starts with a subject that stirs the strongest emotions – car dependency. While cars are convenient and often necessary, their excessive use creates problems for everyone. That is why September’s focus is on transport and mobility.

Engines and mileage keep growing

Estonia is one of the most car-dependent countries in Europe: while the European average is 570 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, Estonia has 630, placing us 5th (Eurostat). Half of Estonia’s total road traffic mileage comes from Harju County, and of that, half takes place in Tallinn. Even though vehicles are becoming more economical, the total mileage keeps increasing year by year, and people are choosing larger-engine cars (Transport Administration, 2025).

Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector in Estonia amounted to 2,647.95 thousand tons the year before last, and the trend is still rising, even though the target is to reduce this to 1,700 thousand tons by 2035 (Statistics Estonia). At the same time, 52.8% of Estonians aged 16–64 are overweight or obese. Excess weight is already playing a bigger role in health risks during childhood and adolescence (EIHD, 2025).

Constant traffic noise also harms health – in the EU it is considered the second biggest health risk after air pollution. Almost 40%, or about 160,000 residents of Tallinn, live with an unhealthy level of traffic noise. In Tallinn, traffic is the main source of noise (Tallinn City Government), while the average car trip here is just 3 km. Nearly 85% of TalTech’s daily mobility footprint is linked to the Mustamäe campus, even though around 4,300 people reach campus from within just 5 km.

Start small: just one day of trying

Of course, there are situations and places where a car is unavoidable. In September, we invite you to reflect on and recognize which situations truly require a car, and where car use could be reduced.

If you’re used to driving everywhere, leaving the car at home may seem nearly impossible. But start with just one day, to see what options actually exist on your usual routes. Open Google Maps and ask it to guide you to your destination by foot or by public transport. Maybe you’ll discover a pleasant 10–15-minute walk to the nearest bus stop (or even a slightly farther one, since if the area is nice, walking might start to feel good for both body and mind!).

There are other options too. Maybe the distance could be safely covered by a rental bike? Or perhaps your home lies on a friend’s or colleague’s daily route, and you could ride together in one car? That would mean one less engine rumbling in the city!

In Tallinn, trains can also be a quick and convenient connection. It depends on schedules and destinations, but for example, between Ülemiste and Telliskivi or Nõmme and the Old Town, the train is one of the best ways to travel – not to mention Keila, Saue, or Raasiku.

What each of us can do in September

• Experiment with yourself: Every time you get into your car, ask: Do I really need to drive right now, or could I walk, take the bus, or share a ride with a friend?
• Experiment with others: While stuck in traffic, count how many cars coming the other way have just one person inside. How much smaller would the jam be if even a third of them shared a car or took the bus?
• Do an account balance test: How many kilometers per week and month do you drive purely convenience trips that could be done without a car? How much fuel do you burn for them? How many euros could you set aside each month – say, for a birthday party or a house fund – if you replaced these trips with (free) public transport?
• Measure your health: How many active minutes do you normally get in a day if you use your car for errands? How many do you get if you leave the car at home? And how many if you use the car only for places otherwise hard to reach, but switch to other modes after that?
• Time is a main argument for choosing cars. So measure how many minutes per day and week you actually spend in traffic jams. How do you usually spend that time – doing something useful, enjoyable, or relaxing? (Bonus question: Do traffic jams make you angry?) If you spent the same time on a bus, what useful, enjoyable, or relaxing things could you do while sitting there? (Bonus tip: it’s also a good place to meditate.)
• Share your progress, struggles, joys, and frustrations in the Facebook group Roheampsud.

What we can do together in September

• From September, you’ll find directions and departure times for the nearest buses displayed near the main entrances of Mustamäe campus. Take a look – maybe one goes exactly where you need!
• All buildings on Mustamäe campus are within a maximum 10-minute walk. Driving doesn’t save much time, yet many still do. To help, we’ll bring in some alumni-donated bicycles to serve as campus bikes for staff and students to cycle to a neighboring building.
• If you bike to work or class, depending on the distance and your enthusiasm, you may want to wash up. We’ll mark “wash points” on the campus map – check info online at www.taltech.ee/rohekuud under September.
• The TalTech Cycling Club invites anyone interested to join their evening rides to exciting spots – for example, planned excursions to the TV Tower, Song Festival Grounds, Observatory and more. Follow info at www.taltech.ee/rohekuud (September) and in the Facebook group Roheampsud.
• To add motivation for trying alternatives, 15 parking spots at the Student House will be closed until 22 September. Instead, you can shoot hoops with friends or work out at the outdoor gym. Coop Bank and Tuleva will host a “Financial Literacy Afternoon” there, you can try out the Self-Driving Car, and who knows, maybe more surprises!
• On 22 September, we’ll celebrate World Car-Free Day in style.

Car-Free Day at TalTech

By 22 September, a good number of our university family will already have discovered some car-free mobility options, and we can mark World Car-Free Day in a half-empty parking lot, as it should be.

Don’t stay home that day – come to the university by foot, bike, bus, taxi, or carpool, because the freed-up parking space will be full of activities:

• Student championships in 3x3 street basketball
• Mini-golf and obstacle driving
• Ping pong and darts
• Burgers and a live DJ set
• A campus tour with the Self-Driving Car or a timed race changing the wheel of the world’s fastest Student Formula car
• At 6 PM, the TalTech Cycling Club will gather at the Main Building to ride to the Tour d’ÖÖ starting point and join the rest of Tallinn’s cyclists for an evening ride
• And when it gets dark, as a thank you for a month of car-free efforts, we invite everyone to an open-air cinema: screening this year’s Estonian box-office hit Fränk, with the filmmakers and actors present to answer questions and give autographs after the show.