smart Goes Carbon Neutral in Australia
20 August 2006
Buyers of new smart cars in Australia are automatically enrolled in smart Australia’s Carbon Zero program, independently run by two different Australian organizations: Climate Friendly and Greenfleet.
Customers have the choice of neutralizing their vehicle’s emissions through the Climate Friendly clean energy projects or the Greenfleet tree-planting scheme.
Given the ongoing debate in the climate neutral movement about the relative merits of different programs, we are going to let customers choose from two well respected and established providers.
—Sam Tabart, smart Australia
Climate Friendly is a for-profit business that supports clean energy projects such as wind and solar power generation. Greenfleet Australia is a non-profit organization that plants trees in numbers sufficient to offset the carbon emitted by a car. Climate Friendly estimates a 1-year “carbon neutralization period”, while Greenfleet estimates a 20-40 year period (as the trees grow).
Australians bought 799 smart vehicles in 2005.
(A hat-tip to Drive Neutral!)
what about the carbon emissions for the production of the vehicle?
and when are they going to offset the fact that these cars suck and the fact they are just coloured toys for yuppies? just another product line for mercedes who if they were in the least bit interested in the state of the planet would stop selling their SUV's.
don't buy into the marketing people!
Posted by: hughmama | 30 August 2006 at 07:32 PM