East Midlands Trains is driving forward green awareness with a week-long programme of events as part of Stagecoach Group’s third annual Green Week which is launched on Monday 23 May.
The train company will use the week to demonstrate to staff and customers the green measures being taken across its business. The event will also be used to highlight the environmental – and financial – benefits of taking the train.
Throughout the week, a range of activities will take place for both employees and customers. A bus tour of stations and depots is currently taking place, launching the company’s 2011/12 Environmental Plan to staff, and providing advice on the simple steps that can be taken at each location to reduce energy use.
During Green Week, East Midlands Trains will also launch new recycling collections at all stations and offices which will increase the amount of waste that the company recycles.
In addition, the company’s Environment Champions will be raising staff awareness of green issues using various methods, including suggestions schemes, green ideas competitions and Q&A/drop-in training sessions for employees.
Launching Green Week 2011, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, Tim Shoveller said:
“We’re proud of the steps we have taken so far to become a more sustainable business and travelling by train is already one of the greenest ways to travel.
“Green Week is also important in helping make it easier for our staff and customers to make simple changes in their everyday lives to reduce their impact on our planet. As motorists face rising costs, it’s also a good chance for us to remind people of the time and money savings that can be made by using greener, smarter train travel.”
In the 12 months since its 2010 Green Week, East Midlands Trains has implemented a number of successful initiatives designed to reduce the impact of its businesses on the environment.
The company has introduced innovative fuel additive – the first of its kind in the UK – which has demonstrated a 4.4% improvement in fuel economy. In addition, East Midlands Trains recently launched an innovative energy-saving engine standby mode which could reduce enough carbon to take the equivalent of 705 cars a year off the road.
The technology means that when a train is stood still within a station for more than seven minutes, it will automatically go into Energy Saving Mode which shuts down virtually all the engines, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
East Midlands Trains has introduced Environment Champions at stations, as well as greener driver training measures. The company has also refurbished waiting rooms and bathrooms at a number of stations, fitting them with motion-sensitive lighting and energy efficient hand-dryers. Automatic taps have also been installed which reduce water use and save energy by only heating the water that is needed.
Stagecoach Group has launched a comprehensive sustainability strategy and is investing £11million in a range of measures to meet its environmental targets. The Group is targeting an overall reduction of 8% in buildings CO2 emissions and a cut of 3% in annual fleet transport CO2e emissions by April 2014. It follows a reduction in the carbon intensity of its UK businesses of 5.7% in the three years to 30 April 2009.
It is estimated the five-year programme, from 2009-10 to 2013-14, will save a total of nearly 150,000 tonnes of CO2e, with the Group’s annual emissions reduced by around 40,000 tonnes CO2e by April 2014.
Last year, Stagecoach Group became the first Scottish-based transport group to be awarded the prestigious Carbon Trust Standard after taking action on climate change by measuring and reducing its carbon emissions. The company already reports annually on its carbon emissions and discloses its global carbon footprint to the Carbon Disclosure Project.
