To mark Clean Air Day (20 June 2019), East Dunbartonshire Council hosted an event to raise awareness of air quality issues and celebrate the achievements of businesses who are working to reduce vehicle emissions.
Local companies, or those who trade in the area, are encouraged to be part of the Eco Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme. It highlights organisations who are operating in the most environmentally friendly way to reduce fuel use and emissions in their daily business.
There are 107 members of the East Dunbartonshire Scheme, including the Council itself.
Eco Stars targets companies who operate vehicles in or near Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA), and in East Dunbartonshire there are two: Bishopbriggs AQMA and Bearsden AQMA. In East Dunbartonshire 3,987 vehicles are covered by the scheme.
At the special event on Clean Air Day, Eco Star members* were presented with a certificate showing their star rating from 1 to 5, based on a recent assessment of their operational and environmental performance.
Councillor Susan Murray, Vice Convener of the Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets Committee spoke at the event about the Council's commitment to improving air quality.
She said, "Through our Air Quality Action Plans we are working with local people and businesses to clean up the air in our towns and villages. Clean Air Day is an opportunity to remind individuals and families what they can do to help achieve this aim and to recognise businesses who are doing their bit.
"Reducing car use by walking, cycling or using public transport is an obvious way we can all help reduce exhaust fumes. Not idling when we do use the car is another simple thing we can do. Although locally and nationally air quality standards are improving, air pollution continues to harm our health, particularly the health and wellbeing of vulnerable groups such as the young, elderly and those with medical conditions such as asthma."
She thanked attendees for their commitment to the scheme and the wider goal of improving air quality, "Members of the Eco Stars Scheme have pledged to work towards improving engine technology and emission standards which will have a long-term positive impact on the environment and the air that we breathe. They are to be congratulated on that."
John S L Watson Haulage, which has been operating for over 50 years from Huntershill Village in Bishopbriggs, joined the Eco Stars Scheme in 2017. Jimmy Watson, Transport Manager, said, “We are grateful to have a free independent audit of our fleet and delighted to have received positive feedback, as well as suggestions of areas for consideration moving forward. We revisited our environment policy and looked at simple things that we could do such as not having vehicles ticking over for any reason and route planning. It has made a big difference. We have also updated our telematics system which gave us greater feedback on fuel consumption and styles of driving, which we have fed into our driver CPC training program. Moving forward, we are looking at replacing vehicles that will keep us compliant for the new low emission zones.”
Councillor Murray explained how the Council’s fleet management is also contributing in the fight to clean up the air in East Dunbartonshire.
She said, "The Council has an ambitious goal towards zero emissions and in recent years has introduced a fleet of 27 plug-in fully electric cars in a move to cut pollution from business miles. This investment has also delivered savings in fuel spend and led to a reduction in emissions such as Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). We are practising what we preach and leading by example in this important area."
As part of its ongoing fleet replacement programme, the Council has invested in replacing a significant number of older, less environmentally friendly trucks with around 80% of commercial vehicles being replaced since 2015.
New vehicles introduced recently within the Waste Services and Roads fleet come with the latest technology, European Emission Standard (Euro VI) with Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) as standard. Further vehicles are scheduled for replacement in 2019/20 and beyond in line with the programme.
Environmental Protection Scotland coordinates Clean Air Day in Scotland. Their Policy and Communications Officer, John Bynorth welcomed East Dunbartonshire's participation.
He said: “East Dunbartonshire Council is leading the way in promoting greener forms of transport within its own fleet and encouraging other organisations to make their vehicle transport more sustainable.’’
“We are delighted the Eco Stars ceremony is taking place on Clean Air Day as a way of marking the success of people and organisations who are making a real difference to air quality.’’
“Over 100 different events took place across Scotland, with the overall aim to improve air quality. We would like to see more people and businesses consider electric vehicles, including electric taxis, which are vastly less polluting than traditional diesel and petrol vehicles, and not to idle their engines when stationary.”
* This includes: Thermologistics, Mulholland Contracts, Gordon Bow Plant Hire, The Wise Group, Briggs Marine, John G Russell, National Windscreens and John Watson Haulage.
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