Pedal-powered pomp for Harry and Meghan

If you can overlook the over-sized housing, not to mention substantial air miles, the British royal family has made a number of smaller scale efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Their fleet of vehicles ranges from a biofuel-powered train to a car that runs on wine and cheese - sort of.

Charles’s DB5 Aston Martin runs from bio-ethanol distilled from wine and then improved with alcohol extracted from fermented whey, a bi-product of cheese making. The vehicle was given to Charles on his 21^st birthday, and was used by William and Kate on their wedding day in 2011.

Rather than follow tradition, we would suggest to Harry and Meghan that they take inspiration from the Dutch royal family and travel by bicycle….and we are happy to help. We designed both the bicycle throne above and the pedal-powered Popemobile below to illustrate how an official vehicle could be both luxurious and environmentally benign.

How does a car run on wine?

Winemakers operate under a quota system, so any excess must be destroyed or simply sold for a nominal amount for use as bio-fuel. The wine is distilled to produce ethanol that is almost entirely pure and requires only a small top up of alcohol to ensure it is suitable for most petrol cars – subject to a simple engine tune. The result is a car that can run on a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, thereby dramatically reducing its emissions.

An insurance company like no other

Not only are we Britain's most ethical insurance company, we campaign for sustainable transport. Sometimes that means protesting until a school gets the zebra crossing they've been refused, or running 60 roadshows this year to encourage people out of their cars, or fixing bicycles for free. Supporting this work is easy - you simply have to take out cycle insurance with us, cover that just happens to be excellent.

Unlike other insurers we never devalue your bike. And if you ride a carbon bike, rest assured we will never have a cracked frame repaired - we will always replace your bike with a new one. How many other insurers can say that? Find out more

..and it's not just cycle insurance that we offer. We provide home insurance, cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover - all while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

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