News Archive 17th November 2009 :: How Green is my Watford

The projected rise in temperatures will mean that the UK will enjoy a Mediterranean climate, which on the face of it might sound quite attractive; however, with rising water levels, coupled with severe shortages of food and water, up to 500 million people might want to live here - which is not such an attractive proposition.

Watford wants to be at the leading edge when it comes to tackling the effects of climate change and we want to be held out as an example that other towns will want to follow.

We know from research commissioned by the Hertfordshire Environmental Forum that although Watford’s ecological footprint ( put simply, the resources that we use in day to day life) is similar to the national average, that in itself is more than we ought to use and a particular problem for Watford is how much of that relates to personal travel- Watford’s ecological footprint for personal travel is 20% higher than the national average.

Within the next few weeks One Watford ( the Local Strategic Partnership) will be announcing a Sustainable Transport Strategy which aims to reduce traffic and congestion in our town, using green and sustainable methods. We will be appointing a Watford Business Network Travel Plan Coordinator who will work with local companies to encourage the use of alternative and sustainable transport modes such as walking, cycling, the use of public transport and car sharing as feasible and realistic alternatives to single occupancy car use for every day commuting.

We will also be introducing a bicycle loan scheme which will mean that employees of selected local companies will have access to a bicycle free of charge to make local journeys and to and from their place of work. There will initially be 50 bicycles available in year 1 increasing to 100 in year 2. A number of local companies have already expressed interest in joining the scheme. They will be branded in One Watford colours - so do look out for them early in the New Year and if your company wants to become involved then please do contact us at the Chamber for further information.

If the bicycle loan scheme is the success that we hope it will be then our long term aim is to roll out a bicycle loan scheme available to all residents of Watford within two years and we will certainly be watching progress with the recently announced London scheme with great interest.

A couple of years ago the Watford Chamber of Commerce launched the One Watford Green Business Pledge and since that time almost 100 local businesses have signed up to a commitment to become more sustainable and to reduce the negative impact their operations are having on the environment. There are three categories that local businesses can sign up to: Gold, Silver and Bronze - in other words, something for everyone.

So what can we as residents of Watford do to reduce our carbon emissions? Instead of using the car for those short journeys try public transport for a change and how about cycling and walking which are good for your pocket, your health and, of course, the environment.

We are only a few months away from a general election so this is the time to make sure that green issues are top of the agenda when candidates come knocking at your door. Did you know for example that in the UK that only 2% of our energy come from renewable sources such as wind despite the fact that we are the windiest country in Europe. Germany on the other hand is already up to 20% so clearly there is still much to be done. Think green- it’s the most important challenge that we all face.

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