/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Aeroplan To Match Miles For Carbon Offsets on Earth Day/

Aeroplan encourages members to offset their carbon footprint by matching

miles redeemed for offsets by 25%

 

MONTREAL, April 21 /CNW Telbec/ - To celebrate Earth Day and to raise awareness of Aeroplan's Green It Up program, Aeroplan will match all miles redeemed for carbon offset credits by 25 per cent on April 22nd. Aeroplan Members can now redeem 3,500, 7,500 or 15,000 miles for carbon offsets.

If only 2,000 Aeroplan Members each redeemed 7,500 miles to purchase carbon offsets, the combined impact would be equivalent to:

 

- Taking 1,168 cars off the road for one year

- Burning 2.74 million fewer litres of gasoline

- Countering the emissions created by 580 homes

 

In 2007, Aeroplan launched a program called Green it Up that enables Aeroplan Members to use Aeroplan Miles to buy carbon offsets and offset the emissions generated by their travel and everyday activities. The credits will then be transferred to the Carbon Reduction Fund, an independent, non-profit organization with the mission of funding only the highest-quality offset projects.

A loyalty industry first, Aeroplan created the program to encourage employees, members and partners to reduce their collective impact on the environment. As of March 1, 2009, Aeroplan has offset 100 per cent of its corporate carbon footprint and Aeroplan Members have offset approximately 11,000 tonnes of emissions equivalent to pulling 2,015 large cars off the road for one year.

This year in celebration of Aeroplan's 25th anniversary, Aeroplan will make a donation of 2,500 miles per employee or 3,250,000 miles towards carbon offsets purchased from the Carbon Reduction Fund of Canada. In addition, Aeroplan employees will be participating in clean up and planting activities across the country. Aeroplan also offers a wide-ranging roster of eco-friendly rewards against which members can redeem their miles. In 2008, Aeroplan Members redeemed over 34 million miles for nearly 2,000 eco-friendly rewards. Aeroplan also offsets all carbon emissions from flights taken by its Beyond Miles partners using donated miles.

 

For more information about Aeroplan's Green it Up program, please visit: www.groupeaeroplan.com and click on social responsibility or to offset, visit www.aeroplan.com/offset.

For further information: Christa Poole, (416) 352-3745, christa.poole@aeroplan.com