Taking the stairsAs modern public administrations we care about the well-being of our staff. That care extends to encouraging colleagues to eat and drink well and to stay fit and healthy. This morning the two Committees’ medical services, together with the EMAS team, again organised a little exercise in the Bertha von Suttner building. Those who wished to participate had their pulse, blood pressure and blood oxygenation measured on the first floor, and again after they had walked up either to the fifth or the tenth floor. The picture shows me on the way to the tenth floor. Taking the stairs instead of the lift is such a simple way of staying fit as well as saving energy. There is a slight nuance to that in the Committees’ flagship Jacques Delors building. The lifts there were recently given a major overhaul and have become ‘green’ lifts. Now, whenever somebody takes the lift down, the lift conserves the energy generated in order to take people up. Still, unless you are in a hurry, taking the stairs is a simple way to keep fit.