Back to all weekly shorts
Weekly Short
12 January, 2024
With Christmas already feeling like a distant memory, most of us wouldn’t refuse a few extra days’ holiday in 2024. But what if you could slash your carbon emissions at the same time? If one of your 2024 resolutions is “more fun, less carbon”, read on.
Climate Perks is an employer benefits scheme where staff get paid leave to take low-carbon holiday travel instead of flying. Like volunteer days, employees can claim their ‘journey days’ to cover the time difference between taking a flight to their holiday destination, and the overland equivalent. Run by climate action charity Possible, the scheme is designed to remove the time barrier to low-carbon travel. And with air travel currently the most polluting action an individual can take – and 80% of flights leaving UK airports destined for leisure rather than business purposes – it couldn’t come soon enough.
90 employers (including Good Business!) are already signed up to the scheme – and seeing the benefits. 74% report that Climate Perks supports employee retention, motivation or wellbeing, and 91% say that it helps them demonstrate their climate commitment internally. More than a third also say that the scheme helps them recruit new employees.
As well as offering paid time off for low-carbon travel, Climate Perks members can access discounts on eco-friendly holidays, one-to-one support in setting up and implementing the scheme, and inspiration and resources to help teams book low-carbon trips.
It’s currently free to join, so if you want to get on track for a slow travel revolution in 2024, register your interest here or download a template email to send to your employer.
By Sarah Howden