A sustainability champion !

In this post, I am going to share a story that shows that business success and sustainability objectives can be combined effectively. Mel's story has been a great example and encouragement for CAL during our growth stage and easit provide many of the 'best practice' attributes of a social enterprise that make them well worth knowing about and emulating.

 

6 years ago Dorking business man  Mel Mehmet  came up with an idea that he believed could help to reduce congestion on our roads by encouraging people to commute more sustainably, without costing the earth.  And so under Mel's guidance, the Dorking Decongestion Forum and Reigate & Banstead Decongestion Forum joined forces to form easit the East Area of Surrey Initiative for Transport with the aim to address congestion and commuter transportation issues in and around the area.

Since then over 50 businesses employing over 180,000 staff across 3 counties have joined the easitNETWORK scheme, working together to encourage and support businesses adopt alternative and sustainable transport behaviours by introducing travel initiatives designed around the needs of the businesses themselves, with the ultimate goal of reducing pollution, easing congestion and increasing staff satisfaction.  By generating strength in numbers and bringing together businesses with local Government, easitNETWORK is able to create new and cheaper travel options, lobby for changes to public transport provision and generate funding for new initiatives.

To date some 45,000 staff members have requested and been allocated an easitNETWORK public transport discount card, 4,500 weekly bus tickets are being sold to easitNETWORK members, over 600 additional car sharing spaces have been introduced at member car parks, 68 bicycles were loaned to easitMEMBERS in 2010 all pledging to cycle to and from work at least twice a week, shuttle buses  introduced now carry an average of 2000 people to work each week from various railway stations, lunchtime shopper buses  transporting staff to and from town centres and new privately funded transport routes introduced at easitNETWORK locations!


















easitNETWORK has won a number of national & regional business awards including;

• The Queens Award for Enterprise 2011, Sustainable development (pictured)

• Gatwick Diamond Green Award for Travel & Transport 2009 & 2011

• The City of London Business Award

• Recognised by the Department for Transport & Highways Agency, being hailed as an example of best practise.

Future easit  projects under development include the launch of new easit networks in the UK, introduction of electric charging posts and expanding easitNETWORK to encompass green energy solutions in the workplace.
 

For more information about easit, please call 01306 886677, email info@easit.org.uk