Helping our environment: we can tackle this together

You may not know that Reading Transport along with Reading Borough Council have invested in the latest fuel technologies to improve Reading’s air quality. Premier Route 17 will be running on bio-ethanol, which is made from sugar waste, and reduces carbon emissions by more than 80% compared to a standard diesel engine.

The rest of our buses are run on bio-diesel mix which comes from sustainable sources and delivers a guaranteed 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Other major reductions in emissions have also been due to our investment in new vehicles, which are amongst the greenest in England.

Click here to download our leaflet ‘Helping our environment…we can tackle this together’.

What else can you do to help the environment?

As well as travelling together by bus rather than separate cars, there are lots of other things you can do to help the environment.

Here are 10 simple tips of things you can do to help the environment

1. Use reusable bags when you're out shopping
When you go out shopping, bring your own reusable bags. This cuts down on the massive number of paper and plastic bags that are thrown away after being used once.

2. Switch off lights when a room is not being used
This is likely to be the easiest change you can make. When you leave a room simply switch the light off and you’ll soon save energy and money.

3. Turn down your thermostat (or wear a jumper!)
Most households spend 50 to 70% of their energy bills on heating. For every degree you lower the thermostat, you'll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill.

4. Only boil as much water as you need
Use your kettle in an energy-friendly way by using the water you need and not overfilling.

5. Set your washing machine to cold
An easy way to clean a greener way is to set your washing machine to cold. Most loads don't need hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.

6. Pay bills online and stop paper bank statements
Save natural resources - as well as late fees - by enrolling in online bill-paying options. Many banks now also give the option to reduce the frequency of bank statements or choosing to no longer receive paper statements at all. Paperless billing and on-line banking not only saves trees; it also eliminates the fossil fuel needed to get all those billing envelopes and statements from them to you and back again.

7. Don't leave appliances on standby
As much as 10% of the total electricity used in your home is due to appliances left on standby. So why not save energy and money by switching appliances off when they’re not being used.

8. Recycle your household waste
Leave your recyclable waste for local council kerbside collection or find out where your nearest recycling banks are and use them regularly to cut waste and save energy.

9. Make the switch to low-energy lightbulbs
Low-energy bulbs use much less energy than normal bulbs and over their lifetime you could save almost £100 per bulb.

10. Take a refreshing shower
Taking a shower uses an average of 40-60% less water and energy than a standard bath.

It's simple to try out these handy tips. Why not pick which one you want to do first and start the new greener you today.