At Landmarc we are passionate about taking care of nature, as stewards of some of the most sensitive habitats in the UK. So, some of our teams in the South West took this year’s World Environment Day theme, Time for Nature, and used it as an opportunity to spend some time IN nature, whilst offsetting their carbon footprint by walking, running or cycling to work. Across the area 19 people took part from sites at Lulworth, Wyke Regis, Chickerell and Straightpoint and collectively achieved over 400km of ‘carbon free commutes’.
Pictured above: Some of the participants from the South West who took part in ‘carbon free commutes’.
As well as being great for the environment, the initiative has also thrown up many other benefits such as improved health and mental wellbeing, financial gain from reduced fuel costs and the opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery and wildlife that surrounds us on the estate. The team explain their own personal experience of taking part:
Graeme Rose, Training Area Manager at Lulworth, chose to cycle and commented, “I recently joined Landmarc in November 2019 after 25 years in the military. I am now in a job where I can’t walk to work, so this was a great opportunity to help and support the environment by not using my car and cycling instead. I was initially concerned about how safe the route was, being a 35 mile round trip, but it was actually very quiet and has now inspired me to conduct this journey at least once every fortnight, reducing the carbon impact but also improving my fitness.”
Cycling was a popular choice with many others taking the opportunity to discover a new route to work including:
Alec Fitton, Training Area Operative at Wyke Regis, who said, “I’ve had heart attacks in the past, so I took part as an attempt to improve my health via cycling as well as for the environment benefit of not using my car.”
Ben Smith, Training Area Operative at Wyke Regis, added, “I took part as I am passionate about the environment and I am a keen mountain biker, so understand the health benefits of cycling to improve fitness. As a relatively new employee this initiative has helped me to identify safe routes to work for the future. I would participate again”.
Bob Guest, Training Area Operative at Wyke Regis, said, “Cycling to work made a change from my usual brisk walk to work in the morning. I enjoyed it and would do it again”.
Carl Card, Bridging Manager at Wyke Regis, said, “I am a passionate environmentalist, and am happy to help contribute to us all, including the wildlife we share the estate with, having ‘clean air’ to breathe. I would definitely participate again and am pleased to see the company support this initiative”.
Andy Hutchings, Site Operative at Chickerell Camp, said, “Here at Chickerell, we were encouraged to get involved with World Environment Day and cycle in to reduce the amount of carbon our team emitted. Our team frequently cycle, whether it’s for commuting or for a weekend leisure ride with the family, so it was great to see everyone getting on board.
“There are a lot of great reasons to consider cycling as a commuting option, especially during these fair-weather months. It benefits the environment through reduced pollution, cleaner air and less traffic on the roads, while the financial benefits of not having to fill up the car as frequently are also very welcome.
“Personally, I love cycling because, in these increasingly busy times we live in, it can be difficult to find the time to exercise for the NHS-recommended 150 minutes a week. Cycling for your commute is effectively a ‘freebie’, a great way to sneak exercise into your routine, which means that you can stay fit and healthy with less of an impact on your available free time.
“Another benefit is that being active before work leaves me much more energised by the time I start my work day, both physically and mentally; it also makes me feel a lot more prepared for the day ahead and less likely to need buckets of coffee to get through the day! Finally, cycling helps clear your mind and boosts mental wellbeing, especially when the sun is out and you live in an area with as much natural beauty to take in as Dorset.”
Si Proud, Training Area Operative at Straight Point, said, “I decided to take part in this initiative not only because I believe everyone should be looking for ways to offset their carbon footprint, but also because it gave me the excuse to do some much needed exercise; eating all the COVID cakes my kids have been baking whilst in lockdown has put a few pounds on me!
“I used to cycle to work but crept back into the habit of driving so this has reinvigorated me to continue, knowing that I’m doing my bit for the environment, saving some money on fuel and improving my fitness!”
Jules Moss, Training Area Operative at Straight Point, said, “Every once in a while it is good to break from the ‘norm’ and test oneself and World Environment Day gave the perfect opportunity. Although a regular two wheeled pushbike rider, it was a good excuse to add a few extra miles to the commute and see a little more of the beautiful Devon countryside. It was also good to see others getting involved and out of breath but I am not sure about some of the dodgy Lycra? That said it’s all for a good cause and I believe that we should all be doing our bit for the environment where we can”.
Others decided to run or walk into site, with Mark Harley, Training Area Operative at Wyke Regis, commenting, “I decided to take part to improve my health, I already enjoy walking so this was a nice change. I would definitely do it again.”
John Tooby, Training Area Operative at Straight Point, added, “I have always maintained a decent level of fitness, but the difference in these last three months is that I have rather enjoyed doing it!!
“The lack of vehicles on the roads and the almost silence that accompanied it was eerie, but wonderful to exercise in. Running to and from work became an enjoyable task, listening to the birds instead of my music or traffic is something I am already missing!
“If we could all cut the commute to work in our vehicles by one or two days a week I am sure we would all benefit health wise and at the same time contribute to the wellbeing of our great country environmentally. And for the ‘twitchers’ amongst us I saw three Peregrine Falcons at work this week, stunning!!”
Well done to all those who took part: Jason Spicer, Les Hooper, Graeme Rose, Luke Hardiman, Paul Verrall, Carl Card, Dai Davies, Mark Harley, Ben Smith, Bob Guest, Si Proud, Rob Gaston, Jules Moss, Stephen Radford, Shaun Lampard, Andy Hutchings, Dennis Ebourne, Alec Fitton and Andy Wallace.