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Car Share Cornwall....Alan Jeffery from Bodmin is one of the latest people to make use of car sharing to get to and from work, an activity that helps the climate, reduces the numbers of cars on the road and saves money. Why they are doing things to help the climate.... Alan travels to work in Truro five days a week and recognises that cars produce carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas that causes climate change. He feels that we are all responsible for climate change and responsible for doing something about it. Whilst many people may think that their own contributions from commuting are insignificant in terms of such a big issue as climate, he knows that little changes to our everyday lifestyles, collectively, can make a huge difference. His own solution was to set up a local car share group. What they are doing.... Alan has been part of a car share group for the last two years and recently set up a scheme locally to Why it’s important….. Figures from Defra show that in 2004 21% of the total UK carbon dioxide emissions came from the transport sector. Of these, over 60% of the carbon dioxide emissions come from cars. If more people shared lifts we could dramatically reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted to the atmosphere. Every tonne emitted into the atmosphere commits the world to more warming. But every tonne we avoid emitting helps reduce the risk. Roads in the UK are becoming congested and grinding to a halt at peak hours. At peak times about 80% of cars have only one person in them. The car dependency culture has grown to such a level that resultant problems which affect health, the climate and the economy are being addressed as a matter of urgency by the government. The Government White Paper "A New Deal for Transport" aimed to change the future of how we travel. The Transport 10 year plan published in July 2000 set out clear policies on reducing car use. These problems are highly visible in Cornwall, and it is essential that Cornwall responds to the growing pressures on its road network. A small reduction in car use can mean the difference between a road network working and it standing still. Nationally the organisation Liftshare says that car sharing saves the UK over 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year and recent research has shown that car sharing had the potential to save the UK 9.9 million tonnes of carbon. As an individual it is easy to get
Further information.... Car sharing is when two or more people share a car and travel together. It allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst alleviating the associated problems of congestion, pollution and climate change. You can share a car for any journey - getting to work, doing the weekly shop, taking the children to school, going to the match at the weekend, travelling to a festival, event or show, getting to or from university and visiting friends. By car sharing you can enjoy the following benefits:
The Cornwall Car Share website means you can start car sharing straight away, but if you are interested in setting up your own scheme in your part of Cornwall you can get advice on how to do so at the national Lift Share website. If you work for a company, Cornwall County Council can help you set up a car share scheme. They already do this for their own sites and can offer advice on a wide range of sustainable travel options, recently they have worked with Cornwall University Colleges at Tremough in Penryn, Truro College, Cornwall College, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Carrick DC and Kerrier DC in developing their travel plans for the staff and visitors that travel to these sites. To find out more contact Melissa Burrow at the County Council on 01872 322094 or email mburrows@cornwall.gov.uk. For more information on travelling sustainably in Cornwall visit their website. For more information on the environmental impacts of transport and sound advice on how to make a difference Friends of the Earth have produced a free and simple 16 page guide.
Images courtesy of Liftshare
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share his daily lift into work with three other people. Looking at rush hour traffic he sees lots of cars everyday with just one person in, even though many of these are probably going to similar places. By travelling together each day this car share group leads to three less cars making this journey. This reduces the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, saves him money on his travel costs, reduces the amount of local pollution released from car exhausts and helps reduce congestion. It also gives him an opportunity to chat with other work colleagues, reducing the stress of everyday commuting. 
involved with car sharing in Cornwall. You can use this 