MPs slash carbon footprint through online meeting trial

Two MPs have today revealed how they cut their carbon emissions and reduced their travel expenses following the successful trial of online meeting technology.

The MP's, Nick Hurd of the Conservatives and Mark Williams of the Liberal Democrats, undertook a month-long trial of online meeting technology from conferencing software specialist WebEx this summer with both reporting significant cost and carbon savings.

Williams, MP for Ceredigion in West Wales, said that the ability to use the videoconferencing technology to undertake online meetings allowed him to cut back on the number of time consuming midweek journeys he had to take to and from his constituency.

Figures from WebEx suggested that the seven online meetings undertaken by Williams resulted in more than 4,000 miles of travel being avoided and saved 161.5kg of carbon dioxide. The company extrapolated that over the course of the year Williams could cut his carbon footprint by nearly three tonnes using the technology.

Williams added that the technology also delivered a boost in productivity, noting that "I reached a point where I spent far more time travelling to meetings than having them, which isn't an efficient use of my time and meant I was less accessible to my constituents and staff".

Similarly, Nick Hurd, MP for Ruislip Northwood and a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee, said that while he faced a much shorter commute between his constituency and Westminster, the technology still cut the number of journeys he had to take and delivered improvements in productivity.

During the trial month, Hurd undertook 10 meetings via WebEX, saving him and the other attendees almost a day in travel time.

"If I can save this amount of time as one of the closest MPs to Westminster, then the potential to reduce travel and carbon emissions for those with constituencies that are further away is enormous," he said.