The Fitzrovia Partnership’s Close the Door project is award winning at the 2016 Sustainable City Awards
The National Sustainable City Awards are given to organisations which have demonstrated excellence in sustainable development.
The Fitzrovia Partnership Close the Door Project recieved both the Runner-Up Award for Tackling Climate Change, and was Shortlisted for Outstanding Contributions to Enhancing Air Quality in this year’s Awards.
Close the Door seeks to ensure stores & offices keep their doors closed to save energy and significantly improve air quality. Campaign research shows that total energy use can be reduced by up to 50% if the door is closed when the heating is on. In addition to this a one third drop in NOx, black carbon and PM2.5 (the most harmful elements of air pollution) is achieved when the door is closed.
This year’s Close the Door Campaign took place in February, with 247 stores on Tottenham Court Road visited of which 165 stores are actively “closing the door” which equates to Fitzrovia businesses annually saving over 1650 tonnes of Co2 emissions.
For retailers the benefits are multiple:
- Improves air quality – fewer noxious fumes inside the shop
- Saves money, on energy consumption
- Achieves CIBSE guidelines for healthy working conditions in retail which is the only way to maintain a comfortable and healthy environment for customers and staff inside when the weather is cold/hot
- Increases customer dwell time
- Makes staff happier, and therefore increases in-store productivity
- Reduces carbon footprint by an 10 tonnes of CO2 for each small to medium high street shop
- Cuts down on shop lifting, thereby increasing profit
- Retailers, don’t forget! – mechanised doors and ventilation systems need professional servicing on a regular basis, including their settings (to BE&SA recommendations). This will help to retain lots of heat inside the building and prevent fumes from coming in!
Retailers, don’t forget – mechanised doors and ventilation systems need professional servicing on a regular basis, including their settings (to BE&SA recommendations). This will help to retain lots of heat inside the building and prevent fumes from coming in.
Contact the team to join fellow members in improving Fitzrovia’s air quality.