Eco Blog: World Car Free Day 2021

Ever since the first vehicle rolled onto the streets in 1886, the world has had a love-hate relationship with the motor car. Today, with over one billion motor vehicles on the roads around the globe, it sometimes seems as if we cannot escape the pollution, noise and danger that they produce.  One day a year is set aside to try and avoiding using cars and cycling, walking or using public transport instead.

Car Free Day aims to take the heat off the planet for just one day by encouraging people to be less dependent on their cars and try alternatives.  World Car Free Day has been designed so that we all avoid using our vehicles on this date. While cars are convenient and offer a number of benefits, they also contribute a dangerous amount of pollution, so having a day off comes highly recommended. World Car Free Day is great for raising awareness about these concerns and helping to reduce emissions. 

In order to understand why World Car Free Day is so important, it is vital to understand air pollution and how vehicles contribute to this. Air pollution references the presence of foreign substances in the air that are not meant to be there. It can also result in there being an excessive quantity of specific impurities that would cause us harm otherwise. When fuel is burned by a vehicle, pollutants are emitted.  Fumes will escape into the air. This even happens when we are pumping fuel into our tanks. 

How to celebrate World Car Free Day

Of course, the best way to celebrate World Car Free Day is by making sure that your car stays firmly parked in your drive for the duration of the day. You should also make sure you spread the word about World Car Free Day online so that you can make other people aware of this date and make sure that they keep their cars parked up for 24 hours as well.  

Why not go on a family bike ride to honour World Car Free Day?  

You could also switch up your commute to work by walking or cycling? 

Why not review SERC’s Cycle to Work Scheme whereby you can sacrifice part of your salary and in return the College purchases a bicycle and/or safety equipment up to the value of £1000.00 and leases it to you over a 12 month period and is tax free. For more information e-mail hr@serc.ac.uk 

Well done to everyone in SERC who has been taking part in the Active Challenge this September!