A 24-hour bikeathon was the highlight of a ‘Go Green’ event celebrated by thousands of staff at a business hub in Chiswick .

More than 8,000 employees at Chiswick Park Enjoy-Work marked Earth Day with fun activities such as a smoothie bike for workers to ride and make healthy drinks, while one man pedalled round-the-clock to raise awareness of alternative methods of transportation to cars.

In line with reducing the carbon footprint with ‘two human-powered wheels’ James Howard from OpenBet completed around 510miles after setting off at 1pm on Thursday (April 21), burning 14,770 calories and raising more than £1800 for disabled children’s charity Footsteps Foundation.

Following the marathon bike ride, a tired but elated Mr Howard said: “I feel extremely passionately about raising awareness of how easy and rewarding it is to cycle around our great capital - a huge number of car journeys could be replaced with just two human-powered wheels, none more so than the daily commute. “Come on people, if I can sit on a saddle for 24 hours solid, you can sit on one to work!

“What motivated me to finish the challenge was mostly because I am very stubborn and I set myself a goal and I was not going to fail.”

James Howard during the 24-hour bike challenge

Other workers from the office park on Chiswick High Road gave up their lunch break on Friday (April 22) to participate in a range of ‘green’ events in line with the park’s sustainability strategy including tree-planting activities and a treemendous-tree act performance.

Discovery and Virgin Active were among the companies showcasing their initiatives such as meat free Mondays and green gym equipment including a treadmill that is not powered by electricity.

Meanwhile many employees also attended workshops focused on biodiversity, energy saving and waste and recycling.

This included learning about indoor planting, the use of LED lighting, safe cycling, a drive in eco-friendly vehicles and the importance of waste and recycling through games and interactive activities.

Hanging with the treemendous trees

Gareth Bain, head of brand at Chiswick Park said: “The Go Green event is line with the Chiswick Park sustainability strategy in ensuring that we all work together to make the planet better for the next generation. If we all come together and do just a little bit we will make a big difference. It about taking small steps in the right direction.”

Mara Cummings, VP global real estate planning & development, Discovery Communications, added: “The Go Green Eco event in Chiswick Park on Earth Day is a chance for everyone to rally behind conservation with simple and achievable actions, big or small that make a real difference.

“We recently introduced ‘Meat Free Mondays’ and water sold in cartons instead of plastic bottles in the staff café and are always looking at new ways that we can protect and nurture the planet for future generations.”