Offset your carbon footprint with National Express

Published: 16th June 2021

Travelling by coach is one of the cleanest ways to travel, so you’re already making a great choice! However did you know that you can also support some amazing sustainability projects around the world just by travelling with National Express!

That’s right, you can now offset the carbon emissions from your journey to support climate solutions projects across the globe. Your offset will directly support projects that replace coal and oil with renewable energy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

Each of the projects contribute to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals, which also create social benefits and improved living conditions for those hardest hit by climate change. To find out more about these incredible projects, scroll down…

Renewable energy in Costa Rica

Wind Farm

The first of 3 projects you can support by offsetting your carbon is a wind power project in the Los Santos region of Costa Rica. Helping to create clean electricity and displace carbon emissions generated by other power plants in the country, it’s the first wind farm to be developed in Costa Rica. Reducing 15,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

While generating clean electricity, the project aims to achieve sustainable and economic development by supporting the local communities nearby. By providing electricity to over 50,000 people, improving infrastructure as well as educating the population on sustainable energy consumption, climate change and biodiversity.

The project is also creating actual employment opportunities and business opportunities for local inhabitants to work at the Wind Farm. Offering all its staff members and on-site personnel regular contracts which include contributions to social security and insurance.

Clean cooking with biogas in India

Did you know that a large part of the rural population in India still cooks on an open fire? This practice involves burning biomass and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and air pollution. This can also affect people’s health leading to a million deaths a year in India from inhaling harmful fumes.

Luckily the clean cooking project is supplying rural communities with biogas plants in the Chickballapur district of the Karnataka province. Helping to provide a clean and safe way of cooking that reduces emissions by switching to 100% renewable energy. In addition, locals no longer have to fetch wood, cooking is easier and faster, and it prevents black soot deposits in the house. On average, they save eight hours a week by using biogas. There is even opportunity for local employment through construction and maintenance of biogas installations in the area.

Landfill gas to renewable energy in Ecuador

The third and final project that you can support through offsetting is the Pichacay Landfill Gas Renewable Energy project in Ecuador. Striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country, the project recovers landfill methane which previously was released into the atmosphere, and delivers electricity to the grid.

It is the first landfill in Ecuador in which landfill gas extraction and electricity generation are applied and is a massive first step into improving sustainability in the country.