Devon Climate Emergency needs your business!
Many of us live in rural areas and rely heavily on private car use to get around. The way we move affects our everyday lives, and many of us have become used to travelling long distances for work, to access amenities or for leisure. In 2018, 29% of all of Devon’s carbon emissions came from on-road transport, making it the leading contributor to our county’s carbon footprint. But the great thing is, we can all help to change this.
In our first blog we highlighted the benefits of active travel for your staff and business, our communities in Devon and the environment. In our subsequent blogs we shared tips and guidance on how to start your workplace journey to active travel, how to support your staff to start cycling and how to encourage your workplace to walk more.
For this special blog we have collaborated with our colleagues at Devon Climate Emergency to show you how your workplace can support a net-zero Devon and highlight opportunities to engage your staff in the climate conversation.
Devon Climate Emergency
Devon Climate Emergency’s (DCE) aim is ‘Creating a resilient, net-zero Devon where people and nature thrive’. This partnership of 29 organizations has been working on creating the Devon Carbon Plan, outlining a roadmap for how the whole of Devon can cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero carbon emissions in Devon by 2050 at the latest. The transport chapter of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan focuses on reducing transport need, switching to shared and human powered transport.
DCE’s informative website helps you to stay up to date with the latest developments of the Devon Carbon Plan, net zero activities all over the county, and provides advice to help you reduce your workplace transport emissions. This includes a carbon footprint calculator and guidance for where to find more tailored support for your organisation. Businesses can also sign up to the climate declaration to demonstrate that they are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resilience to climate change.
Their Top tips for Everyone is a great resource to share with your staff, offering advice and suggestions to help reduce their personal and their family’s transport related emissions.
Staff engagement opportunity: DCE public consultation
The Devon Climate Assembly came up with resolutions and conditions on the topics onshore wind, building retrofit, and transport. Since then, the Devon Climate Emergency partnership has worked together to transform their resolutions into actions, updates and areas of exploration to include in the Devon Carbon Plan.
Now, DCE would like to hear from as many residents in Devon as possible and find out people’s opinion on the proposals they have created during a public consultation running until the 14th of April. For Devon’s residents, this is the last chance to give their views before the publication of the final Devon Carbon Plan later this summer.
This consultation is a fantastic opportunity for Devon’s businesses to show their support for a net-zero future and promote the consultation among their staff.
You can find more information about the consultation and how to take part on the Devon Climate Emergency website.
Further support and information
With any questions for the Devon Climate Emergency partnership, please get in touch via environmentalpolicy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
The Travel Devon Toolkit is full of other practical information and toolkits to help encourage sustainable and active travel at your workplace. With any questions, please get in touch with us at traveldevon@devon.gov.uk.
For general information on how to get around in Devon, please visit our Travel Devon website.