All Aboard for a One Planet Worcester

Almost a fifth of Worcester’s CO2 emissions come from road transport. It’s all too easy to get into the habit of jumping into the car to make that journey. Using the bus or train instead helps reduce congestion and pollution. It’s often cheaper to buy your tickets in advance and, if you’re going to use the service fairly frequently, buy a weekly or monthly pass.

The One Planet Worcester Action Points are:

To compare different modes of transport for longer journeys using the Transport Direct website [ here ] and to use your local bus services.

Get on your bike

The days are getting longer and spring is just around the corner- now’s the time to dig that bike out of the garden shed and get pedalling! Try cycling those shorter journeys- it’s free and much more fun than sitting in a traffic jam. It’s probably quicker than you think too- for example, cycling from St John’s to the city centre takes just 10 minutes, from St Peter’s takes around 15 minutes.

Aswell as doing your bit for the environment, you’ll be doing yourself a favour too- cycling is a really simple and effective way of getting fit.

Here are the One Planet Worcester Action Points:

Check out this cycle map of Worcester [ here ] and plan your route for cycling to school, work or wherever else takes your fancy.

These feet were made for walking…

More than a quarter of all car trips made by Worcester residents are less than 2 km. This is the perfect distance for walking- a simple way of fitting exercise into your daily routine. Getting the children to walk to school is a great way to get them active and helps reduce congestion at the school gate. One Planet Worcester would like to see more people walking those shorter journeys and taking part in things like Walking Buses and Health Walks.

The One Planet Worcester Action Points are:

To find out more about healthy walking through the Walking the Way to Health website http://www.whi.org.uk/ Use a pedometer to find out how far you walk each day and try to increase this.

The only way is up

Few people will have failed to notice the escalating costs of petrol recently. As peak oil approaches, this trend is set to continue. If you really need to make that journey by car, the way you drive can make a real difference to your fuel use, as will keeping your car in tip-top condition. Avoiding heavy braking, keeping tyres properly inflated and switching off the engine when you’re stuck in a jam will all help reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions.

In addition, why not share your car and share petrol costs too? Car sharing one day a week for a year will typically save around £200.

So, the One Planet Worcester Action Points are:

To check out these eco-driving tips from the Energy Savings Trust [ here ] and to find a neighbour or colleague to car-share with.