HOUSTON, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Day -- Concern for the environment
and skyrocketing jet fuel costs are giving consumers and airlines compelling
reasons to find more eco-friendly ways to fly. Although a bio-fueled
commercial airline fleet is still years away from being feasible on a mass
scale, air carriers and passengers can start the greening process today.
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"Passengers and carriers alike can incorporate effective green practices
into their travel routine. Taking simple steps can make a positive impact on
our environment," says Ron Schultz, with ExpressJet Airlines. ExpressJet makes
its environmental policy statement, information about its recycling programs,
and flight schedule information available online at http://www.xjet.com
According to the Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere,
published by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
passenger aviation and air cargo transport produces about 3 percent of the
planet's carbon dioxide emissions. One airline found one of its greatest
reductions in harmful emissions, not in the air, but on the ground.
"Simply by eliminating the daily commute, a home-based workforce can
dramatically reduce emissions," Schultz said.
Since the Environmental Protection Agency reports automobiles produce
approximately 61 percent of all transportation-related emissions, employees,
airlines and the environment all benefit from telecommuting. ExpressJet
Airlines ticket agents save more than 98,000 gallons of gas a year, and
eliminate more than 2 million miles of car travel, working at home.
Employing its 212 ticket agents through home-based workforce company
Alpine Access, ExpressJet also lowers emissions by more than 1.8 million
pounds a year.
Research conducted by Kate Lister and Tom Harnish in 2008 found that if
employees who could perform their jobs by telecommuting actually did,
greenhouse gases could be cut by up to 67 million metric tons annually.
Airlines also feel pain at the pump as fuel costs climb. Flying a younger
fleet of fuel-efficient planes helps. Flying planes equipped with winglets,
wingtip devices that reduce a plane's drag as it flies through the air,
increases aerodynamic efficiency and further reduces fuel consumption.
Flying a fleet with winglets reduced ExpressJet Airlines' fuel consumption
by 3 percent a year, the equivalent of taking 6,377 cars off the road.
Airlines and their customers can lower fuel consumption by reducing a
plane's flight weight. Packing light not only makes carrying baggage through
the airport easier, it also helps the environment.
ExpressJet lost weight by switching from glass to plastic wine and alcohol
bottles and reduced its environmental impact two ways: reducing fuel
consumption and recycling.
"These plastic bottles are fifty percent lighter than the glass ones, and
we recycle them along with all other plastic and paper products we use in
flight," says Tim Baldwin, Senior Catering Manager at ExpressJet.
Air travelers are increasingly concerned about offsetting their carbon
emissions. In response, a host of offset-purchase businesses have sprung up in
the last few years. According to Trees for the Future, an environmental
organization founded in 1989, "the most cost-effective way to meet the threat
of global climate change is by restoring tree cover to the world's barren
lands."
Trees for the Future offers "Trees for Travel(TM)," certificates, in
$1, and $40 denominations. The organization calculates that "each tree planted
in the humid tropics will absorb 1 ton of CO2 over its lifetime." For more
information, visit http://www.treesftf.org and click on "Get Involved."
ExpressJet Airlines offers convenient, non-stop service on a young,
fuel-efficient fleet across the Southwestern and Western U.S. Visit
http://www.xjet.com.
SOURCE ExpressJet Airlines
04/01/2008
CONTACT: Kristy Nicholas of ExpressJet Holdings, Inc., +1-832-353-1409
6716 04/01/2008 05:02 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
