Tony Nicholls
Chances are you may have seen the new campaign from the Government’s Act On co2 initiative. It’s not as hard-hitting as some existing climate change campaigns (check out this polar bear one!) but it outlines the simplicity in doing our bit to help in the fight against global warming.
After all, we can all drive five miles less a week, can’t we?
Well, I thought I’d prove it by cycling to work once a week. Because, at our company, we like to practise what we preach. Hopefully it might make you do something similar.
We’re lucky at our company to work in Richmond, a lovely part of the world (come visit us sometime!) I live roughly six miles from work – a distance I’ve always seen as a bit too far to cycle but my journey by car is often slow (as it is throughout London during rush hour). But since seeing the ad, I’ve dusted off my bike and donned the saddle once more.
And to prove I didn’t cheat, here are a few photos of my cycle ride to work this week.
A cold but pleasant winter morning An enjoyable downhill stretch
They’re not camera-shy, are they?!
I don’t want to go over the top with how much I enjoyed my cycle, but I can honestly say I felt less stressed and a lot more awake once at my desk.
So awake, in fact, that I decided to try to quantify the benefits of my new journey.
Firstly, by doing my 12-mile round trip by bike instead of car, I saved 4.32kgCO2, burning off roughly 520 calories.
My car (a Ford Focus) does around 40mpg so I saved 0.30 gallons of petrol, a cash saving of around £1.42.
So if I did that journey just once a week, I’d save 224.64kgCO2, burn 27,040 calories and save myself £75.84 in petrol a year. Not bad, eh?
What’s even more inspiring is that if all 20 our company employees did the same, we’d collectively save 4,493kgCO2 a year.
And that’s what it’s all about, really. Just making those little changes. And once everyone makes these small changes, we’ll really start to see some big differences.
So what are you waiting for? On your bikes.
Shaz Manelli
