Working with Australia's Favourite Dog

Cleaner Climate is proud to be teaming up with Greyhound Australia to allow travellers to offset the carbon (CO2) emissions from their bus trip(s)^*.

With the introduction of low cost getaways, budget holidays and intensive work schedules, travel related carbon emissions continue to grow at a staggering rate.

Carbon emissions are created when we burn fossil and other industrial fuels, like the diesel from your bus travel.

Greyhound is committed to providing customers an option to help lessen the impact of their travel schedule.

Through Cleaner Climate's international renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, you can contribute to carbon reduction projects that help reduce your impact on the environment.

The Offset Projects

Cleaner Climate's carbon projects comply with the methodologies of the United Nation's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Developing projects under these schemes ensures that the emissions reductions satisfy stringent criteria set up by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Committee (UNFCCC)^.

In addition, CDM projects must have integrated social and economic fundamentals that directly benefit the surrounding communities. All Cleaner Climate's projects are monitored by an independent third party to ensure that they produce verified and measurable carbon offset reductions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do I contribute to climate change when I travel by bus?

A. Yes. While bus travel is far less carbon intensive than air or car; buses burn diesel which generates greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

Q. What can I do about this?

A. By paying $1 per ticket, you can help support CO2 reduction projects in developing countries to help offset emissions caused by your bus travel.*

Q. What is offsetting?

A. Carbon offsetting is a way to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere through investments made in projects that reduce or destroy carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases. This can involve wind farms, solar energy production and the capture of harmful gases from farming and food processing practices. Funding for these projects comes from business, governments, and importantly, from caring travellers like you.

Q. Is offsetting compulsory?

A. Currently in Australia there is not a compulsory carbon tax or requirement to offset your bus travel emissions. It is your choice to offset the carbon emitted from your road travel.

Q. Who is Cleaner Climate?

A. Cleaner Climate is a preferred supplier to the UN Environment Program and one of the most highly regarded carbon companies in Australia according to the Carbon Offset Watch - a study completed by the Total Environment Centre, CHOICE and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Q. Does Cleaner Climate comply with industry standards?

A. Yes. Cleaner Climate's carbon projects comply with the methodologies and independent verification requirements of the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Q. Why aren't projects in Australia?

A. The Australian Government has now ratified the Kyoto protocol and is obliged to meet a national emissions target (108% of 1990 emissions by 2008-2012). At present, all emission reductions that happen in Australia are counted in the national emissions inventory and contribute to the achievement of this target. As this target is obligatory, any Australia emission reductions would happen whether or not the voluntary projects occurred – in other words, they are arguably not additional and they are double-counted. (Source: Carbon Offset Watch, 2008)

* Cleaner Climate estimates that your contribution will offset over 90% of your GHG's attributed to the diesel consumption.

The carbon emissions associated with your bus ticket have been calculated using Greyhound's annual diesel fuel consumption from the company's bus operations. This figure takes into account the full fuel cycle emissions factor in kg CO2e/litre of diesel, and is based on published data from the Australian Federal Government's Department of Climate Change.

This total emissions figure from fuel use is then divided by the number of tickets sold per year to reach a per ticket emission figure. Greyhound and Cleaner Climate conduct regular reviews of the actual fuel usage and passenger numbers to ensure that pricing is adjusted accordingly if required.

Greyhound's per ticket emission figure does not include the company's ground and support operations or passenger's travel to and from their bus.

^ The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. Its stated objective is "to achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."