AWP has signed-up to the international 10:10 carbon reduction campaign. This gives greater focus to the commitment given in the AWP Carbon Management Programme which aims to reduce C02 emissions by 18% by 2015. 10:10 asks organisations and individuals to seek to make a 10% reduction in carbon emissions within a year. Travel is an important component of AWP's carbon footprint. It is also the area of activity in which individual choices and behaviour changes can make the most difference. Using the Go Low vehicles offers a great opportunity to contribute to the 10:10 target. The 20 Smart cars in operation produce over 50% reduction in emissions compared with average staff owned cars. Using the electric bikes makes nearly a 100%saving.
The Go Low model has been developed to provide a sustainable alternative way for health & social care staff to travel in the course of delivering services in the community. Within AWP 93% of business travel is currently undertaken in staff owned cars (known as greyfleet). The average age of these cars is nearly 12 years old, they have a very poor average CO2 emission level and are collectively extremely inefficient. Go Low provides a choice of low emission cars, electric bikes and travel information to support staff to make alternative travel choices. The network is managed via the Go Low website.
Fuel prices are set to rise steeply in coming months and years. The extra cost has to be absorbed by the organisation and staff members themselves. At some point, the cost of fuel will affect the productivity of the service. The Go Low fleet of very efficient cars and electric bikes helps to cushion the effect of inflated prices.
Some AWP sites have very restricted access to parking. On some sites AWP staff have to pay for parking. The Go Low fleet alows for much better use of limited space and allows easier transfer between sites. This makes the service much more productive.
