Riverside - Smart driving saves money and the environment

1 April 2009

Staff from one of the UK’s leading housing associations have learnt how to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by more than half a tonne a year and save themselves over £300 a year in petrol or diesel.

Working in partnership with The Energy Saving Trust, Riverside offered its staff free Smarter Driving lessons by an advanced driving training instructor to teach employees to drive more efficiently and reduce fuel consumption.

To date over 100 staff from Riverside’s head office in Speke and its local offices in Dovecot, Belle Vale, Bootle and Middleton have taken the training. At the end of each session the percentage reduction in fuel consumption was provided, plus an estimate given of how much money this will save the driver in a year. On average the staff reduced CO2 emissions by 18%. For a typical car, this equates to annual savings of more than half a tonne of CO2 and more than £300 per driver. This adds up to a Group saving of more than 50 tonnes of CO2 and over £300,000.

Riverside’s Training and Development Advisor Suey George said: “Adopting a smarter driving style is easy. Once you've mastered it, not only will you start to make real savings, but you'll also be doing your bit for the environment.
That's because smarter driving means driving your car more efficiently. Doing this means your car will produce less carbon dioxide, the main gas contributing to climate change.”

Riverside was one of the first major social housing organisations to make an open commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by becoming a member of independent charity Business in the Community (BITC).

By taking a positive and open stance on CSR issues, Riverside believes it will make clear to its residents, staff and the wider community the importance it places on its wider social responsibilities in its operation and the delivery of services.

Since joining BITC, Riverside is able to benchmark and measure its progress through the Corporate Responsibility Index.