Colmore Business District workers were keen to show their support for the first National Clean Air Day by taking part in various initiatives aimed at tackling Birmingham’s critical levels of air pollution.
Among them was leading property consultancy CBRE, which revealed one of the new ‘city bikes’ staff will be using to travel to meetings.
Temple Row-based CBRE recently took delivery of four bikes and Birmingham office managing director Martin Guest gave one of them a trial run for National Clean Air Day.
More than 100 people work for CBRE in Birmingham and staff will be encouraged to use the new bikes when travelling around the city.
Birmingham is one of the worst-hit areas outside London for dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution with a recent study by Public Health England warning that air pollution was responsible for up to 900 deaths a year in the city.
Colmore Business District BID has been encouraging the 30,000 workers in the area to take part in the first ever National Clean Air Day on June 15, which saw a host of initiatives at schools, businesses and outdoor spaces across the UK.
Among the Birmingham businesses taking part in National Clean Air Day were Brewin Dolphin, Eversheds, BDP, Systra, Anthony Collins Solicitors, East Village PR, FleetMilne Property, Gowling WLG and restaurant group Opus along with Lisa Trickett, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment.
The Colmore Row area was recently designated a Green Travel District (GTD) as part of a pilot project aimed at transforming Birmingham business life.
Martin Guest said: “As a business we are committed to supporting a range of social and environmental initiatives. We actively encourage employees to participate and to give their time and energy to helping causes and campaigns such as National Clean Air Day.
“As a member of Colmore BID, our staff did their bit to help make the air in Birmingham that little bit cleaner for the day by choosing greener alternative methods of transport for commuting into the office and getting around the city, for example by using our CBRE ‘city bikes’ to travel to meetings.”
Paul Fielding, the Chairman of the BID working group that includes the Green Travel District initiative, said: “I am really pleased with the responses from across all scales of businesses in our area to the initiative, reflecting the importance of clean air now and in the future.”
Press release issued on behalf of Colmore BID
