As environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly more important, Mercy Community is constantly taking proactive steps to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage team members to make greener choices in their work life and especially in their daily commute.
Through our internal People and Planet initiative, we encourage our team members to consider the environmental impact of their choices both inside and outside of the workplace. This month we’ve been focusing on alternative modes of transportation, such as walking, cycling, taking public transportation or carpooling. The aim of Implementing this initiative is to encourage employees to make their commute greener, alleviating traffic congestion, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting a healthier lifestyle – it may even save them a few dollars too.
Someone who is already leading the way to a more sustainable lifestyle is Margi, our Receptionist/ Admin Assistant in our Nudgee corporate office. Her round trip to work on her bike clocks in at almost 40km so we asked her for tips on getting started and the benefits of her biking lifestyle.
Hey Margi, so when did you start your bike powered journey?
My love of bike riding began when I was 25 and it’s grown a lot since then.
About 3 years ago in my previous job I would ride to and from the train station, leading me to join the staff cycling team. Then things got more serious when I took part in ‘Bike-tober’, where you can track your journey, invite friends and win prizes. I ended up cutting out the train completely and making the commute 100% bike powered.
Is this just for work?
Nope, even on the weekends and especially trips to the shops. You can’t beat not having to hunt for a parking space and locking your bike up right outside the front door. I enjoy riding so much I even gave my car away, although we still have my husband’s car for emergencies.
What do you enjoy about riding?
Well for a start it’s more fun than sitting in a traffic jam on a Friday afternoon.
My 36km round trip to work gives me enough exercise and calm down time, plus it saves me a fortune on gym membership. It’s not often we take the time to reflect on the day ahead and I find cycling lets me focus on things I need to get done – while still paying attention to road rules of course.
“I enjoy riding so much I even gave my car away.”
Do you have any tips on getting started?
Start small, go places that are quiet, avoid busy main roads and take advantage of the many cycle paths that Queensland has to offer. You can visit Bicycle Queensland for the best routes, guides and other useful information. They also offer courses on learning how to ride as well as working with people who have lost their sight, with volunteers who ride with them in tandem.
You can easily add your bike insurance to your car insurance and most of them will pick you up and take you to the nearest bike shop if you get a flat.
Thank you for your time Margi
A pleasure, happy to help – although I still don’t consider myself a serious cyclist – I won’t do Lycra.
Transport emissions by source:
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People and Planet
At Mercy Community we are always striving to become ecological champions. Inspired by Pope Francis’ letter to the world, Laudato Si (Care for our Common Home), our People & Planet initiative forms the foundation of how Mercy Community can act to reduce our carbon footprint and operate in a more sustainable way. Our belief is that everyone has a part to play in embedding the longstanding commitment of the Catholic Church, the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Community to serving the poor and vulnerable, while looking to new evidence-based approaches for climate resilience and climate change mitigation.
By rewarding and recognising team members who make an effort to commute sustainably, we hope to motivate more people to adopt greener commuting habits and create a culture of environmental responsibility within Mercy Community. Empowering our team members to make greener choices in their daily commute and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.
Click here to learn more about our People and Planet initiative.
