Holiday Autos offers Middle East customers the option of offsetting carbon emissions

The option is also being offered to Holiday Autos customers in the Middle East, as announced at the Arabian Travel Market 2007, and as part of the company's 'Summer of Love' campaign, which aims to put the pleasure back into driving.

For just US$1.50 per booking, Holiday Autos will offset customers' carbon emissions.

What is offsetting?

When people fly, drive and heat their homes, the carbon dioxide (C02) emissions cause climate change. Climate change is arguably the most serious threat facing the planet. Offsetting enables people to repair the damage done by their emissions by funding sustainable energy projects that reduce C02. Customers can offset easily with holiday autos.ae every time they book a car hire online by just clicking 'yes' to offset.

Why offset?

On average, a normal family car emits 3 tonnes of COS every 10,000 miles. Every 10 day car rental is the equivalent of:
• Leaving the hairdryer on for one month, or
• Boiling the kettle non-stop for four weeks, or
• Running the TV & games console for 1 year, or
• Leaving the TV on standby for 35 years, or
• Leaving all the lights on at home for three months

Multiply that by hundreds of people renting from the same location, then in all the locations around all the cities in every country around the world, every week, every day, every hour, every minute...and the seriousness soon becomes very clear.

Every time a customer books a car hire with Holiday Autos, he/she can contribute an extra $1.50. This will replace the carbon emissions equivalent to driving 500km in a regular sized car. These calculations are made using the carbon offsetting calculation tools available through climatecare.org. 100 per cent of customers' money goes to Climate Care, an organisation dedicated to reducing global warming. They fund projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries, benefiting local communities.

Naz Musa, Managing Director of Holiday Autos Middle East, says: "Carbon emissions are fast becoming a concern around the world and, as the world's leading leisure car rental broker, we wanted to offer our customers the opportunity to take practical steps to minimize their carbon footprint. It is too early to say how many customers will take up the offer but we are confident that, given the very modest extra cost, that take-up will be high."