The Good Energy Shop

Two wheels good, four wheels bad.

Get your kids cycling to school. 

There are many benefits of encouraging your children to cycle to school, not least the savings in petrol. The obstacles that usually get in the way - safety, a clear route, time - can all be overcome easily with a little bit of coordination, and some help. 

St Mathews Primary school for example have come up with the Cycle Train. It's a way for kids to cycle together, learn about road safety, and help develop cycle routes. Since the project was started youngsters have already completed 200 miles each of car free travel. In their primary school careers, they will cover Lands End to John O'groats and back without chugging nasty fumes into the air. 

See what the team have achieved here 

If you would like help organising a similar scheme for your school the Cycle Train team will be happy to help out, as will Sustrans. Email schoolcycletrain@gmail.com

Good Travel

Cars .... a mixed blessing.  On the one hand they may be considered an engineering feat which has provided great freedom whilst they also present a threat to life on Earth.  Car and plane travel is already having dramatic consequences - a quarter of all CO2 emissions come from transport, contributing to climate change, air pollution and disease.  So the first question is do you really need a car?  If the answer is yes, then there are still many things you can do to make your driving life greener.

1.  Chose your car carefully and opt for the smallest and most fuel-efficient type of car for your needs. 

2.  Drive with fuel efficient care - avoid sudden starts and stops and drive more slowly. 

3.  If you drive at 50mph you use 30% less fuel than at 70mph.

4.  Car servicing - a finely tuned engine works better.  And whilst on the subject keep car tyres properly inflated - it is estimated that you can use 3 - 4% more fuel.

5.  Empty your boot - travelling round with a boot full of junk that sits around from one week to the next is adding to the weight of your car.  Time for a clear out!

6.  Avoid using air conditioning - open the windows, park in the shade.

7.  Think before you drive - reflect carefully on the necessity of journeys and if you really need to make that journey minimise unnecessary miles by doing errands in one trip and getting good directions.

8.  Go that extra step - look into car sharing, driving part of the way and taking public transport, working from home - any step that you can do to use your car less.