The Climate Change Leadership Awards (CCLA), the first awards in Africa that recognise, reward, motivate and celebrate businesses, communities, youth, schools and individuals, have attracted significant sponsorships and partnerships in 2011 from some of South Africa's leading businesses, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations.
The very definition of the word points to a long-term strategy, integral to every operation that intends to survive and be successful. Sustainability need not be incorporated into business at the expense of development and profitability. It is the essence of long-term development and profitability, which has a survival connotation to the notion.
Avis Rent a Car in South Africa has achieved CarbonNeutral® certification, by offsetting its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for all of its internal electricity and fuel consumption to net zero. Following decades of an already strong heritage of CSR initiatives, transformation and investment, the Avis Cares program has been extended to join the international drive in tackling Global Warming and other world sustainability challenges, thereby conserving our planet for future generations.
In another succesful partnership between an environmental NGO and a responsible corporate sponsor, a hectare of carbon-balancing bamboo plants arrive for the benefit of a vulnerable community.
It seems an impossible dream for a car rental company to even consider becoming carbon neutral, when one thinks of the emissions for which its products are responsible on a daily basis.
Why was global warming an issue? What exactly were Greenhouse Gases? What effect did CO2 emissions have and how could they be reduced? What difference could Avis make?
