Merseytravel recognised for environmental excellence

MERSEYTRAVEL has scooped a top Public Sector Sustainability 2011 Award for ‘Best Transport Project’ in the Most Sustainable Public Sector Project category.  The award was given in recognition of the work Merseytravel and its Environmental Team have undertaken to reduce the environmental impacts of public transport and ensure that the organisation itself operates with minimal environmental impact. This is done through working with partners to develop and deliver environmental sustainability projects at a local, National and International level.  The award winning sustainable biofuel bus project was a great example of this by bringing together producers, suppliers and users from the North West Biofuel Network which was developed through the part-EU funded BIONIC (Biofuel Networks in the Community) project, coordinated by Merseytravel.

Currently there are 6 Stagecoach buses running on a B30 biodiesel mix consisting of 30% biofuel made from waste cooking oil, provided by Convert 2 Green in Cheshire, and 70% regular diesel. The biofuel selection was a crucial part of the trial as the BIONIC project was devised in response to mounting concerns over the sustainability of biofuels and their potential environmental impacts with the aim to demonstrate that sustainable transport biofuels are available and to encourage their market uptake. The 3 year project is still active in all the Partner countries of Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain and NW England where it’s finding and recommendations are being widely disseminated.  Merseytravel also won praise for its 6 year Carbon Management Plan, 5 year Environmental Strategy and achieving ISO 14001 for the 9th consecutive year. Merseytravel have also recently been assessed as being in the top 6% of around 2,100 UK businesses and organisations for reducing carbon in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC), a mandatory emissions trading scheme aimed at organisations which use more than 6,000mWh electricity per half hourly meter readings every year.

Neil Scales, Chief Executive of Merseytravel said:- "We are delighted to have been nationally recognised for our ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental impact and carbon emissions, both within the organisation and on the wider public transport network.  As an organisation Merseytravel are dedicated to ensuring environmental sustainability is core to all our activity and will continue to work hard to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment."

Letters to the editor:-  "A Measured Response"

"NOW that we are in the season where dissemination of accurate information about weather conditions can mean the difference between life and death, I can only hope that journalists will take the time to convert Metric units into Imperial ones when dealing with Met Office and other Government provided forecasts.  Like most people of my age group, when it comes to snow, I know what 6 inches looks like, but the equivalent in centimeters is something which I cannot easily visualise. Likewise, with temperature, elevation and wind speed.  Whilst EU compliant officialdom may seek to kill off us old dinosaurs to hasten its goal of compulsory Metrication by effectively withholding such essential information, I would urge the media to be more considerate."  John Eoin Douglas.