22 December 2023 , 14:53
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A woman got extra time off to enjoy some beautiful Christmas markets because of her efforts to save the planet.
Sally Brake recently travelled to Amsterdam via the train to visit the Christmas markets, heading up to St Pancras from her home in Clapham and then whizzing to the Dutch capital on the Eurostar. She stepped off in the centre of the waffle-loving city four hours later.
There she soaked up the atmosphere of a place known for its frozen winter river, love of baked goods drizzled in chocolate, and strong Christmas knick-knack scene. The 26-year-old tucked into some Dutch chips, bought a hat and then stayed in an eco-lodge overnight.
"I am pretty keen to not fly unless it's a big holiday somewhere quite far. I paid about £180 for one person both ways, but I always forget if you book the cheaper airlines, you have to pay for your luggage on top of the flight cost," Sally told the Mirror.
"I started thinking about the environmental impact of stuff I enjoy, and now it is hard to ignore it. Your individual carbon footprint if you fly two to three times a year will be huge. It is the one big thing you can do. When I arrived I was in the middle of Amsterdam, that was nice. The time waiting to queue is so much less than flying."
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Sally enjoyed a wintery break in Amsterdam (Getty Images)A return ticket on Eurostar cost her £180 - significantly more expensive than a flight. However, Sally was determined to take the train as it is so much less harmful to the environment than flying. By one estimate it produces 12 times less emissions per passenger.
The social media manager was convinced to go by the fact the she is given extra days of holiday from her company if she heads away on greener forms of transport. Sally ended up taking three days of annual leave for the trip, but due to the journey being taken by train, she'll receive almost an entire day of annual leave for free.
The scheme Sally's company is signed up to is called Climate Perks. In 2023 firms who have agreed to take part are expected to give just shy of 5,000 days of extra annual leave to employees who opt to take greener forms of transport to their holiday destinations.
Some of the firms which have signed up include Wholegrain Digital, Julie's Bicycle, Bristol Credit Union, Friends of the Earth, Direct Ferries, Triple Bottom Line Accounting, 39 Essex Chambers, the Brunel Museum and Third Sector Accounting.
While companies may feel unable to pay staff more to go by rail rather than on more polluting planes, offering them extra time off is cheaper from a business point of view, and sweetens the green-deal for workers.
Possible, the charity behind Climate Perks, is looking for more companies to sign up to the scheme. If you would like your employer to become a member, the charity is happy to offer advice about how to convince them to join.