lastminute.com’s double award-winning carbon offsetting scheme carbonwise celebrates its first anniversary today, offsetting an impressive 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in its first 12 months.

Since its launch twelve months ago, carbonwise has offset the equivalent CO2 emissions of all UK households turning off their lights for three hours.

The scheme has already scooped major travel industry and consumer awards - the Travel Innovation of the Year at the prestigious Agent Achievement Awards and the Online Green Award (OLGA) (large retailer category) from e-retail body IMRG.

Furthermore, carbonwise has won the support of lastminute.com’s customers with 15% of flight customers choosing to offset their travel.

carbonwise is the exclusive supporter of two projects which see wood-burning stoves replaced with more fuel-efficient eco-friendly stoves in Nicaragua and bio-diesel manufactured from waste cooking oil for taxi fleets in Nassau.

carbonwise provides an easy way for customers to offset their carbon emissions. When booking a flight on lastminute.com, a carbon calculator automatically works out and displays the carbon dioxide emissions of that flight and the cost of the offset. Customers are then invited to offset their emissions. Details of the scheme are found at www.lastminute.com/green and www.lastminute.com/carbonwise

As a further commitment to environmental issues, lastminute.com has added its name to the Bali Communiqué today. It urges strong, early action on climate change at the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Bali this week.

The scheme has proved so successful, it’s set to be rolled out to lastminute.com’s sister company Holiday Autos. The UK’s leading car hire broker adopts carbonwise this month, giving its customers the opportunity to offset the emissions from their holiday car hire.

lastminute.com Chief Executive Ian McCaig said: “lastminute.com is delighted with the success of carbonwise in its first 12 months. Our customers have shown their support of the scheme by offsetting an impressive 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.”

“lastminute.com is a brand that gives choice to consumers by offering a wide range of travel options.”

“I’m sure carbonwise will continue to build on its already considerable success in the next 12 months.”

David Hall, Campaign Director of Together at The Climate Group said: “This is encouraging and a good first step. We need consumers across all areas of their lives to become aware of the easy things they can do to reduce their emissions. We’re working with lastminute.com to plan how to make this a real consideration for Britain’s travellers.”

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