STAGECOACH LAUNCHES SCOTLAND’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL BUS NETWORK
140,000 trees are to be planted in Scotland as part of environmental initiative to save 21,500 tones in CO2 emissions on Fife-Edinburgh route, British operator Stagecoach announced recently. This environmental initiative, in partnership with Scottish charity Global Trees, will see all of Stagecoach's Fife to Edinburgh bus network become carbon neutral for the next five years.
The Perth-based bus operator is to plant more than 140,000 trees covering 60 hectares this year, which will absorb the CO2 produced by the buses that carry more than 2.4 million passengers a year. Stagecoach already uses fuel with 5% biodiesel and a hi-tech fuel additive manufactured using nanotechnology to keep emissions from its 7,000-vehicle bus fleet across the UK to a minimum.
The latest innovative project will see the newly-planted trees absorb the 4,300 tonnes in annual CO2 emissions generated by the Fife-Edinburgh operation over the next five years.
The tree-planting initiative, which will be supported by a major marketing campaign targeted at car users, is part of Stagecoach Group’s environmental strategy to help tackle climate change by reducing the carbon footprint of the company and its customers.
The wide-ranging strategy includes investment in renewable fuels and cleaner engines, state-of-the-art energy efficient facilities, water and waste recycling initiatives and offering businesses green travel incentives for their employees.
