Mapping Greener HealthcareMapping Greener Healthcare

The average car uses fossil fuels to create power as these carbon sources hold a high amount of energy in their bonds. In an internal combustion engine this energy can be harnessed to power vehicles but the process of combustion produces many particles and gases, such as the greenhouse gas CO2, as a by-product from the reaction. One of the key planks in the recently agreed Trust lease car scheme was the setting of an upper limit for CO2 emissions that will reduce in line with government targets. SECAmb will aim to provide vehicles under the lease car scheme where the CO2 emissions do not exceed the following targets in the year the lease is taken out: • from 1 April 2008 – 160 mg CO2 • from 1 April 2009 – 150 mg CO2 • from 1 April 2010 – 140 mg CO2 • from 1 April 2011 – 130 mg CO2 • from 1 April 2012 – 120 mg CO2 (EU declared target) The scheme is already proving to meet expectations of reducing our carbon footprint. With some 73% of lease car applications processed to date the scheme is already showing a 73 metric tonne saving ( a reduction of 13.9% on 2008 levels) in annual C02 emissions by comparison with the previous leased vehicles. From 1 Apr 2009 the reduction in emissions has accelerated as the ceiling reduced further in line with the Trust lease car target. Following this initiative, the Trust has decided to apply the same emissions ceiling to any short term hire vehicles that may be required from time to time.