Stat Chat: A Sustainable Transport Journey to SEAI
Foolish or Fuel-ish – How can we shift our focus and our journeys towards away from private car dependence and towards a more varied and sustainable portfolio of transport options?
As a public agency with around 300 staff, SEAI – the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland - is responsible for well over 50,000 commutes per year to its offices in Dublin, Cork, Dundalk, and Sligo. As a leading authority in driving Ireland's sustainable energy transformation, SEAI wants to practice what it preaches by informing and encouraging sustainable modes of transport for commuting.
SEAI’s hybrid work policy and its electric vehicle grant schemes already actively reduce both its own commuting-related transport emissions, and Ireland’s overall transport emissions - supporting the ‘avoid’ and ‘improve’ pillars of Ireland’s climate action plan (CAP) strategy on transport. But SEAI’s very latest online tool – its Sustainable Transport Journey Dashboard – helps further by speaking the ‘shift’ pillar of CAP’s transport strategy, by making it easier than ever to plan sustainable journeys to, from, and between SEAI offices.
Launched by SEAI’s geographic information systems (GIS) team just in time for the European mobility week, September 15th -19th, the new Sustainable Transport Journey Dashboard helps raise awareness of the sustainable journey options available to SEAI staff – be that bus, train, bike, or running shoe! – and to plan those journeys. Not only does the new dashboard help with home-to-office commutes, but it can also help plan sustainable journeys between SEAI offices – helping us visit colleagues in different parts of the country in a sustainable way when that’s needed.
You can use the link below to explore our new Sustainable Transport Journey tool, and to create one for your own offices! We would love to hear from you at [email protected], if you do.
The dashboard highlights best alternative travel modes, with the aim of shifting our focus on private cars to alternatives like public transport and cycling and walking, to reduce the impact of every journey.
We hope that showing what SEAI is working on can encourage other businesses and agencies to follow these actions. Since taking up the challenge ourselves and registering for smarter travel with the NTA (National Transport Authority) in 2019, SEAI has already received an accreditation in mobility, achieving two certifications – Gold Certification as a Cycle Friendly Employer and Gold Standard Smarter Travel Mark.
Ireland needs to reduce transport emissions by 51% by 2030, and comply with 5 yearly carbon budgets for the sector. Unfortunately we are not on track to do that without everyone’s help. Every journey we take on public transport or by active travel, that displaces private car use is a positive step towards that goal.
To see how your journey counts visit this link.
If you're interested to learn more about public transport and active travel options around the country, then please visit the following links to help you get started and shift your travel plans:
