Alsa customers will be able to know their carbon footprint and offset it
The company will promote the first Alsa Forest in Palencia, a reforestation project that will be undertaken with the collaboration of CO2 Revolution.
Coinciding with the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which is celebrated today, the mobility company Alsa is launching a new initiative as part of its environmental strategy. From now on, passengers on the company’s long-distance and regional services will be able to find out the carbon footprint generated by their bus journey, and will also have the opportunity to offset it by making a contribution to reforestation projects.
During the online ticket purchase process on the website, Alsa will inform the traveler of the carbon footprint generated by their trip, which will vary depending on the distance of the journey. Optionally, the customer will also have the possibility of offsetting this carbon footprint by making an economic contribution to the reforestation of forests in Spain, which is where the emissions are produced. Thus, for example, a trip between Madrid and Bilbao (400 km) generates emissions of 12 kgco2, and the traveler will have the possibility of making a contribution of 0.12 € to offset these emissions.
Alsa Forest in Palencia: eight hectares reforested
The first contributions from customers will go to a project located in Congosto de Valdavia (Palencia), to reforest an area of high ecological value that was devastated in a devastating fire in 2020 in which more than 100,000 trees were burned.
The action to be carried out with the contribution of Alsa’s customers is the initial reforestation of 8 hectares, within a broader project that includes the planting of 92,000 trees in a total area of 58 Ha. Overall, it is estimated that this forest mass will be capable of absorbing 81,989 tons of CO2 at full cycle, of which Alsa has an initial reserve of 10,000 tons.
This first Alsa Forest -which may be followed by others in different areas of Spain- begins this September with the preparation of the land. In October, the planting of six native species adapted to the ecosystem of the area will begin and will be completed in November.
CO2 Revolution
To implement this initiative, Alsa has signed an agreement with CO2 Revolution, a leading Spanish company in the reforestation of degraded areas in order to restore the environmental balance and, in turn, generate CO2 offsets. In the reforestation projects CO2 Revolution combines traditional methods with a powerful support in new technologies, being pioneers in the development of intelligent seeds and planting by drones. Alsa and CO2 Revolution have already collaborated before, as they participate in the Smart Green Challenge promoted by LG Spain, which aims to plant 47 million trees per year in Spain, one for each Spaniard.
The bus, key to sustainable mobility
Traveling by bus generates 5.5 less Greenhouse Gases than traveling by private vehicle. Despite being the most sustainable mode, Alsa, as a responsible operator, has implemented an environmental strategy aimed at reducing the emissions generated by its activity.
In this regard, since 2015 Alsa has managed to reduce its emissions by 18.4%. In the last two years it has incorporated 136 “eco” or “zero” emissions vehicles, with an investment of 46 million euros. From 2020, the company will no longer incorporate any non-eco buses into its urban operations. And this year it has reinforced its commitment to lead the transition to green fleets in our country, committing itself to ensure that 100% of the urban buses it acquires are zero emissions as of 2030.
Now, with the launch of this initiative, Alsa also invites its customers to join this project to offset the carbon footprint of their trips, contributing to the reforestation of areas of high ecological value, with the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050.