Did you know - cycling and walking can help with weight control

30 minutes of leisurely cycling will burn about 300 calories* - depening on your age, gender, weight and speed.  5 times a week, that'd be 1500 calories.  And assuming you do this 40 weeks a year, that's 60,000 calories - enough to lose 17lb of weight.**

30 minutes of walking at 3.5mph will burn about 140 calories.  Again, this will vary depending on your age, gender and weight.  5 times a week, that's 700 calories.  Assuming you do this 40 weeks a year, that's 28,000 calories - enough to lose 8lb of weight.**

Of course, these estimates assume that you don't eat any more calories!

* Source: World Cancer Research Fund
** Based on 3,500 calories to lose 1lb

Did you know - your journey may not be necessary

The quickest way to get to a meeting is reaching it from your desk!  Many of us already use telephone conference calls when a face-to-face meeting isn't possible.

Webinars are a simple way to take a group of people through a presentation.  Participants see the slides as the host talks and they can ask questions through audio or text chat based systems. 

But you can get get the benefit of face-to-face meetings virtually too.  Many businesses now have facilities for a huge range of video conferencing options ranging from Skype and similar desk based technologies all the way through to virtual telepresence meeting rooms.  Video conferencing allows participants to see body language and feel more involved in the meeting process.

Less time travelling, less cost of travelling - and it can be easier to get everyone you need together if you meet virtually.

Find out what your company can do to help you to cut back on business travel.

Did you know - flying might become 30% of UK's carbon footprint

If trends continue, flying may account for up to 30% of the UK's carbon footprint in the future.*

If everyone in England who takes three or more flights to Europe cut one return flight we would save enough carbon dioxide to take 200,000 cars off the road for a year.*

Take the train instead - the award winning  Man in Seat 61 website has a wealth of helpful advice on travelling by train in the UK and across Europe.  Get the details on how to take a sleeper to Edinburgh for example and learn how to get cheaper tickets.

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - we could save £1.1 billion every year?

If everyone in the UK reduced their car mileage by just five miles a week it would collectively save around £1.1 billion and 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.* 

Look at how you travel for short trips - for example, walking to the paper shop or cycling to the post office.  You'll get fitter and benefit from some fresh air.  You're more likely to get chatting to yoru neighbours on your journeys.

Walking or cycling your children a mile to and from school each day would save around £120 and 250kg of carbon dioxide each year compared to doing these journeys in the average car.*

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - it's easy to plan a bus commute

Take a look at Transport Direct's website - it has a great door-to-door journey planner that shows how to use public transport - complete with times and a comparison to driving.

Did you know - car commuting costs £1200 every year

According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average car commute takes 30 minutes and costs around £1200 every year in fuel alone - that's 5% of the average UK salary!

Give yourself a 2.5% payrise by sharing your commute with a colleague who lives locally. 

If every commuter in the UK shared a car with two others collectively it would save £5.4 billion and 11.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.*

Smarter driving can save you between £250 and £300 and between 500kg and 600kg of carbon dioxide a year if you’re a commuter*. That’s a 15% saving on your fuel bill, which is around two months’ worth of fuel a year.  Click here to check out the EST's tips. 

When you are choosing a new car, opt for the most fuel efficient model - this will take £515 off your fuel costs every year, £150 off the first year's road tax and £120 off subsequent years' road tax.*

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - cyclists take less time off sick?

If you commute by bike you'll take less time off sick than non-cycling colleagues - they will take 18% more time off than you according to the CTC.

60% of men & 70% of women don't currently achieve the recommended minimum level of activity - 30 minutes 5 times a week - according to the CTC.  Cycling to work can really help to achieve this level, boosting our health.