We sometimes work in remote locations so often have no option other than to drive to these sites. Driving on business is one of the biggest impacts that we have on the environment, so we have set ourselves a specific reduction target for business mileage.
We’ve dramatically reduced the number of miles we have driven. In doing so, we have reduced our carbon emissions significantly. Since 2005/6 we’ve reduced our total annual mileage by around 14 million miles – that’s enough for 30 trips to the moon and back!
How have we done it?
- We set mileage targets or mileage budgets for our teams to stick to;
- We have a ‘travel hierarchy’, which sets out how all our staff decide which mode of transport is best to use. So if a member of our staff is travelling to a meeting at an office that’s near a railway station, we’d normally expect them to travel by train. Driving somewhere on your own is the last resort in this hierarchy;
- We have made it easy for staff to choose alternatives and use public transport by providing an online booking tool, timetables, walking maps, lift share schemes, and setting up bike users’ groups;
- We have an online car sharing tool, which our staff use to find people that might be able to give them a lift to a business meeting, or share their journey to and from work with.
What next?
We will keep checking how we’re progressing towards our 2015 target. We will continue to take advantage of new technology to reduce our mileage and the emissions that it produces.
