Squeezing on to a packed underground train in the morning rush may not be everyone's idea of green living, but the tube has today committed to make 10 of its most high-profile stations greener by cutting their carbon emissions.
London Underground has signed up the 10 stations, plus its headquarters, to the 10:10 climate change campaign which commits them to a 10% cut in carbon emissions over the next 12 months. The stations, including Liverpool Street, Victoria and Bank will reduce energy use by using lighting and escalators more efficiently, for example.
Since launching in September last year, over 70,000 individuals have signed up to the 10:10 campaign, as well as major companies such as Royal Mail and B&Q. Shortly after the election, the coalition government committed central government to a 10% emissions cut.
Howard Collins, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "Despite the Tube being one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel in London, more can still be done to help protect the environment. Signing up to 10:10 is just one of the ways in which London Underground is changing the way we operate, helping to make London a greener and more pleasant place to live."
The underground has already cut emissions by 5,500 tonnes in the last three years by measures such as installing energy efficient lighting and fitting the Northern Line's control centre with a "green" energy efficient roof.
The 10:10 pledge means extra changes at some of the largest on the network - Bank, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Earls Court, Holborn, Charing Cross, Green Park, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner and Victoria. Each station will have an environment champion who along with overseeing the progress of the campaign will also encourage staff to sign up to 10:10 and make the changes in their own lives.
The underground will implement a range of energy-saving initiatives including switching off escalators during non-peak times and turning off unnecessary lighting. In total, the measures should save around £70,000 and over 500 tonnes of CO2 per year. Overall, the tube network is responsible for around 640,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Another measure being deployed on the network is regenerative breaking, which feeds electric power back into the electricity supply that would otherwise be lost as the trains slow down. This provides a 25% saving of electricity and will be introduced to more services during the campaign. London Underground also has a long-term aim to source at least 30% of its electricity from low and zero carbon sources of electricity.
"The London Underground is a crucial part of life in London," said campaign director Eugenie Harvey. "Ferrying millions of people around the city every day. We're so happy to have them on board – reducing carbon emissions is, literally, as everyday as catching the Tube."
• This article originally stated that London Underground would make £700,000 of savings. This has been corrected to £70,000.