Green cars, green trees encourage car rental clients

Europcar has collaborated with SANParks by providing it with a low emission emitting car, the VW Polo Blue Motion one of South Africa's lowest CO2 emitting vehicles. It has also put out a challenge to individuals to reduce their carbon footprint. The company's website has a carbon travel footprint calculator, which works out how many carbon emissions a person emits when travelling. The calculator then tells the person how many trees he or she needs to plant in order to counter this.

Conservation and tourism are important aspects of the company's CSR programme and this latest sponsorship comes after the company provided Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife with vehicles.

"Climate change is a big threat to biodiversity conservation and, as a company, we feel that by supporting tourism and conservation in a constructive way, we can make a positive and meaningful difference," says Europcar chief executive Dawn Nathan-Jones.

"Over the past few years, we have made strides in reducing our carbon footprint at our depots, throughout our operations and in our vehicle fleet. We encourage our customers to also travel responsibly and understand how their travel carbon footprint is potentially impacting the environment."

For example, if one person travels 20,000 kilometres per year, it is calculated that 4.2 trees will need to be planted to offset the emission.

"The company is committed to making a positive difference to our people, our customers and our planet. We are encouraging everyone to plant trees to offset their travel emissions and the company will match all tree gifts up until the end of February 2013; for everyone who gives a tree through this portal, we'll also plant one," she concludes.

Indigenous trees cost R100 and Greenpop plants them in a forest in Hermanus.

To work out carbon emissions, go to www.europcar.co.za.