National Transport Trust proposing Green Wheel scheme to encourage Carbon Reduction in the Transport Heritage sector

National Transport Trust (NTT) is in consultation with leading Transport Heritage organisations and academics regarding its Carbon Reduction & Environment Accreditation Scheme, The Green Wheel scheme, which will demonstrate and encourage the commitment, plans and progress being made across the sector towards carbon reduction and protecting the environment.

Objectives

• Formally recognise the importance of carbon reduction in particular and environmental protection in general.
• Enable accredited organisations to use their accreditation in advertising and promotional material
• Promote further efforts to reduce carbon, greenhouse gas output and environmental impact

 The Scheme will also aim to enable:

• A coherent approach to carbon footprint measurement, assisting the Transport Heritage sector to articulate the modest nature of its overall carbon and other emissions.
• The sharing of “best practice” amongst Transport Heritage outlets.

Benefits

• Accreditation would authorise the successful Transport Heritage entity to display the Green Wheel logo on all advertising and promotional material as well as affording the opportunity for them to commission one or more plaques of the approved design to display on their premises.
• Information from their application portfolio would be hosted on the National Transport Trust website in the form of a searchable database, accessed either by web search, a QR code co-located with their Green Wheel logo or linked to their own website.
• The Scheme would have a series of “star” ratings (1-5) awarded dependent on the strength of the application and entities can seek to upgrade their rating over time by reviewing their approach and updating their plans’s progress. Further details of the draft criteria for each of the “star” ratings are here...
• A small selection of the very best initiatives would be recognised at the National Transport Trust Award Ceremony held annually.

Eligibility

The intention is that the following would be be eligible for consideration:

• Fixed sites, such as railways, museums and collections
• Major Events such as Historic Steam, Motor Racing, Aircraft and Boating events
• Support Enterprises such as restoration companies and parts suppliers
• Other Transport Heritage entities

How to Apply (draft subject to consultation)

The applying organisation must be a Transport Heritage entity that is prepared to demonstrate the following over-riding principle:

Submissions for consideration should demonstrate a committed plan to achieve measurable step changes in greenhouse gas emissions within a stated period - e.g. 5 years. Plan to achieve UK Government’s 78% Carbon reduction ambition by 2035.

Each ‘step change’ will increase the ‘star’ level of achievement.

Application will include a portfolio, outlining the steps already taken and those planned, in relation to climate and the environment, with a particular emphasis on carbon reduction.

The portfolio should be in electronic format, and may include, or be supported by imagery, still and video, plus other relevant material. The areas worthy of inclusion are outlined below. For the higher ratings, some work will be required to quantify reductions in carbon emission and overall energy usage, which is in line with the stated national targets, but, at the lower levels a clear commitment to carbon reduction and the environment will be sufficient.

To increase their number of “stars” over time applicants will be invited to provide a portfolio of evidence covering as many of the following areas as they can, taking UK Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy as a guide;

• Energy, Low Carbon and Resource Efficiency:
  Operating procedures, processes and projects to reduce energy, water or resource consumption, recycling, the use of renewable energy and projects on course to reduce carbon emission to net zero by 2050
• Social Value, Community and Heritage:
  Operating procedures and projects focused on any of the social aspects of sustainability, including heritage, public access, community engagement and education.
• Sustainable Construction and Maintenance:
  New build and refurbishment projects that innovate in fields such as new materials or designs, resource management, reuse of historic buildings or climate resilience
• Sustainable Procurement:
  Policies procedures and projects to improve sustainability of equipment or services, management of supply chains or product life cycles
• Individual Achievement:
  Efforts made by individuals and groups of both staff and volunteers in keeping with the emerging emissions reduction and environmental challenge

Over time an “improving” organisation will be able to upgrade its star rating by providing updated portfolios, and the National Transport Trust will publicise achievement and encourage the sharing of “best practice”.

Draft criteria for Stars - click here for more on Green Wheels

Request for feedback and consultation

Having been working thus far with a small number of potential candidates The Trust would now like to receive expressions of interest from Transport Heritage fixed sites, such as railways, museums and collections; Organisers of major Transport Heritage events; Support Enterprises such as restoration companies and parts suppliers and other Transport Heritage organisations.

In addition the Trust would like to hear from and engage with Academics, enterprises and other parties who can assist and add value to the knowledge of both the Trust and scheme participants on meeting the carbon challenge.

Point of Contact

The main point of contact regarding the scheme is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.