Today, in a counter-intuitive stunt, members of the Alliance handed out free money to car drivers at a central London petrol station. Our 'Fivers for Drivers' campaign symbolises the money that car drivers would save if Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, supported the EU's original CO2 emissions targets for new cars.
Activists wearing Geoff Hoon masks, holding a briefcase full of (fake) money, and waving wads of fivers enticed car drivers into the petrol station, where they explained how the forthcoming legislation could radically lower the emissions from their cars and the cost of their fuel bills. Once the drivers signed one of our specially mocked-up 'fiver' postcards, we handed over a crisp new five pound note. The 'fiver' postcards, featuring Geoff Hoon wearing a tiara, will be sent to the Transport Secretary to encourage him to support tough standards for new cars.
Recent research by the Alliance suggests that if car makers were on track to meet the original target (120g of CO2 per km by 2012) then car drivers in the UK could be saving a total of £382 million a year on fuel costs. More efficient and economic cars aren't just better for the environment, they also help to make real savings for consumers.
This action was the first outing for We Are Futureproof, a new umbrella organisation who are pushing for innovative, exciting and sustainable answers to the big questions of today, on transport and a range of other issues.
Blake Ludwig, Managing Director of We Are Futureproof, said: "Today we're giving drivers £5 each and in return asking them to make sure the Government plays its part in keeping the car manufacturers on track towards real progress and not opting for weaker targets."
See this news story on the Telegraph website for more details, and visit We Are Futureproof to download your own fiver to send to Geoff Hoon.
