Home |
Your Council |
News and communications |
June news |
News and communications
News and communications
Commuters cut climate change gas
.jpg)
Green commuters have stopped almost 20,500kg of emissions from cars -- the weight of two double-decker buses.
They did it by taking part in Portsmouth's annual Big Green Commuter Challenge, which encourages workers to leave their cars at home and use trains, buses, bikes and feet instead.
The emissions saved include the greenhouse gas CO2 and other pollution from exhaust pipes.
This year's event, between 12 and 16 May, saved more miles than ever before, with 879 people from 35 organisations taking part. They saved 51,984 car miles -- about the same as of travelling from Portsmouth to Beijing and back five times.
The event was organised by Portsmouth City Council. Some of the other big employers taking part included Havant Borough Council, Southern Electric, the Marriott Hotel, Highbury College, VT Shipbuilding, the Royal Navy, the Spinnaker Tower and the University of Portsmouth.
The winner of the challenge was the Portsmouth office of Transalis, who also won in the small firm category. Transalis, a electronic communications company new to the event, saved an impressive 207 miles per employee.
Transalis director Aniello Sabatino said: "People were really enthusiastic about the commuter challenge because it's a topical issue and it's an issue that we are taking very seriously as a company."
The winner in the large organisation category was Havant Borough Council, which saved 12.1 miles per employee. The Spinnaker Tower team won the medium category, with 13.4 miles saved per employee.
Most people chose to walk to use the train (31%), with 21% car-sharing, 17% cycling, 10% using the bus and 9% walking. They totted up how many car miles they saved during the day as well as during the journey to work.
Organiser Amanda Morris, the council's travel plan co-ordinator, said: "The challenge is in its sixth year now, and it just goes from strength to strength. This year's total of 35 organisations taking part is almost triple the number involved the first time.
"I was really pleased to see 16 new organisations taking part this year and contributing to the massive number of miles saved during the week. Running It for a week was a good idea as commuters got more chances to take part."
Date : 27 June 20082008
Our publications
Flagship - your magazineHouseTalk magazine
Term Times
Other media information
Emergency newsMedia centre
RSS news feeds
