Edinburgh is hosting the first European ECO Stars conference in Scotland this week.
The capital stages the European ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme conference in a bid to get air pollution and road transport experts together from 7 EU countries to discuss how air quality can be improved in Edinburgh and across Europe.
And as part of the event, experts from Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Holland, Italy, Spain and Sweden are due to be treated to a fact finding tour on an old fashioned Routemaster bus.
The bus has been kitted out to be environmentally friendly and is just one of the many projects that the City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian Buses has been working on to improve air quality in the city.
Over, the two day conference, delegates will come together to discuss how air pollution, energy efficiency, transportation, air quality and resident’s health can be improved, both in the city and across the continent.
And a large part of the congress will concentrate on how freight traffic can be better managed to improve emissions.
The event is an opportunity for Edinburgh to showcase the improvements already made in the capital as well as to share knowledge with other countries on energy efficiency.
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Transport Leader, said: “We are delighted to be the first local authority in Scotland to be part of the ECO Stars project. It shows that Edinburgh is taking a lead in Europe on trying to reduce the pollution impact of vehicles, particularly, freight traffic as it passes through the city. The Council is already working with some road haulage fleet operators about emission reductions, but we need to engage further with many more to make a meaningful impact on air quality. We are looking for fleet operators to come forward with imaginative solutions to emission reductions, and this event is part of that. We want to improve air quality so everyone can benefit from cleaner air.”
The ECO Stars project started initially as a scheme in South Yorkshire to increase the number of vehicle fleets using cleaner fuel. Other aims include, improving fuel management, increasing the number of freight companies promoting eco-driving and transferring knowledge between different countries.
Plans are currently in place, to offer fleet operators a free membership scheme providing free energy efficiency assessments through a star rating system.
