IGNORE:Travelcare to tackle climate change through branches

Travelcare is claiming a high street first by selling carbon offset at its branches to counter the environmental impact of holiday flights.

The Co-operative Group’s agency chain has become the first to move carbon offsetting from the internet into the high street, making it available to purchase for people who want to tackle climate change.

Under the scheme, holidaymakers can voluntarily pay a small sum which will go towards offsetting in full, or in part, the carbon dioxide cost of their flight. 

Eight cost bands have been established, reflecting the distance travelled. It will cost holidaymakers travelling to France and mainland Spain £3 to fully carbon offset their trip. Alternatively, customers can elect to offset 20% (this being the UK Government’s target for CO2 reduction by 2010), which would cost them 60p.

Carbon offset will initially be available at pilot branches, but will be introduced to all 340 Travelcare outlets branches by the end of the year, making carbon offsetting as simple as other travel purchases.

It means that for the first time UK consumers can walk into a high street retail outlet and buy carbon dioxide offset on the spot – previously they had to use the internet, according to the independent chain.

The Co-operative Group says it will guarantee that all carbon offset payments will support its Climate Care projects, such as the provision of household “biogas” systems that provide renewable cooking fuel and wind turbines in India. Last year the Group supported Climate Care to the tune of £250,000.

Travelcare’s head of strategic development Paul Kendrick said: ”Air travel is a part of everyday life and people continue to want to take a holiday.  We recognise that more and more travellers are becoming concerned about the impact their holidays have on the climate.

“This initiative – a high street first – makes it easy for them to neutralise the biggest environmental impact of their holiday, the flight.

“The pressing need for the UK to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions significantly now means that all available tools will need to be deployed in the problematic growth area of aviation. Until now that has been quite difficult to calculate but we have made it really easy and we can assure customers that all the contributions will go directly to Climate Care and that we will not profit from it.”

Report by Phil Davies

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