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It pays to be green

[ November 19, 2012   //   ]

It’s a brave man that gets rid of all his company cars and tells his executives to get on their bikes instead, but it has paid off for Dover forwarder John Shirley.

The company was recently awarded a ‘Green Apple’ award in recognition of its carbon-cutting efforts, and in illustrious company too – other recipients included some of the country’s biggest bus groups and the Lush consmetics firm.

John Shirely says: “We have had no company cars for 17 years. Instead we use mainly integrated transport, mainly Brompton folding bicycles and trains.” The high-speed train service from Dover to London makes trains a faster and more attractive option.

These are not John Shirley’s only environmental efforts though. It has had a ‘grass roof’ at its Dover site for ten years and has just installed solar panels. And it has also had a wood pellet boiler for four years. John says: “Wood-pellets cost a third of what heating oil would  and it means that the basement has more space, besides not stinking of oil. Consequently we have moved the workshop into the boiler room freeing up another part of the basement which we now rent out to a music producer. In effect therefore, it costs nothing to heat the building, besides dramatically cutting our carbon.”

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