Busseys Environmental Initiatives
A step in the right direction

Any colour you like...
as long as it’s green

Buy a car and help plant a woodland. It’s an attractive
proposition and one that a Norfolk car company will make a
reality in the coming months. 

In a ground breaking move for Norfolk, bosses at family firm Busseys have announced plans to put their money where their mouth is and demonstrate their green values.

We all know we should be making a difference.  From the little things, such as turning off the television before going to bed instead of leaving it on standby, to the bigger things, such as thinking about what car we drive and how we heat our house.

A single, simple idea from the management team at Busseys is going to pay remarkable dividends in the next year - and there will be lasting evidence of their efforts. Paul Bussey, the firm’s Marketing Director, explained:

“For everyone who buys a car from us, we will plant a tree on their behalf. It is a tremendously exciting project and one we are incredibly proud to be involved with.
“Community groups have done this before in Norfolk, but we are the first company.
“As a family we have all grown up in the countryside and it is something we are passionate about. We know we are in an industry that is part of the problem and this is a step in the right direction.
We are starting to give something back.”

The project, run in conjunction with Norfolk County Council, will start with cars bought in March and last for an initial 12 months. In that time an estimated 2,500 cars will be sold by the company, equating to a woodland of seven acres open to the community. Planting will start around November once the weather is suitable.

Gerry Barnes, the county council’s environment manager, said a successful community woodland scheme had been run for
several years, developing projects across the county where new
woods were planted for public access.

Recently the council has developed a partnership with the
Green Light Trust, who help with community involvement and
engaging schools in activities.

“Busseys have become the first company in Norfolk to support this exciting scheme,” said Dr Barnes.

For Mr Bussey, the project holds a series of advantages.

“The concept of being able to go to a seven acre woodland and say ‘we played a part in this’ will be immensely rewarding,” he explained.

“I also think it will go down very well with the customers. By taking part in our project they can take a step, with us, in the right direction.”

The woodland project is not the only green project Busseys is involved with.

As a main Ford dealer, Busseys have a commitment to selling Flexible Fuel Vehicles designed to hugely lower CO2 emissions.

The vehicles run on petrol mixed with bioethanol in any proportion,
so can be filled up easily anywhere in Europe. Although fuel consumption with ethanol is higher, there is still an overall price saving thanks to lower pump prices. 

And of course the fuel type is much cleaner than petrol. Over the complete life cycle, CO2 balance for ethanol operation is up to 80% below the CO2 emissions for petrol operation.

Busseys are also encouraging their 10,000-strong customer base to accept communication by email to reduce paper usage and the carbon footprint carried by the printing process. A target of 25% of
customers has been set for the year.

Busseys also spent over £20,000 in 2005 introducing new energy management systems throughout the group, which includes locations at Whiffler Road and Thorpe Road in Norwich, Dereham,
Fakenham, Attleborough and Swaffham. The new kit has reduced the company’s energy bill significantly. In the first six months of using the new systems, the main site in Norwich reduced its
heating oil purchases by a staggering 46%. At the Norwich Whiffler Road site, Busseys have installed a heater which runs on used engine oil.