Friday, July 6, 2012

Eco-Friendly Car Service

Today Google Offers sent an offer for an environmentally friendly car service.  Which immediately raised questions about whether this was a clean technology innovation or simply a marketing program to draw in environmentally conscious travelers who don't like public transportation but want to be "green."

Enviroride's social responsibility page notes, that, "EnviroRide works with carbon neutral companies which fight against global warming and help reduce or offset their climate impact and hasten the transition to a clean energy future. EnviroRide buys carbon off sets points equivalent to number of cars used and miles traveled by each car every year from these companies, which in turn invest in following green projects."

Among their goals is to, "encourage and help local transportation operators to use Eco-friendly cars with the help of Marriott International and create more green jobs."  It's not clear if this is creating green jobs but this is an interesting business model supported by a major global organization that has a pretty robust green agenda.

Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) has been on the Newsweek list of top Green companies since 2009.  The firm aggressively looks for ways to "green" its $10B+ supply chain, it's program have reduced fuel and water consumption by 25 percent per available room; creating green construction standards for hotel developers to achieve LEED® certification from the U.S. Marriott International continues to develop eco-friendly operations around the globe.  Its most recent announcement highlights its environmentally friendly endeavors that both improve sustainability while improving financial performance.

The Enviroride experience extends the green experience from the airport to the hotel and around town.  This is a clean and sustainable business model.