Interview Sustainability is important

Kirsten Defesche, P&O Consultant, Q-Park NL

“I represent Q-Park among the employers in Maastricht Bereikbaar, where we endeavour to make employees enthusiastic about leaving their car behind. For this we conducted two experiments, one of which involved using an electric bike. That was a huge success. Since the experiment, six people have purchased an e-bike for themselves. That’s quite a lot when you consider that it’s an expensive item. But they do cycle quite a distance, for instance from Geleen to Maastricht, that's about twenty kilometers.

I notice that more and more colleagues have had enough of sitting in traffic jams during their commute to work. So, naturally, they are starting to look at alternatives, such as public transport. Q-Park NL has thought of a good solution for this. We have expanded the options for travel expenses, so employees can now also apply for a public transport season ticket, and we encourage the New Way of Working. Employees are given the opportunity to start later and stay in the office longer, or to work at home when that is feasible, so they can avoid the rush hour.

Personally, I think sustainability is very important. Every year I participate in the CO₂ footprint calculation programme and see how much energy I consume. I don't only work in Maastricht, so I often travel by car, and then I try to drive as economically as possible.”