 Sign up for Cycle September to win prizes
Thousands of cyclists across the world are taking part in Love to Ride’s Cycle September campaign next month. You could join them by signing up as part of MyJourney Wokingham and be in with a chance of prizes.
Take your bike for a spin in the global competition, win prizes and help your workplace top the leaderboards. Each ride registers a point but you get even more points for encouraging others to join you.
If you register before 31 August you’ll be in with a chance of winning a £100 voucher for a local bike shop. You can sign up via the Love to Ride Wokingham webpage.
 Smart traffic lights to reduce congestion
We have been awarded £250,000 for smart traffic lights and crossings across the borough by the Department for Transport, which will reduce journey times and congestion and as a result, emissions.
The electronic systems will take data from sensors, lampposts and signs to identify in real time where problems are and solve them before they build up.
LED bulbs will be used instead of halogen on these updated traffic lights, which helps us towards our goal of net zero carbon by 2030. These require less maintenance, are more reliable and cost less, as well as reducing energy consumption by about 78 per cent.
To support our air quality targets, we will use almost a third of the Government funding to install air quality sensors at eight traffic light locations.
They will also support pedestrians, with push button traffic light crossings will be replaced with ones triggered by sensors, which will help with Covid-safe use of these going forward. These also have audio speakers, to support visually impaired residents.
 Park and Ride work ramps up
The £6.8 million park and ride expansion at Winnersh Triangle is under-way, with work estimated to be complete by Summer 2022.
The next steps of construction work have now started and during this time the car park capacity will be reduced, with 100 spaces accessible in the western end. There will also be adjustments to the pedestrian footpaths which will be signposted and a temporary bus stop in operation. Trains and buses will continue to operate as normal during the work.
Work at our 250-space Coppid Beech park and ride site in Wokingham is also well underway, with the target completion date early December. The park and ride will provide a key facility for residents wanting to travel into nearby town centres due to its proximity to Wokingham town centre, the borough boundary with Bracknell Forest and the A329M.
 Spotlight on....the council's Green Team
This month we are introducing a new feature – spotlight. Spotlight will focus on a group, such as an organisation, school or community group, which are making changes to reduce carbon emissions.
This month, we talk to Tabitha from our own Green Team to find out more.
What does the Green Team do?
The Green Team started in 2019 when a group of staff, conscious of climate change, wanted to make a difference in the workplace. The team volunteers their time, attending meetings and joining in projects, and we make it as flexible as possible.
What are the key things you have achieved so far?
Whilst still working in offices, we worked with our building managers to create ‘waste stations’; bringing all the different types of bins in one place on each floor to encourage separation of waste into the correct recycling bins.
We removed single-use plastic cups from all staff only areas, including coffee machines, water dispensers and meeting rooms.
Recently we have focused on internal communications, with regular slots in the newsletter and intranet. We produced a carbon footprint for the council as a workplace, including a staff survey which revealed that working from home has saved us at least 87 percent of CO2 emissions from commuting alone and our carbon footprint as a whole was down 56 percent.
Why do you think having a Green Team is beneficial to a company?
It shows an organisation cares and is setting an example!
Our working lives are a big part of us and habits set at work often filter into our everyday routines. This makes making sustainable changes easier.
It gives people with an interest a chance to meet like-minded people and share ideas, and gives colleagues with questions about sustainability at work or in normal life someone to ask. We have an email inbox where our colleagues can ask us questions directly.
Do you have any tips for setting up your own Green Team?
Meet regularly and keep the conversation going in between meetings!
Identify the right people who can help implement changes you want to see in your workplace, such as building up a relationship with your building management team.
Within your group, identify a leader or core partnership so things can keep moving forward when others get busy. Our Green Team is led by a member of the Climate Emergency team but this could also be someone in your communication team for example.
What is coming up next for the team?
We are looking at making a ‘return to work’ pack to share internally to help people make sustainable decisions as they return to the office. This will include redistributing information such as what can and can’t be recycled from the office as people may have forgotten or new starters would not know!
We will be sharing the outcomes of COP26 in November and making this relatable to our colleagues and our work.
 Let's get quizzical
Let's test your knowledge on recycling! Answers at the bottom of the newsletter...
Which of these can be recycled in your food caddy?
- Leftover pet food
- Fish and meat bones (raw or cooked)
- Coffee grounds
- Cooking oil
Which of these can you NOT put in your green recycling bag
- Plastic cutlery
- Aerosol deodorant
- Corrugated card
Where does the plastic you recycle in Wokingham borough end up?
- Malaysia
- China
- UK
- Turkey
Which of these is NOT a recycling aid in Wokingham borough?
- Greenredeem
- Re3cyclopedia
- Terracycle
Where would you dispose of the following?
- Good quality pint or wine glass
- Perfume or aftershave bottle
- Lightbulb
- Broken vase
 What's coming up?
World Ozone Day
16 August is World Ozone Day and this year's theme is 'Montreal Protocol - Keeping us, our food and vaccines cool'. You can find out more on their website.
Great Big Green Week
18 to 26 September is Great Big Green Week, where communities across the UK run and take part in events showing how they are taking action to tackle climate change and protect green spaces, and encourage others to get involved too.
You can find out more, sign up to run an event and see a map of planned events, including one run in partnership between Earley Environmental Group and Earley Town Council on the Great Big Green Week website.
Recycle Week
20 to 26 September is Recycle Week. This year's theme is 'Step it Up this recycle week' and calls on people to improve their recycling habits and encourage others to do the same. You can read more on their website.
Zero emissions day
21 September is zero emissions day, where individuals, organisations and businesses are challenged to cut emissions and use sustainable alternatives.
COP26
The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be coming to the UK at the beginning of November. Keep an eye out on future newsletters for more information.
 Lets get quizzical - answers
Which of these can be recycled in your food caddy?
Answer – all of the above!
Which of these can you NOT put in your green bag
Answer – a) plastic cutlery. This can be recycled at your local recycling centre.
Where does the plastic you recycle in Wokingham borough end up?
- – UK – it goes to a facility in Leicestershire
Which of these is not a recycling aid in Wokingham borough?
Answer – they all are!
Greenredeem gives points for logging your recycling weekly and for watching videos, taking quizzes and reading articles, which can then be swapped for rewards, charity donations and prize draws.
Re3cyclopedia is run by re3, waste and recycling providers for Wokingham, Bracknell and Reading. You can search by item type and postcode to see what and where to recycle different objects.
Terracycle is a national organisation with volunteers in the area that collect recycling for a huge amount of objects, from contact lenses to foil balloons to coffee pods to make up to pens.
Where would you dispose of the following?
- Good quality pint or wine glass – these can be recycled at your local recycling centre
- Perfume or aftershave bottle – these can be recycled in a glass bank in one of the 130 locations across the area
- Lightbulb – these can be recycled at your local recycling centre
- Broken vase – these can’t be recycled as they are made of a different type of glass. Please wrap carefully and put in your blue bag.
|
