To kick off its Green Week, Plimsoll has just signed up to Climate Perks.
The scheme encourages environmentally friendly travel; in short, anything but flying. Plimsoll will now give you two extra days paid leave if you can prove that you travelled somewhere in Europe by land and/or sea rather than by air.
Flying is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. And it carries a heavy climate cost: for example, a flight from London to Amsterdam clocks up 23 times more carbon than travelling there by train. The graph below shows how cutting out flights is one of the most effective ways we can reduce our carbon footprint:
Comparison of carbon savings:
Many of us would be more than happy to travel somewhere overland, but as it takes longer than by air we’re often reluctant to sacrifice hard-earned annual leave. We’re hoping that this scheme will encourage us all to take the slower, greener option when planning our holidays.
Here’s the small print:
– The scheme is open to freelancers and staff but only available to people who have been with Plimsoll for a year or more of continuous service.
– You can apply for a maximum of two of these ‘paid journey days’ per year.
– You’ll be granted the extra leave after your holiday when you’ve provided proof of transport.
– Certain high-carbon journeys will not qualify such as single passenger car journeys.
– Holidays which are journeys such as long-distance cycle rides and cruises will also not qualify.
– You’ll be able to get discounts on sustainable travel through the scheme’s partners like Byway, Ecosy Travel and Canopy & Stars. See https://www.climateperks.com/partners