Advertisement feature
Tread lightly
Eurostar train at London St Pancras station
Getting on track for green travel
The way we travel is changing fast. As our awareness of global warming grows, more and more of us are looking to become responsible travellers. Today, over 50 per cent of us consider the environmental impact of our journey when planning a trip of 300-400 miles. So what should we do to be truly green travellers?
I’m planning a holiday in Europe. Should I fly or take the train?
If you want to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum, there’s no contest. Independent research has shown that flying between London, Paris and Brussels generates ten times more greenhouse gas emissions than travelling by Eurostar. Put another way, that’s like comparing the amount of carbon dioxide needed to fill a Mini compared to the amount needed to fill a double-decker bus.
Of course, there are plenty more reasons to stick to train travel in Europe. By the time you factor in airport transfers, baggage collections and check-in times, it’s also quicker and more convenient. With return tickets from London to Paris starting at £59, it can also be considerably cheaper.
How is Eurostar cutting its carbon footprint?
There are times and places to talk about green credentials. When you’re travelling by Eurostar, it’s time to relax, read a magazine, do business or simply look out at the countryside rushing by. But behind the scenes, there’s a lot of work going on to save energy and reduce emissions.
Taking the train is already a pretty green way to travel. But if you’ve heard of Tread Lightly, then you’ll know that Eurostar has a climate change plan to make high-speed rail even more environmentally friendly.
This ethos runs throughout the whole company. Did you know, for example, that Eurostar now have a new waste management facility, which means that more of its waste is now being recycled or sent to energy recovery plants than ever before? Energy meters have also been installed in order to measure and identify ways to operate more efficiently.
Added to this, most trains now come equipped with refrigerants that are less environmentally damaging than conventional products. That way, you can stay cool on board without heating up the environment.
I want to cut my emissions even more – should I try carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting can be a pretty confusing business. There are hundreds of schemes out there – some much better than others. Thankfully, when you book a Eurostar ticket, all the hard work has already been done for you.
Since 14 November 2007, all Eurostar journeys have been designated ‘carbon neutral’ – that means Eurostar has already paid to compensate for all of its unavoidable CO2 emissions.
To do this, Eurostar first tots up the total amount of energy needed on its journeys. That includes everything from the electricity to drive the train to the energy required to heat, light and air-condition the carriages. It then invests in carbon offsetting projects that reduce an equivalent amount of CO2, which results in a net balance of zero.
When it comes to choosing carbon offsetting projects to support, Eurostar has focused on projects that deliver renewable energy, or generate energy using sustainable sources. Importance is also given to the social and economic benefits that they bring to surrounding communities. Crucially, the organisations it supports are also fully accredited through the Clean Development Mechanism, the Voluntary Carbon Standard or the Voluntary Gold Standard.
All of this means guilt-free travel at no extra cost. And because Eurostar only purchases credits where the emissions reductions have already taken place, your journey is already carbon neutral before you even get on board.
Will rail travel get any greener?
Absolutely. With Eurostar committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per traveller journey by 2012, the benchmark is already highly ambitious.
As well as working in partnership with Friends of the Earth to promote ways of reducing the impact of climate change, Eurostar has also set the following objectives for the next three to five years
- Reusing water from train-washing at maintenance depots, and investing in rainwater collection to further reduce consumption.
- Reducing paper usage by switching to e-tickets and bar code ticketing downloaded to mobile phones.
- Ensuring on-board disposable items (e.g. cups, plates, napkins) are either biodegradable or fully recyclable.
- Sourcing on-train food from local sources in the UK, France or Belgium wherever available, including organic suppliers, or Fairtrade for overseas supplies.
- Separating, sorting and recycling all on-board waste
“We don’t have all the answers but we are chipping away at our environmental impact and we will keep at it,” says Richard Brown, chief executive, Eurostar. “What’s great is that both our staff and our travellers are ‘doing their bit’ and making a difference.”
For more information about Eurostar and Tread Lightly, visit www.eurostar.com
Share this
(What is this?)