As an employer, there are several keys ways you can help to reduce local air pollution and save your business some money in the process.
One of the most influential ways to reduce local air pollution is for your business to offer your employees a travel plan. Travel planning is the provision of a package of measures which encourage employees to travel to work using sustainable transport options i.e. discourage single occupancy car use. This doesn't mean stopping people using their cars, it means providing an alternative to travelling to work by car OR encouraging more effective use of their vehicles eg transporting more people per journey. Examples of the choices that could be provided through travel planning are; the provision of public transport information, access to car share schemes, discounted public transport fares or the provision of cycle facilities. In addition to helping improve local air quality there are also other benefits to your business of implementing an effecitve travel plan, such as improving the environmental image of your business, financial savings through reduced car parking, increased productivity due to healthier and more motivated workforce. Please follow this Travel Plan  link or select this option on right hand menu-bar for further information regarding travel plans.
Another effective means of tackling local air pollution is through improving the efficiency of your vehicle fleet. This can be done in a variety of ways; recording and analysing business mileage and fuel consumption, ensuring your vehicles are correctly maintained, promoting fuel efficient driving, providing alternatives to cars for business travel and investing in low polluting vehicles to name a few. Most of these actions will also provide financial returns through reduced mileage expenses and fuel costs and will also improve the environmental image of your business. Please follow this Vehicle fleets  link or select this option on right hand menu-bar for further information regarding improving vehicle fleets.
Finally another valuable contribution is through improving your businesses energy efficiency. Energy use is an underlying cost for any business so to improve the energy efficiency of your business is to reduce one of your fundamental running costs. Simply by switching machines off after use, or turning the heating down in warm weather, you can make real savings on your energy bill. Reducing your energy bill by just 20% could add the same amount to your profits as a 5% increase in sales (Source: The Carbon Trust). Please follow this Energy Savings Trust  link or select this option on right hand menu-bar for further information regarding improving energy efficiency.