The Journey Begins...
Hi... My name’s Adam Lindsay, and for the next week and a bit i’m going to be in Copenhagen for GMG Radio, reporting on all the latest events at the UN Climate Change Summit. I’ll be doing reports in our news bullitens, interviewing politicians, scientists and activists from around the world, and making sure you’re completely up to date with what is going on at what some people have described as the most important meeting in the history of the human race. I’ll also be posting some videos and photos from Denmark, and updating this blog to give you a bit more info about what’s going on...
So, right now i’m sitting in the living room of my friend’s flat in Queen’s Park, London, one day into my journey to Copenhagen. I decided that it would be a bit hypocritical of me to fly to and from an environmental conference, so instead of taking the easy option i thought it would be interesting to see if i could get there in the most sustainable and eco-friendly way possible. I also wanted to try out new forms of environmentally friendly transport to see if they are any good and practical for use in everyday life.
This morning I got to our North East studios in Gateshead very early, to go through final preparations and get ready for the trip. However, at 8 o’clock disaster struck – the electric car i was supposed to be picking up from Newcastle Council in only an hour and a quarter’s time was no longer available due to a mix up on their part. Cue an hour and a half of blind panic and non-stop phone calls as i tried to rearrange my route at the last minute to make sure i could still carry out my wish of getting to Copenhagen in a green way. Luckily, we were able to pull everything together, and i was on the road just after 10: 00.
My first vehicle was an electric bicycle, lent to me by the guys at Elecscoot in Consett. It’s basically the same as a normal bike, except there’s a battery underneath the seat that gives extra power to the back wheel. It adjusts how much power it gives by what gear you’re in, so when you change down gears for a hill it boosts the power and makes it a lot easier. There’s also a throttle on it which you can use when you want, so if you get tired and need a break you just let the engine do the work for you while you have a little rest. I absolutely loved it! My destination was in Chester le Street, which is two towns away, but i got there in super fast time and without even breaking sweat, despite having to climb a couple of tricky hills on the way. I even sped past a fellow cyclist on the road who was obviously a much more seasoned cyclist than i was... i felt like Lance Armstrong!
Next up was an electric scooter, lent to me again by the guys at Elecscoot. This was just a standard scooter powered by a fully electric engine, meaning there are no emissions and it’s a lot cheaper to run (it costs about 8p per charge, and zero road tax). I was told the one i was driving had a range of around 70 miles, which in my opinion is more than enough for a vehicle to run around towns or cities. After a bit of a test run around a car park to make sure i didn’t fall off as soon as i hit the road, i set off for Darlington. Within 5 minutes i’d really got the hang of it, and had no problem getting up to top speed and handling it round corners. It was great fun to ride - i felt like a proper mod, just without the parka! And i was really impressed with the way it performed; i’d expected the engine to be quite weak, but it was incredibly powerful and you could get up to 60 mph in a flash. The only downside was the fact that it started raining quite heavily half way through the journey, leaving my jeans completely soaked, and with the cold temperature and strong wind I felt like i might actually catch hypothermia at times. But that’s probably my own stupid fault for choosing to test drive a scooter in the middle of a North East winter...
I picked up my final vehicle of the day at Darlington station at lunchtime (after i’d had a quick hug from my Mam who’d come there to see me off!). It was a Honda Insight hybrid car, which uses a mixture of electric power and fuel to offer a more environmentally friendly way of driving long distances... the perfect way to get down to London. Yet again, i was surprised at how well the car performed, and i could notice no difference with any other type of cars in it’s class. In the city, it was often running solely on electricity, saving emmisions and money, but not compromising on quality of driving. The car also has a very cool futuristic dashboard, which lights up different colours depending on how economically you are driving – green for good, light blue for average and dark blue for bad... it really made me aware of how i was driving, and i became determined to try to get it to stay green as much as possible, meaning i saved fuel and reduced my emissions. I drove all the way down to London in comfort, and really enjoyed it, stopping only once to get a bite to eat, and a hot drink to warm up from my earlier experiences on the scooter. I also had some company – a man called Keith (who i’m sure Honda had put there to make sure i didn’t nick the car when they found out i was from Teesside!!!) did the journey with me, meaning we reduced the carbon emissions per person even more, and i also had someone to talk to about our shared love of all things Apple...
We got to Queens Park at about 19: 00, doing the length of the country on around 55 miles per gallon, which is pretty good going for a car of it’s class. I said my goodbyes to Keith, and was met by an amazing plate of fahitas cooked by my friend... what a way to end a long, tiring day!
Anyway, it’s getting pretty late, so i better hit the sack as i’ve got another early start and long day tomorrow. Night night!
