AS a conscious environmentalist and lifelong member of Greenpeace, driving instructor Jamie Brind always found it difficult to reconcile his profession with his green beliefs.

That was until he had the idea of launching a series of seminars designed to teach motorists how to limit their impact on the environment by reducing their carbon emissions.

"I signed up to join Greenpeace when I was only a teenager so being a driving instructor has always sat quite uncomfortably with me," said Jamie, who lives in Cainscross.

"I was always aware that I was putting more cars on the road but now with running the green driving seminars it feels like I have got a bit of a balance there."

The half-day seminars are being offered by Stroud District Driving School, which Jamie co-runs with his business partner Nick Robinson.

They will show drivers the various ways to reduce the size of their carbon footprint while simultaneously reducing the cost of their fuel bills.

Jamie believes the average car driver who covers around 10,000 miles a year could save about £400 annually and cut their emissions by around a fifth by using the green driving techniques.

He is hoping that companies with a fleet of cars will send their employees along to a seminar in order to minimise their carbon footprint.

"Drivers and business can reduce their emissions by a fifth overnight so if everybody did it, it would be like taking a fifth of the cars off the road," said Jamie.

"There are no good reasons not to do it. People think you would have to drive slowly to limit your impact on the environment but that is not necessarily the case. It is about mindful driving.

"If somebody said they could save you £400 on your car insurance every year then you would jump at the chance but you could save that amount just by using these techniques."

For more information about the seminars, which cost £20 per person and include refreshments, contact Jamie on 07736 064791 or email