Bristol City Council has already recorded a 71% reduction in carbon emissions from its direct activities against a 2005 baseline, surpassing their target to reduce emissions by 65% by 2020.

This is the second year running that the authority exceeded its own carbon targets, the council has led the way with its corporate initiatives, including making buildings more energy efficient, investments in renewable energy infrastructure such as wind turbines and solar panels, electrifying the council’s fleet vehicles and continuous upgrades to street lighting across the city.

Bristol City Council has not remained complacent and continues to look at new technologies and initiatives that will drive the city to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Bristol City Council has teamed up with the Manchester-based energy tech company, EnergiMine, which will see Bristol City Council employees rewarded for their energy efficient behaviour through the EnergiToken (ETK) rewards platform. The initiative is another move in the right direction to help the city achieve its ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral, with the broader view and plan to take part in future city-wide initiatives.

This partnership comes following Bristol City Council’s “climate emergency” meeting in November 2018, which yielded a unanimous vote to back a highly ambitious 2030 carbon neutral target in response to the worrying IPCC report which stated that the world only has 12 years in which to avoid the apocalyptic and irreversible impacts of climate change.

The council have therefore taken upon themselves to be leaders on this front, storming ahead of targets. Part of their plan will revolve around the adoption of new digital technologies to minimise energy consumption and maximise value generation, so the incorporation of the EnergiToken platform comes as no surprise.

Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Energy and Transport said: “Bristol is a city that is leading the fight against climate change in the UK. We have invested a great deal in renewable energy, low-carbon heat, sustainable transport, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and developing the City Leap initiative that will bring £1bn of energy investment into the city.

“We’re very excited about this partnership with EnergiMine which represents another method for engaging our city in the very real and pressing issue of climate change. The pilot to deliver rewards to our staff for being more energy efficient will undoubtedly reduce carbon emissions and save the council money on its energy bills, but we hope that some of those positive behaviours will overlap into people’s home lives and in time influence friends and relatives. This behaviour change at a city-level will be key in the coming years as Bristol forges ahead on our journey to carbon neutrality.’’

EnergiToken is a rewards platform which uses blockchain technology to incentivise people with the digital currency, ETK, for exhibiting energy efficient behaviour. This mutually beneficial relationship will seek to promote energy reduction, clean transport and social cause initiatives. Employees of Bristol City Council can then choose to add EnergiTokens (ETK) to their wallet app to claim exclusive offers from approved partnered vendors in the EnergiToken ecosystem or donate the equivalent value (£) to a registered charity.

EnergiMine has already secured partnerships with notable names such as the EMA, ON5 group and nextbike UK, this latest partnership with Bristol City Council will further add to the prestige of the EnergiToken platform, which is rapidly becoming a “must have” addition for those looking to reduce their carbon emissions.

“The first step in the fight against climate change starts with the promotion of energy efficient behaviours,” said Energi Mine CEO, Omar Rahim. “Following the latest IPCC report, we at EnergiMine are proud to have partnered up with Bristol City Council, whose forward-thinking and courageous response to the threat of climate change will surely pave the way for others to follow suit. We really look forward to driving carbon emissions down with the help of the EnergiToken rewards platform. We are leading incentivisation towards a carbon neutral world of tomorrow.”

This is just the first of many exciting initiatives which will take root in Bristol over the coming months, owed to the city’s more radical target than the UK government’s target of an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This may well be THE spark for an energy revolution at a local level.

Only time will tell.

Bristol City Council has already recorded a 71% reduction in carbon emissions from its direct… was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The FCA has announced the participants of the Green FinTech Challenge. EnergiMine, a start-up based in Manchester, has successfully been accepted on the FCA’s Green FinTech Challenge. The challenge is aimed at firms developing innovative financial products and services that assist in the UK’s transition to a greener economy.

CEO at EnergiMine, Omar Rahim comments. “We are delighted to have been successful in the application for the FCA’s Green FinTech Challenge. The first step in the fight against climate change starts with the promotion of energy efficient behaviours. We need to drive incentivisation towards carbon neutral methods of transportation, which make a significant difference on our planet’s future and can make a real change towards tackling carbon emissions.”

EnergiMine will trial their EnergiToken blockchain platform later this year for the Green Fintech Challenge, which would focus on incentivising individuals on using low carbon transport from their approved partners. The partners involved in this initial trial will be nextbike — a bike sharing provider, eGen Scooters — a leading provider of electric scooters and 3F EV — an all-electric Tesla rental company. A financial incentive is given for saving energy and green behaviours in the form of a digital token named EnergiToken (ETK). Consumers can then use EnergiTokens (ETK) for a means part payment for their services.

The FCA received 22 applications in total for the Green FinTech Challenge, which had to pass through their stringent eligibility criteria. The FCA stated that “9 firms have been accepted and will receive support across the range of FCA Innovate’s services.” The FCA continues “The FinTech Challenge is a pilot approach for FCA Innovate. This involves us taking a more active role in driving innovation in an area where we see a clear benefit to UK consumers and markets. The pilot FinTech Challenge focuses on firms developing innovative solutions to assist in the UK’s transition to a greener economy.”

Get involved today, help be a part of the change! For more information about EnergiToken and its energy-saving reward scheme or to become a partner, please visit www.energitoken.com, follow on twitter at @EnergiMine or join the EnergiMine Telegram group

About EnergiMine

EnergiMine is a blockchain and artificial intelligence energy solutions tech company based in Manchester. The company currently manages over $300 million worth of energy on behalf of its customers, looking after approximately 3,000+ global energy sites. EnergiMine is disrupting the global energy markets by creating a platform for financially incentivising energy saving behaviour, rewarding individuals with tokens (ETK) with the goal of reducing global energy consumption.

EnergiMine is being advised in the UK by EY and Gateley plc.

For more information, please visit EnergiMine

About nextbike

nextbike UK Ltd is a daughter company of nextbike GmbH, the world’s most extensive bike-share provider. With over 150 schemes worldwide, including eight in the United Kingdom, no other bike share provider offers as much coverage as nextbike. Operating across 25 countries in 4 continents allows users to easily find and hire bikes at an hourly rate through a mobile app. This encourages daily commuters to use bikes rather than fuel-based vehicles, significantly lowering a user’s carbon footprint whilst also incorporating exercise into their daily routine. EnergiTokens will be awarded to nextbike customers for their contribution to carbon emission reduction through their choice of energy efficient, green transportation.

For more information please visit www.nextbike.co.uk

About eGen Scooters

eGen Scooters is a leading provider of electric scooters, powered by high quality lithium batteries. Actively contributing to the provision of greener transport, suitable for work, and leisure activities, eGen Scooters have the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions by providing industry-leading alternatives to fossil-fuel based methods of transport. eGen Scooter customers will be rewarded with ETK for reducing the number of pollutant vehicles on the road, positively contributing to a greener, more sustainable environment.

For more information please visit eGen Scooters

About 3F EV

3F EV is an all-electric Tesla rental company, offering their clients rental, sharing, and executive chauffeur services. They believe that future transport should be 100% electric, connected, fully autonomous and shared, and are dedicated to protecting the environment by providing methods of sustainable motoring. Through the integration of the ETK Rewards Platform, consumers who use 3F EV services will be rewarded with ETK for choosing low-carbon transportation.

For more information please visit 3F EV

Source: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/fca-innovate/fintech-challenge

The FCA has announced the participants of the Green FinTech Challenge. was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Late last year, Sir David Attenborough, attended crucial UN climate talks, and implored that human behaviour and attitudes to climate change and global warming must change if we want to save our planet. Attenborough states “given the chance it can recover, and we know how to do that.” It’s not too late.

In observing data from Climate Central, there is an obvious correlation between dramatic increases in carbon dioxide in the air and temperature rise. Carbon dioxide accounts for 75% of greenhouse gasses, and is largely a result of human behaviours such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. These greenhouse gasses trap heat within the Earth’s atmosphere which is normally remitted back into space during night time when the temperature drops. Essentially, these gasses resemble glass in a greenhouse, which allows sunlight to pass into the ‘greenhouse,’ but prevents heat from escaping into space leading to a global temperature increase.

Image source: Climate Central (2018) ‘GLOBAL TEMPERATURE & CARBON DIOXIDE’, Available at: http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/download/co2-and-rising-global-temperatures

(accessed: 27.11.2018)

National Geographic suggests that the continued increase in the global temperature could have catastrophic impacts on our wildlife, sea levels and the rate of melting icecaps and glaciers. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will also be effected. Already we have seen heatwaves, extreme storms, and seasonal changes as well as changing animal behaviour, all of which indicate climate change and global warming. Plus, a recent article in The Guardian revealed that scientist Brad Lister returned to a Puerta Rican rainforest after 35 years to find that 98% of ground insects had vanished, with the most likely reason being global warming. This crash in insect numbers, impacts the foundations of the rainforest food chain, risking “ecological Armageddon”.

This decline has had a snowball effect on other creatures who feed on the insects. This includes the Puerto Rican Tody, numbers of which have dropped by 90%. Lister describes this as a “bottom-up trophic cascade” because “when the invertebrates are declining the entire food web is going to suffer and degrade.” This is further supported by an article in The Guardian, by Jonathan Watts, which explains “45% of all potential environmental collapses are interrelated and could amplify one another.” Action must be taken before this cascades into an even wider, and more devastating problem. Whilst businesses and governments need to take a stronger stance on climate policy, there are small changes that individuals can also make to reduce their carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment.

Individuals can focus on small domestic changes, such as switching off plugs, using low carbon or public transport rather than fuel-based vehicles, utilising renewable energy sources, and insulating their homes. EnergiToken is incentivising people to make these changes, by awarding those who display energy saving behaviour with EnergiTokens (ETK). ETK is a financially tangible cryptocurrency which is given to customers who, for example, purchase low carbon transport, solar panels, or energy efficient appliance from one of their partners. This ETK can then be spent by customers within the EnergiToken ecosystem of approved partners.

EnergiToken’s partner, ON5, encourages domestic and commercial changes in energy consumption through workshops, and their recently launched Energy100 which educates people on how to be more efficient in their homes and workplaces. Individuals may be surprised by how small changes to one’s behaviour can really have a meaningful impact on the wider environment. If everyone makes a small change to their consumer habits, collectively the impact can be huge.

Working with several energy efficient and environmentally passionate partners, EnergiToken plans to lead decarbonisation, and energy consumption reduction in order to help reduce the human-caused, damaging impact on the environment. Incentivising behavioural change with ETK, will motivate more people to make ‘greener’ choices until it becomes instinctive practice, thus having a sustained, and increasing impact on the environment. Small changes can have big consequences.

“Every action counts.” — Juan Rocha, Stockholm Resilience Centre

Reduce consumption and get rewarded. Visit www.energitoken.com today to find out more.

Late last year, Sir David Attenborough, attended crucial UN climate talks, and implored that human… was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) provided financial incentives for people to invest in renewable energy sources, predominantly, solar energy, to incentivise and boost renewable adoption across the UK. This was to help meet 2020 targets to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by 20%, to source 20% of EU energy from renewables, and make a 20% improvement in energy efficiency. However, despite reports claiming that we have only twelve years to save the planet, plus criticism that not one country is on track to meet Paris Agreement targets, the UK government announced an end to these subsidies and incentives.

FiTs are payments to domestic energy consumers for the renewable electricity they generate. Eligible consumers receive monetary benefits in three ways; Generation Tariff, Export Tariff, and Energy Bill Savings. The Generation Tariff is payment for all the electricity you produce, even if you use it yourself. Export Tariff is additional bonus payments for electricity you export back to the grid. Finally, energy bill savings come from a reduction on your standard billing from using energy that you produce yourself. UK Governments however, have announced that these tariffs will officially close on the 31st March 2019, meaning that no new applications for accreditation would be accepted after this date.

Furthermore, The Guardian reports that households that install solar panels in the future will be expected to “give away unused clean power for free to energy firms earning multimillion-pound profits” which has caused mass outrage from members of the public and green campaigners. Protesters include Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan who urges the Government to keep the current subsidies for solar powered households. In agreement, the deputy Mayor for London expressed that “the tariffs have been really helpful in increasing the take-up of solar and making it acceptable for people.”

Further criticism comes from The Guardian Energy Correspondent, Adam Vaughn, who labelled it as a ‘gloomy day for solar in UK’ as households who choose to take up solar in the future will have to give away their excess energy free of charge, whilst households who already use solar energy will have to pay more for their energy as he accuses Ofgem of increasing the cost of accessing the grid. Head of Energy at Greenpeace UK described the decision as a “another blow to the solar industry from a government that seems determined to kill it off entirely, together with the jobs it provides and all the potential benefits of a 21st century smart grid”, a sentiment echoed by Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Alan Whitehead who accused the government of “pushing the solar industry off a cliff edge”.

Whilst the UK have this year set new renewable and clean energy generation records with low carbon sources equating to 52.7% of UK power demand in the third quarter, instead of using this as an incentive, the government have made a decision that will hinder renewable adoption. In the wake of the removal of this important incentive to energy users, EnergiMine provide an alternative solution through their EnergiToken rewards platform, which awards solar panel users with a financially tangible cryptocurrency which can be spent within their ecosystem of diverse, eco-friendly partners.

EnergiToken (ETK) provides a blockchain based solution, which incentivises consumers for energy saving and ‘green’ behaviours. After simply take part in range of different energy efficient activities; whether it be it in the workplace, switching to low carbon transport or purchasing solar panels from our various partners, consumers can claim ETK rewards through the platform. Once verified, the consumer will be awarded a lump sum of ETK which can then be spent on various different energy-efficient and green products and services from within the ecosystem.

ETK provides a substitute incentive for the one that the Government are unfairly removing, to ensure that the drive towards complete decarbonization, carbon-emission reduction, and sustainability is maintained and excelled. EnergiMine recently partnered with Solisco, a British start-up company founded in 2016, with a mission to inspire and support the emerging Clean Energy and Electric Vehicle market with innovative solutions that focus on Solar Photovoltaics (PV) and Electric Vehicles (EV). The partnership will see Solisco customers rewarded for purchasing solar based products and enable them to use ETK to make future purchases from Solisco or our other energy-efficient partners, now including 3F EV, nextbike, and many more.

Save energy and get rewarded with EnergiToken. Visit www.energitoken.com today to sign up or find out more.

UK Government Scraps Renewable Energy Incentives Amidst Climate Crisis was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The economy, immigration, the Irish border.

These were a few of the key topics leading up to the EU referendum vote, and all three continue to be focal points in the ongoing Brexit negotiations between the UK and Brussels. What wasn’t talked about so much, however, was the direct impact that Brexit will have on the ‘daily lives’ of people in the UK, and recent findings are showing that energy prices are expected to rise as a result of Brexit.

In a recent open letter to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, a collective of UK and EU companies urged both leaders to have strong stances on climate and energy to foster prosperity and enhance the ability of both parties to tackle climate change. The letter also warned that a no-deal Brexit scenario, amongst many other things, would lead to an increase in UK energy bills.

How will this impact the daily lives of people in the UK?

For a start, an increase in energy prices could lead to what is commonly known as ‘fuel poverty’, a household situation which can damage people’s quality of life and health, as well as impose wider costs on the community. OFGEM currently estimates that as of May 2018, the average variable tariff for a dual fuel customer was £1,138 per year, which equates to nearly 5% of the average UK household budget, and given how the UK hasn’t seen average wage increases of 3% since 2015, an increase in energy prices will be sure to put a strain on households.

It is important to note, however, that fuel poverty isn’t necessarily just down to energy costs.

Many houses in the UK aren’t using energy efficiently, meaning there is a bigger chance that energy is being wasted. Households are thus having to spend more to keep their homes warm, and according to EU analysis, UK homes are some of the most expensive to heat in Europe because of poor maintenance and insulation, with 30% of homes in England having an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of E, F or G; the lowest brackets.

What this suggests is that there is maneuvering room to mitigate rising energy costs through more energy efficient options, and in the event of a no-deal or an unfavourable one, these options will provide a much needed safety net amidst projected energy price spikes. So what can be done?

Firstly, improving home insulation has many upsides in saving money whilst significantly reducing heat loss.

According to the Energy Savings Trust, a household can save yearly amounts of anywhere from £285 to £395 with loft insulation, £330 to £725 with cavity walls and £40 to £65 with floor insulation; just to name a few money savings options.

The Energy Savings Trust also found that lighting accounts for 15 percent of a typical household’s electricity bill, and that significant savings could be made through an array of energy efficient practices and purchases such as changing which bulbs you use and how you use them. LEDs, for example, are said to be more efficient than CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and will save you more money in the long term. So, by replacing all bulbs in your home with LED alternatives, a household can save around £35 a year on electricity bills.

What these findings reveal is that energy inefficiency is very much a reality for many households here in the UK, and given how there are indeed options to counter energy efficiency, this begs the question, “why aren’t more people employing these energy saving options”?

There are three possibilities why this may be.

Firstly, upgrading a house to become more energy efficient does incur an initial upfront cost, which for some households might be too expensive. There is also the strong possibility that information is not disseminated in a way which people can come by easily, and thus the benefits of energy efficient upgrades are simply being lost upon the public. Finally, people may also not be pursuing energy efficient practices due to a lack of ‘motivation’.

What is interesting about these reasons is that all, save the ‘lack of motivation’, have traditionally had solutions. This is obvious owing to the fact that motivation is a personal and intrinsic human behaviour, and therefore is almost impossible to change using an overarching solution. Or is it?

The Manchester based energy management and trading company, EnergiMine are developing a blockchain powered EnergiToken (ETK) rewards platform. This platform will allow people to earn EnergiTokens for partaking in energy efficient practices, such as using low carbon transport, using less energy at work, amongst other things. Once obtaining ETK, people will be able to use EnergiTokens for an array of different purposes, ranging from paying off their energy bills, purchasing energy efficient appliances, trading their tokens on exchanges, and using ETK as a payment method such as at electric car charging points.

One of EnergiMine’s partners, ON5, already offer strategic programmes and workshops for communities, homes and businesses, to help them reduce their energy consumption, and subsequently their energy bills. ON5 value clear and accurate information, finding innovative solutions, and using digital technological tools and campaigns to enable everyone to become an ‘eco-actor’ by making simple changes to their current consumption habits. With simple yet effective guidance from ON5, and the incentivising reward of EnergiToken, changing consumption behaviour has never been more beneficial for the consumer.

Therefore, if energy bills are to rise as a result of Brexit, these findings refreshingly reveal that there are indeed alternatives to counter this, and what’s more, the impact of energy often comes down to how one views and consumes energy.

Use less, save more.

The economy, immigration, the Irish border. was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

EnergiMine (previously Energi Mine) was founded in 2016 to disrupt and decentralise the inefficient, profit-greedy energy industry, and bring much needed transparency to it. EnergiMine merges a deep understanding of global energy markets with the development of cutting-edge AI and blockchain technology. The EnergiCore platform utilises smart energy management through the use of AI, improving efficiencies which lead to greater cost saving opportunities for their global clients. Plus, the EnergiToken (ETK) platform rewards energy efficiency, such as energy saving and ‘green’ behaviours. The rebrand follows EnergiMine’s second anniversary of trading, the new look sums up the company’s revolutionary approach to energy use and management.

Fashioned by the branding agency Glorious Creative under the direction of the EnergiMine Marketing team, the rebrand provides a real indication of what to expect from EnergiMine in 2019. The new branding comes after months of research and deliberation into the ‘optimal’ tone and design needed to convey EnergiMine’s ambitions of decentralising global energy markets. EnergiMine’s rebrand puts the company in a great position to attract both corporate and institutional players, setting themselves worlds apart from their competitors.

The new website which launched on 30th November 2018, combines striking black and white photography with interactivity. Dynamic and bold, the new look showcases their innovative and pioneering approach, demonstrating how EnergiMine stands out ahead of the crowd. The high level of interactivity reflects EnergiMine’s passion for technology, engaging the viewer to navigate easily and rapidly. The professional appearance positions EnergiMine as an authoritative and driven industry leader, serious in its ethos and goals, yet also creative and daring.

The creation of the strong symbol within the brand logo, takes inspiration from the Greek ‘sigma’ symbol. in mathematics, summation is the addition of a sequence of numbers; the result is their sum or total, a form of analogy for the ecosystem. Plus, the letters “E” and “M” seen in the symbol from different perspectives form the EnergiMine name.

Omar reflects: “The team have worked incredibly hard towards accomplishing a symbolic rebrand which encompasses and accentuates our brand values and personality, reflecting EnergiMine’s vision for the future of energy. Looking back, we are all immensely proud of the progress that the company has made in the past two years and we are looking forward to further developments in 2019.”

Experience the new rebrand here: www.energimine.com

EnergiMine (previously Energi Mine) founded in 2016, was built on a passion for blockchain… was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The ability to travel to the UK from nearby countries is increasingly becoming a much more cost effective affair, allowing people to undertake commutes to and from the UK for a fraction of the price seen in the past.

This recently gained attention in an article by the Telegraph, which saw a student avoid a hefty train ticket fare from Newcastle to London by flying to his destination via Spain instead. The student found that a train fare would have cost him £78.50 had he gotten a direct train, so opted for a flight via the island of Menorca which only cost him £26.99 — a whopping saving of £51.51!

This all sounds good and jolly, however reports of lower aviation costs are currently being overshadowed by the ongoing problem of rising transportation costs in the UK — notably seen with rising train fares.

In a study conducted by the Manchester based energy management and trading company, Energi Mine, it was revealed that a person could commute to London from Toulouse, cheaper than they could from Manchester.

From looking into train and flight options suitable for a 9am to 5pm job, Energi Mine found that the cheapest train fare from Manchester would cost a person £164.49, whereas a flight from Toulouse would only cost £146; saving them £18.49. Combined with the fact that the UK wages haven’t seen an average increase of 3% since 2015, the rising cost of UK rail travel is becoming a real financial burden on those who rely upon commuting in their daily lives. Furthermore, train services are becoming increasingly unreliable, with around 8,000 services on GTR and 5,000 on Northern having been cancelled or severely delayed this year.

Financial strains aren’t the only problem.

Because more people are considering flying options due to lower costs, carbon emissions will continue to rise as more people undertake commutes by plane.

Cheaper flights have been upheld as key factor in the increase in carbon emissions seen within UK aviation, having increased by nearly 70% since 1990, and rising by 11% in 2004 alone. So while carbon emissions only accounted for 6% of national carbon emissions in 2014, since 1990, aviation emissions have doubled whilst economy-wide emissions have reduced by more than a third.

This is evidently problematic given the latest findings from the IPCC, which stated that the world has just 12 years in which to avoid the catastrophic and irreversible effects of climate change.

What is to be done?

The latest IPCC report has stated that combined action is required to stand a fighting chance against climate change, so the UK government can begin by addressing the unjustified price discrepancy between internal transport costs and travel costs from abroad. This will require more investment into more environmentally sustainable infrastructure, which in turn will allow for more economically efficient transportation.

On top of this, the way people view and use energy will have to change, so innovative new schemes will be required to incentivise more people into using greener modes of transport. An example can already be seen with the EnergiToken (ETK) rewards platform which rewards people for energy efficient behaviour.

Whilst cheaper flights are nice, avoiding environmental catastrophe should clearly be viewed as the main priority, so it is now up to the UK government to facilitate the ideal settings for cheaper and more energy efficient transport options to emerge.

For more information about EnergiToken and its energy-saving reward scheme, please visit www.energitoken.com, follow on Twitter at @EnergiMine or join the EnergiToken Telegram group.

Extortionate UK Travel Costs Increases Brits Carbon Footprint was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Transportation costs within the UK are seeing a steep rise, impacting the lives of millions of people who rely upon transportation to commute to and from work.

The rising costs have notably been seen with rail fares, which have risen by 3.2%, and could add more than £100 to annual season ticket prices. Just for the record, rail passenger journeys in Great Britain in 2018–19 Q1 increased to 429 million, and given how the UK hasn’t seen average wage increases of 3% since 2015, the financial implications of these rising rail costs needs no explanation.

It also appears the rising transportation costs have also affected those who drive.

According to the Office for National Statistics analysis on family spending in the UK for 2017, expenditure on motoring cost car-owning households are averaging £99.50 per week across all disposable income brackets in 2016/17 — up 10 percent on the previous 12 months. This strain is even more burdensome for the lowest 10 percent of the disposable income bracket, who are reported to spend an average of £58.20 per week on motoring in 2016/17, a 37 percent increase compared with just £42.50 during the previous 12 months.

What can be done to solve this?

A widely held position is that electric based transport will drastically reduce overhead costs — which in turn will lower individual costs whilst also reducing one’s carbon footprint.

For this to happen, however, people need to be incentivised to change the way they view and use energy. We at Energi Mine believe the EnergiToken (ETK) rewards platform will provide a much needed entry gateway into using more energy efficient modes of transport; notably electric vehicles.

ETK is a tangible currency which will be used for an array of different things, ranging from being used to settle energy bills, charging electric vehicles at approved charging stations, or being converted into fiat currency on exchanges. This will encourage more people to change their attitude and behaviour towards energy consumption, motivating them to reduce energy waste and pursue greener modes of transport, all of which will contribute to the lowering of carbon emissions.

It is our belief that a greater shift towards the use of green transportation will further encourage the UK Government and local authorities to implement more subsidies and support for greener, and quite frankly, more economically efficient modes of transport.

Go electric, save more.

For more information about EnergiToken and its energy-saving reward scheme, please visit www.energitoken.com, follow on Twitter at @EnergiMine or join the EnergiToken Telegram group.

UK Transport Costs are Rising, and Only Electric Vehicles can Save the Day was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) have reported that your commute took you 18 hours longer last year compared to a decade ago, despite the billions of pounds spent on the roads and rail network. As privatisation has failed, journeys becoming too expensive, slow and unreliable, where is the incentive for people to use public transport as a cleaner and greener method of travelling?

Climate change and global warming, resulting from carbon emissions exhumed by polluting, congested traffic, should be motive enough to want to find ways in which to encourage more people to use public transport. However, as The Times reports that “journeys by all forms of transport take longer than they did”, whilst rail commuters face the longest commute, it’s of little surprise that people are reluctant to spend so much of their free time travelling to and from work on overcrowded and unreliable public transport. Chief Executive of Work Wise UK, Phil Flaxton, suggested that “long commutes have become a part of the UK’s working culture, but the excessive time spent commuting is one of the main factors contributing to work-life balance problems”, which effectively deters people from public transport.

The Telegraph earlier revealed that London is the second most congested city in Europe, with the average person spending 73 hours per year in traffic, whilst Manchester also placed in the top 25. The Manchester Evening News further reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) lists Manchester as the second most polluted city in the UK, whilst listing London as 22nd, and additionally highlights that Greater Manchester has the highest rates of asthma related emergency hospital admissions in the entire country. Further to this, the BBC reports that Manchester and Salford have the country’s worst congestion outside of London, and that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) states that the resulting levels of roadside nitrogen dioxide were a “public health crisis.”

The TUC have reportedly suggested that government spending is inadequate and has failed to keep up with the demand for greener methods of travel and reducing Manchester’s carbon footprint. Making improvements to infrastructure, and incentivising the use of public transport will reduce traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and should shorten people’s commutes as the roads should be less busy.

The United Kingdom has seen a 9% rise in weekly commuting time, with the biggest increase being for bus commuters who now face a journey approximately 7 minutes longer. Increasing demand for shorter and more comfortable commutes is evident, and in order to allow for smoother journeys, the government must be willing to increase funding for infrastructural changes. A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said “we’re investing more than £48 billion into our railways to cut journey times, increase service frequency and introduce new trains”, and added that “we are also giving councils extra powers to work in partnership with bus companies to improve services.” These infrastructural improvements are fundamental, but we must also find ways to further incentivise people to take public transport. EnergiToken is the solution.

With public transport under constant fire from disgruntled commuters, EnergiToken has the power to make public transport more appealing for the everyday user, as a platform which rewards users for energy efficient behaviour, such as taking public or ow carbon transport. When a consumer uses a greener method of transport, they are rewarded with EnergiTokens (ETK) which is a financially tangible cryptocurrency that is awarded to the user, and then can be spent within the EnergiToken ecosystem, built up of approved, energy efficient partners. If people are being rewarded for acting environmentally consciously, they will be more inclined to do so on a more frequent basis until it becomes habitual behaviour. The end result? More people using clean methods of transport, less traffic congestion on the roads, improved air quality due to carbon emission reduction, and a happier and healthier population.

Yes, there’s plenty that the government could and should be doing to increase public transport use, however as we are all living on this one planet which we share, so we all need to take individual action.

Visit energitoken.com today to find out how you can be rewarded for energy efficiency and protecting the environment.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) have reported that your commute took you 18 hours longer last year… was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Sky News presents UN report findings which reveal that the ozone layer hole above Antarctica is recovering and could be fully repaired by 2060. The UN accounts the repair, happening at a rate of 3% per decade, to the banning of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in the 1980’s. Amongst all the dismal news surrounding the current state of our planet, this bright light at the end of the tunnel is much welcomed, although there is still a lot more that we must do if we want to nurse our home back to health.

CFC is an organic compound, made up of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine which is produced as a volatile product of methane and ethane. Since the 1930’s, CFC has been used in the manufacture of solvents, refrigerants, aerosol sprays, and blowing agents for packing materials. Initially the introduction of CFC was a great substitution for dangerous substances like ammonia, and was labelled as safe, non- toxic and non-flammable. However, the planet suffered greatly. The chlorine subsequently emitted into the atmosphere, which has the potential to significantly damage and destroy large parts of the ozone, as witnessed, particularly over Antarctica.

Thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol , an international treaty with over 197 signatories, banning ozone-depleting chemicals, such as CFCs alongside new technology, we are now witnessing the increasing health of the ozone layer. The UN report that the upper layer of ozone over the northern hemisphere will be repaired by 2030, and the damage over the southern hemisphere will return to normal by mid-century. The healing of the ozone layer is fundamental to the survival of our planet and the health of the human race, as it is responsible for absorbing most of the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

Sadly, despite this great news, there are still areas in the world that continue to destroy the ozone layer with CFCs. Namely, the UN report shows evidence of an unexpected and unidentified increase in CFC-11 from eastern Asia since 2012. This is amidst earlier reports by The Guardian that uncover the source of some of these illegal emissions as pinpointed to the Chinese plastic foam industry. If continued, these emissions will delay the recovery of the ozone layer by up to 20 years, Sky News reports. Additionally, there has been a trend that sees pollutant industries moving to eastern countries, which accounts for their high levels of CO2 emissions. Combining damaging CFCs and harmful greenhouse gasses, is a sure way to prevent sustainability and the recovery of our planet. To mitigate this, production and manufacturers, businesses, and individuals in Eastern Asia, as well as globally, need to start acting more energy efficiently and more environmentally consciously.

Human behaviour is habitual and takes repeated and tangible incentives to change. EnergiToken, supported by a variety of energy efficient partners offer individuals the solution. Present predominantly across Europe and Asia, EnergiToken is a rewards platform which awards energy efficiency with EnergiTokens (ETK), a financially tangible cryptocurrency which can be spent within their ecosystem of approved vendors. When an individual proves that they’ve completed an act that reduces consumption through our partners, such as purchasing energy efficient appliances or travelling via low-carbon transport they will be rewarded with a sum of ETK ready to be spent. Some of the recent partners include Solisco, nextbike, and Korean-based Hotel Cappuccino.

Hotel Cappuccino is an urban lifestyle hotel that is tackling the increasing issue of energy over-consumption by encouraging its guests to act efficiently such as reusing towels. Guests who do so receive rewards from the hotel in the form of Angel Coupons which can be used within the hotel café or to send a donation to a charity. Now, after partnering with Energi Mine, Hotel Cappuccino can integrate the EnergiToken rewards platform, which will further reward their energy mindful guests with ETK which can be spent in a wider ecosystem of vendors outside of the hotel itself. Rewards will motivate more people to uptake energy efficient behaviour until eco-friendly and energy reductive actions become habitual. This will subsequently have a great impact in terms of creating a sustainable planet as green behaviour becomes the natural choice.

Together we can change the future of the planet and nurse it back to health. Visit energitoken.com today to find out how you can help save the world and get rewarded for it!

Sky News presents UN report findings which reveal that the ozone layer hole above Antarctica is… was originally published in EnergiToken News on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.