Three men in a boat for eco day
Three Bath commuters made the River Avon their route into work when they paddled to the office in a canoe.
The trio are members of staff at Bath-based renewable energy provider Pure Planet.
The firm encouraged its staff and other Bath businesses to make a carbon-free commute in support of Clean Air Day on June 20.
Chief among Pure Planet’s conscientious commuters are Al Osmond, 43, and his colleagues, Tom Greeves and Dominic Cross.
The trio took Al’s three-man Canadian canoe from his home in Bradford-upon-avon all the way into Bath where Pure Planet’s riverside office is located.
Tom and Dom cycled 3-4 miles from Trowbridge to meet Al at his house by the river, before they all set off at 6.30am.
They completed a 10-mile paddle to work before, arriving on time at 9.30am and following the same route home at the end of the day.
As a provider of 100 per cent renewable energy and carbon offset gas, Pure Planet is helping people cut their carbon footprint.
Al said what started out as a joke about his commuting options has now become a challenge which he hopes will encourage others to think about their carbon footprint.
He said: “I’ve been out in my canoe along the river a few times, but never to work.
“It started off as a bit of a joke that I could get to the office via the river when we moved to our new office.
“I mentioned it to the team and it just escalated, now it’s for real.
“It’s been a great challenge, but I think the whole principle of Clean Air Day is that you don’t just have to take one mode of transport to work. I’ve recently got a fold-up bike and on my way home from work I’ll take the train and then cycle home from the station.
“It’s all about multimodal ways of getting into work. Trains, planes and automobiles but just without the carbon. You don’t have to get wet like us!”
Pure Planet staff walked, ran and cycled into work while some used their electric vehicles. All were then treated to a vegan breakfast.
Steven Day, co-founder of Pure Planet, said the initiative was a popular with staff who share the company’s ethos.
Mr Day said: “As a provider of fresh, clean renewable energy, we’re passionate about lowering Britain’s carbon footprint.”