How a UK car hire company is fighting Amazon Rainforest deforestation – and its CEO wins a major outstanding achievement award…
A leading low-emission vehicle rental company has made progress in its plans to help prevent deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest.
The Amazon Rainforest supplies more than 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen. However, deforestation by commercial logging and subsistence farming has led to the destruction of one-fifth of the rainforest. As part of Green Motion’s carbon neutral programme, the company is working with groups to prevent the deforestation that accounts for 15 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
Since June, it is estimated that Green Motion has donated close to £20,000 to projects in South America. The money has been raised through the company’s carbon neutral programme that offsets the carbon emissions produced by their fleet of low-emission vehicles. For every car hire, Green Motion donates £1.25 to the project.
“As the only carbon neutral vehicle rental company, sustainability is very important to us,” explains Sian Marston, director at Green Motion UK. “With rainforests around the world under threat, we’re pleased to be supporting the continued sustainability of the largest one on the planet.”
After seeing positive effects from supporting The Florestal Santa Maria Project, which avoids planned deforestation in the Amazon, Green Motion have now turned their attention to preventing unplanned deforestation through The Portel-Pará Project.
The Portel-Pará project is in the Portel micro region of the rainforest, an area of extreme importance for biodiversity conservation. The aim is to prevent unplanned deforestation in native forests including logging, squatting and attempts to implement pastures.
Based on an assessment of the carbon emissions from Green Motion’s fleet, Green Motion will pay close to £40,000 per year to offset on-road emissions. This will be added to with the cost of carbon used in their UK offices.
“We support the environment in terms of our own business practices as well as the low-emission vehicles that our customers hire. We take the environment very seriously and the correct practices run through the core of our business,” add Sian.
Green Motion, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017, aims to offer customers value for money whilst helping to reduce the impact of global CO2 emissions associated with road travel. The company has environmentally friendly fleets across the UK and services 19 branches.
CEO recognised for reducing carbon emissions in the vehicle hire industry
In further good news, Richard Lowden (pictured above), CEO and founder of Green Motion, has received an outstanding achievement award at the 2017 GreenFleet Awards in recognition of his personal contribution to lowering carbon emissions in the vehicle rental industry.
The Green Fleet Awards celebrate individuals and businesses that strive to make a difference in lowering their carbon impact within the fleet sector. Richard Lowden, CEO and founder of Green Motion, received the prestigious award following a ten-year commitment to increasing uptake in electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce pollution levels.
Richard’s pioneering work led to the launch of the first and only environmentally friendly vehicle rental company in 2007. Ten years on, Green Motion now operates in 30 countries around the world and has 19 branches in the UK.
“It is an incredible honour to have received the outstanding achievement award. However, it is important to note that this accolade really belongs to the entire team here at Green Motion who work hard to ensure we provide a great service while staying true to our environmentally-conscious principles,” comments Richard. “Receiving the award is a tremendous celebration of our ten-year milestone, but our journey continues with a focus on further expansion and development for 2018.”
More about Green Motion…
Green Motion plans to open further franchise locations in the U.S., Europe and the APAC region over the next 12 months. The company’s network has steadily developed over the last ten years and ongoing investment in the latest electric, plug-in and hybrid vehicles ensures that Green Motion has a fleet with the lowest CO2 emissions of any of its like-for-like competitors.
To mark the company’s ten year anniversary, Green Motion took further environmental strides by implementing a carbon offsetting programme, helping them to become the first carbon neutral rental company in the UK.
Green Motion car and van hire services are available across major cities in the UK including London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Liverpool, often located close to popular transport links such as airports and major railway stations.