The Royal Parks
Key contact David Jordan, Fleet Manager and Assistant Park Manager at Hyde Park
Fleet profile: 28 vehicles – 20 duel-fuel (LPG/petrol), seven diesel, one electric buggy
Business: Tending 5,000 acres of London parkland
Locations: London

An internal focus on environmental protection and a commitment to sustainable transport policies is behind The Royal Parks membership of the Energy Saving Trust’s Motorvate scheme.

Impressive reductions in CO2 since joining the original programme has led to The Royal Parks achieving silver status under the new accreditation scheme.

Organisations in the re-launched Motorvate scheme now undergo an assessment by the Energy Saving Trust’s accreditation department in order to be awarded a bronze, silver or gold status. The Royal Parks are currently working towards gold status, reducing their emissions by at least 15 per cent from a baseline.

To ensure sustainable transport policies are a long term commitment, a new fleet working party was formed to help identify low emission vehicles for use in the parks when the current vehicle replacement cycle expires in 2010.

Having a holistic transport policy embracing a range of practices from using low emission vehicles to promoting journey planning and bicycles as an alternative to car use, The Royal Parks won an Energy Saving Trust sponsored Green Fleet Award for Best Practice in the Public Sector in 2005.

Protecting the environment is key
Every year millions of Londoners and tourists visit the eight Royal Parks – Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regents Park, Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St James’ Park. The Royal Parks’ staff also tend a number of other spaces in London, including Brompton Cemetery, Victoria Tower Gardens, the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street and Grosvenor Square Gardens.

Fleet Manager and Hyde Park Assistant Park Manager David Jordan explained: “Our remit is to conserve the parks for future generations, so it is imperative that our vehicle fleet is as green as possible.”

A Green Housekeeping Committee looks at how The Royal Parks can reduce its impact on the local and wider environment and Mr Jordan feeds fleet advice into the group. The organisation also has an ecologist who advises on habitat management, sustainability and biodiversity.

With such a concerted focus on environmental protection, it was a natural decision for The Royal Parks to apply for Motorvate membership. Using robust emissions data collected over a 12-month period, Motorvate consultants established a baseline that has enabled ongoing improvements to be measured resulting in the recent awarding of silver status after emission cuts of over 10 per cent were recorded.

“Working with the Energy Saving Trust means we have access to specialist advice, opportunities to network and share information and best practice. That is invaluable…
if we are to continue to reduce our carbon emissions.” David Jordan, Fleet Manager and Assistant, Park Manager at Hyde Park, The Royal Parks.

New vehicle strategy
An important achievement for The Royal Parks was the implementation of a new vehicle strategy, which an independent Energy Saving Trust consultant helped compile with a specific focus on emission reduction. On joining the original Motorvate scheme, The Royal Parks had a fleet size of 40; however at the start of 2008 it has reduced to 28 vehicles travelling about 130,000 miles a year.

This comprises 20 duel-fuel (liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and petrol) cars, seven diesel vehicles and an electric vehicle. Four of the parks have LPG bunkering facilities.

In an effort to limit business mileage, pool bikes have been introduced and staff members are encouraged to use two wheels instead of four when travelling inside the parks. When staff travel to meetings outside the parks, public transport and car sharing is promoted.

To encourage safer, greener driving, a new recruit driver education programme has been introduced. This involves an induction covering vehicle familiarity, and advice on eco-driving including Energy Saving Trust best practice tips on how to drive more efficiently.

Motorvate membership provides access to best practice Despite that remarkable performance there remains much to do. A hybrid car was trialled at the start of 2008 and electric vehicles are on the agenda for 2009.

Mr Jordan explained: “The Royal Parks is committed to enhancing the environmental performance of our fleet as part of an overall focus on promoting environmental best practice across the organisation.

“Working with the Energy Saving Trust and membership of the Motorvate programme means that we have access to specialist advice, opportunities to network and share information and best practice with other members.

“That is invaluable because it is essential to remain up-to-date with best practice and vehicle technology if we are to continue to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. We are not fleet experts, so it is important that we have expert support to enable us to implement measures that put us at the forefront of environmental fleet operations. ”

“Having an official assessment from the Energy Saving Trust means that when we achieve the reduction targets we know we have done so to a high standard and that our yearly footprint has the Energy Saving Trust’s stamp of approval.”

Source: Energy Saving Trust