Go on Vacation, Rent a Car, Help the Environment
A major car-rental company is inviting customers to "help save the environment with your next rental."
As part of its carbon offset program, Enterprise Holdings offers customers the option of adding $1.25 to the cost of the rental car, which Enterprise will match dollar for dollar, up to a total of $1 million.
"By opting to pay $1.25 per rental, customers can fund certified offset projects that work to remove CO2 from the atmosphere," the company says on its Web site.
In the program's first year, Enterprise says approximately 175,000 customers chose to pay the extra fee, generating $220,000 for certified offset projects. Coupled with the equal match by Enterprise's charitable arm, the effort has generated nearly $440,000.
- Susan Jones's blog
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Comments
Really?
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 2:23pm.
175,000 customers chose to pay this, really?
Honestly, I find this hard to believe unless they used some words to convince people to do this. If I were going to Enterprise to rent a car and they asked me to do this, my answer would have to be no. I wonder if they would still let me rent a car if I said no.
And that's a rather odd number, $1.25? Why not $1 or $2?
-Jon
Many timid people, a paltry few believers.
Submitted by Brau on Tue, 07/05/2011 - 2:56pm.
I don't doubt the numbers, but question the validity of whether people "chose" to pay. A lot of people will pay just because they are afraid to look bad in front of some eco-zealotous salesperson. It's like those "opportunities" to give a dollar to charity we are often faced with at the grocery store during the check-out; most give simply because they have to face someone with expectations.
No Way
Submitted by Waga on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 2:19pm.
Don't get me wrong, conservation and protection of the environment are great causes, but there is no way I would donate to this car rental business. I will happen to rent a car next week, but if it comes up, I'll decline faster than bees to honey. I'd rather do something directly to help rather than nonsense like this. I absolutely mean it that I rather donate directly to a worthy cause and not take a tax break for it than let organized bureaucracy take the dough for adminstrive costs even if I can get a tax break. No posers!