Building for a greener future
CONTRACTOR TO PLANT 2,800 TREES ALONG RIVER TRENT TO OFFSET EMISSIONS
PLANTING more than 2,800 trees along the banks of the River Trent is part of efforts by contractor Willmott Dixon to improve sustainability across Nottinghamshire.
The initiatives to reduce carbon emissions also include installing electric charging points at its developments across the city and offering only electric or hybrid company cars.
They form part for the firm’s ‘Now or Never’ sustainability strategy.
Willmott Dixon has donated £14,000 to the Woodland Trust to support the planting of 2,800 trees along the River Trent to help alleviate flooding and offset carbon emissions, in conjunction with Trent Rivers Trust. The initiative will see the trees planted throughout Nottingham later this year and contribute to the company’s commitment to planting 100,000 new trees across the UK by 2030.
Nick Heath, director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’re very excited about this project and can’t wait for planting season to begin so we can get the trees in the ground. The River Trent is such an iconic part of Nottingham, and we’re glad that we’re able to contribute towards its maintenance by alleviating flood risks and lining it with more greenery.”
Willmott Dixon is also installing electric vehicle charging points at eight existing sites across the Midlands – including the new £15.9 million leisure centre in Bingham and the contractor’s Nottingham office at Lock House.
These installations are part of a wider initiative that will see Willmott Dixon roll out electric vehicle charging points across all new sites nationally, through their recently launched partnership with Rolec.
Nick continued: “We’re pleased to be making progress towards reducing our carbon emissions and these projects are going to help us meet our ambitious targets. The transition to electric vehicles is ongoing, but since the rollout of our electric company car scheme we now have 13 percent of our 300 employees in the East Midlands having already adopted to more sustainable transport in the last six months.
“By 2030 we hope to have a fully electric fleet, so it’s critical that we provide the necessary infrastructure on each of our sites to allow this to happen. Not only will this encourage our teams to make the transition, but it will also set a great example to others within the construction industry – helping to influence a reduction in fossil fuels.”