Electrifying Reading Station

FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS

The aim is to become one of the UK’s first climate-neutral train stations
Electrifying key routes on the railway will mean faster, greener, quieter and more reliable journeys for thousands of passengers.
The overall goals are pointing towards climate-and fossil fuel-free district in 2030 where carbon dioxide emissions below 1.5 tonnes per person per year by 2020

Electric trains emits circa 20-35% less carbon per passenger than a diesel train. With zero emissions at the point of use, they improve air quality in pollution hot spots such as city centres and main line stations. Electric trains are quieter than diesels and are virtually silent when waiting at stations.

Read about the progress at Reading station area development:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/reading

How changing car buyers’ behaviour can help cut CO2 from road transport

easitNETWORK is a powerful working partnership designed to support
and encourage the most influential businesses in a local area to adopt
alternative and sustainable transport behaviours to reduce pollution,
ease congestion and increase satisfaction within its staff base.

By bringing together the major employers in an area, easitNETWORK
generates a critical mass, enabling the introduction and use of far more initiatives
that could not necessarily be taken up by one of the organisations alone. The benefits of this approach are in establishing a working partnership and a sizeable group that is more effective in lobbying for changes to public transport provision, generating funding for new initiatives and creating a better sense of community. Since launching in 2005, easitNETWORK has grown to represent over 60 businesses employing over
200,000 staff in the South East!

http://www.easit.org.uk/easitthamesvalley.php

zipcar

A community of folks who’ve found out that car sharing beats the heck outta car rental or ownership.

green benefits – this idea is bigger than all of us…

Imagine a world with one million fewer cars on the road. We do. Every day we are working towards a place with less dependence on personally-owned vehicles. Why? Because it matters. Less cars on the road means less congestion, less pollution, less dependence on oil, and cleaner, fresher air to breathe. Some folks don’t believe it’s possible for car sharing to have such a huge impact.

http://www.zipcar.com/business/is-it/greenbenefits

25 years ago since the first emissions trading – Glastonbury U.K.

Honor of the COP 18/CMP 8 Climate Change Negotiations final Day

On 6 December 1987, 25 years ago, Maureen’s Pet shop of Glastonbury in (Somerset) bought carbon offset corresponding her pet shop’s total emissions, as calculated by the Carbon Markets Association. The compensation was done with tree planting and was the world’s first. Since then, only the CDM market has offset emissions of over a billion metric tonnes of CO₂.

Please use existing traffic regulation powers to prohibit unnecessary idling!

Idling is something that costs money and causes unnecessary emissions. Idling is often prohibited or regulated in urban areas. By avoiding running the engine at idling speed, a motorist can save money and avoid unnecessary environmental impact.

Do not idle
• One minute of idling requires more fuel than restarting the engine.
• Ten minutes of idling requires 1.3 dl (0.13 l) fuel.
• The idling of a cold engine is an unnecessary emission of toxic fumes.

According to estimates from the Transport Administration running your engine on idle unnecessarily will increase your motoring costs by up to £100 annually. Besides the monetary cost, the car running idle out causes unnecessary emissions.

The exhaust gases that are emitted are the most toxic when the engine is newly started and cold. Scrape the windows before you start the car. Also make sure that there are no children around the car when the engine is idling. Children are more sensitive to fumes and because they are shorter, they are also closer to the exhaust pipe #footprintgallery

(In Stockholm, local health protection regulations mean that you can´t run the car engine on idle for more than a minute. The only exception to this is for vehicles that need to keep the engine running to operate a plant, such as garbage trucks.)

Idling

4 §
The legislation concerning the running of the engine of a stationary vehicle that is outside for more than a minute does not apply: if
O Traffic conditions cause vehicles to stay in a traffic queue
O The engine is kept running to the extent required for the vehicle’s efficient use, or to power plant other than those related to heating. The best technology from an environmental and health protection should be used.

An immediately idling ban, however, is required for vehicles stopped at a bridge opening.

Violation can result in a fine
If a violation of the one minute rule for idling is noted, the incident can be reported to the police. The matter is then investigated by a public prosecutor. Conviction can result in a fine. If you see someone running the car engine at idle for more than a minute, you can report this to the police by phone XXY XY.