1st October 2013 – Travel to Work

When it comes to sustainable as a means of getting to work, I have to say I am all for it. It is so important for many reasons. When it comes to cycling, walking and running, they are all fantastic ways of commuting to work if it’s possible. You can even try it just part of the way, whether it is every day or once a week.

Senior management and business owners have a major part to play in encouraging sustainable travel among employees. They should not only look to set examples themselves, but also try and make simple provisions for their workers like showering facilities and places to securely store their bikes. These will all be key factors in increasing the numbers of people buying into sustainable travel.

Sustainable travel is so important and we all have to be conscious of it. It is so easy to sit in our high-performance cars doing our own thing but once in a while we have to look at other ways of getting from A to B. Everybody should look to do something.

17th September 2013 – About Me

After a lifetime working in the financial services sector, I retired as Chief Executive of Derbyshire Building Society in 2008. Currently, I am Chairman of D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and also run a small family security firm with my brother.

But before I retired, I would run to and from the office at least once every week, which was about seven miles each way. It was a half marathon in a day. This was not only great for my body and mind, but it was great for the environment as well.

In terms of general health, cycling, running and walking are so good for you. The benefits are endless. I loved nothing more than running to and from the office once a week. It was a great way to unwind from the stresses of my job and also meant that when I got home, I had already completed my exercise for the day.

Sustainable travel should not just be limited to the workplace either. I used to get out and about on my bike at the weekend and you can take it into the weekend too. When heading out for a family day somewhere close by, why not turn it into a family bike ride? You can make your leisure time sustainable too.

I am a big believer in sustainable travel as we go about our day-to-day lives.

Peter Richardson, Chairman of the D2N2 LEP