Organisations that help their workers reduce their dependence on the car are not only benefitting the environment but finding there are financial and productivity benefits too.
In Nottingham, E.ON, one of the UK's leading electricity and gas companies, has implemented an extensive and very successful green travel scheme at the company's Sherwood Business Park. The scheme focuses on promoting car sharing, cycling and travelling by public transport. E.ON is expanding its travel scheme across all its sites and as part of this, 38 newly designated car share spaces, within the main car park at the company's Phoenix Park office, opened today, Monday 16 March.
Chris Woodhall, E.ON's UK Travel Plan Co-ordinator, said:
"So far, travel planning has saved us over 3 million miles, 755 tonnes of CO2, and 205 tons of carbon. A big part of what we do in the E.ON Workplace Improvement Team is using our expertise and finding innovative ways to continually work to reduce our impact on the environment in all areas of our operations. We think it's important to share both our successes, and some of the ideas that did not work so well, with our business customers."
The National Business Travel Network (NBTN) - a Department for Transport initiative - is a business-to-business network that enables companies to share best practice and promote the idea of workplace travel plans.
Heather McInroy, NBTN Programme Director said:
"Our network exists so that we can demonstrate - through real examples - how businesses can reduce their employees' car dependency and bring about financial, social and environmental benefits.
"We hope that by demonstrating the successful initiatives out there that we can encourage and inspire more businesses and their employees to set up travel plans and more sustainable travel.
"As well as strong environmental reasons to reduce commuting and business travel by car, there are substantial cost savings to be realised by organisations too".
Current initiatives at E.ON's Sherwood Business Park include:
- Car sharing scheme across UK with a recent increase in car sharing bays from 48 to 131 at Sherwood Business Park
- Sherwood Business Park intranet pages promoting the sustainable travel options available to employees
Promotion events and campaigns in 2008 included:
- Three sustainable travel road shows
- Free prize giveaways to staff who cycle to work
- Car share promotion focusing on the cost by using petrol forecourt style displays
- Car share and cycle week
- Valentine's Day promotion for car share scheme entitled 'Find your perfect partner'
- Promotion of low CO2 company car options, providing the opportunity to test drive a VW BlueMotion and Ford Econetic cars
- Eco driving courses for car share drivers to help them drive in a more fuel efficient way
- Green travel incentive scheme
- Introduction of a Connaught hybrid minibus to collect employees from Hucknall tram/train station and provide access to the local transport hub for business journeys to other local offices
- Partnership working to improve the public services links to the business park estate and improve company bus routes
NBTN members include a wide range of organisations, from global corporations and high-street names, such as E.ON, AstraZeneca, BskyB, BT, Orange and Vodafone, to government bodies and small companies. The NBTN has a strategy for all businesses - small or large, private or public sector.
Government policy is to encourage sustainable travel to reduce the negative social, economic and environmental impacts associated with over reliance on the car. With 37% of car miles driven in relation to commuting and business travel - and 85% of these miles being driven alone (no passengers being carried) - businesses have an important role to play in supporting the sustainability agenda.
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