Work travel

If you are concerned about the environment but think nothing of hopping in your car every day and driving to work, you need to be asking yourself the following question: is taking the car absolutely necessary, or could you find another way of getting there?

There is no escaping the fact that cars and other small vehicles are a key contributor to both CO² emissions and air pollution – even today’s newer, greener models that are built with the environment in mind. So if you are to abandon your car, then what are the options available?

Start walking

Walking has to be the easiest option – it’s environmentally friendly and totally free! Almost anyone can do it, you can go at your own pace and you don’t need any special equipment – although you might want to make sure you get some comfortable shoes.

Not only is walking good for the environment, it has great health benefits too. According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week can help improve your fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Bear in mind your own personal safety when walking to and from work – don’t take any routes where you feel there may be the risk of harm, and in the darker winter months take extra caution in the dark by wearing reflective, high visibility clothing.

If your journey to work is too far to walk, then why not…

Get on your bike

Just like walking, regular cycling is not only good for the environment but good for your health. Both are also good for your pocket. Once you have paid for your bike – and a decent bike can retail at £100 or less (unless you want to spend more) – then think of all the money you will save on petrol. If your car averages 30 miles per gallon and your journey to and from work is 30 miles, then you will be spending over £5 a day – that’s £25 a week or in excess of £100 a month!

Get your employer involved

Why not encourage the company you work for to get involved. Certain local authorities will help subsidise cycling schemes – for instance, the Take a Stand Scheme run by Transport for London helps provide employers with free cycle stands.

You should also investigate the tax advantages of cycling. Your employer can get you a tax-free bike through the green transport scheme. For more information on cycling to work, then you can also check out Sustrans, the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity and coordinator of the National Cycle Network. But do make sure that you take all the appropriate safety precautions when you are on your bike.

Many businesses these days are implementing Travel Plans under an initiative from the Department of Transport to cut down the amount of car travel into work. These include schemes that give preferred parking to car sharers, cycle spaces for cyclists, right down to flexibility of working from home so you don’t have to travel at all.

Public transport

There are times when walking or cycling simply isn’t an option – so if you do need to travel by other means, you should consider public transport. Carbon emissions per person are much less for buses and trains than for cars. And mass transit systems in most places around the UK are clean and efficient.

Car sharing

If there is simply no other method of getting to work other than taking a car or other vehicle, then you might want to consider car sharing. Theoretically, four people sharing one car rather than taking four cars will cut emissions by up to 75%. You can start off by asking your colleagues at work, or why not see if there are any car sharing schemes near you.