carbon offsets program introduced

Your Trip Shouldn’t Cost the Earth – Should It?

Media Release - 20 March 2007

STA Travel is the first travel agent in Australia to offer travellers the opportunity to voluntarily offset their air travel carbon emissions.

Partnering with Origin Energy, STA Travel customers can neutralise pollution caused by air travel through the Origin Energy Reduction Scheme launched on Tuesday 20th March 2007.

Travellers can offset their carbon emissions by contributing to a variety of programs offered by Origin Energy that neutralise greenhouse gas.  These include tree planting in New South Wales, waste composting in Western Australia and investing in energy reducing technology in Yellowbank, Queensland. 

STA Travel Managing Director, Euan Friday said reducing global warming is a priority for the business.  “Our people really give a damn about their impact on the environment.  We have partnered with Origin Energy to create this Carbon Offset initiative as part of our greenhouse footprint.  We feel that carbon offset is another contribution that we can make in the fight against climate change” commented Friday. 

Carbon offset is an agreement between the passenger and STA Travel to fund reduction programs throughout Australia. For every tonne of greenhouse gas that is created by the passenger’s flight, a tonne of greenhouse gas is prevented from being produced elsewhere. The globe is divided into 9 regions each with a fixed amount attached; trips can be offset from as little as $8, with each trip varying in cost depending on the distance travelled.

Origin Energy, Chief Operating Officer, Ms Karen Moses said Origin is delighted to partner with STA Travel. “We congratulate STA Travel for being a leader in the travel industry by introducing measures to encourage Australians to reduce their environmental impact".

STA Travel also supports other environmental initiatives.  The STA Travel Trust has funded a range of environmental projects including the 3Cycle project in La Paz, which involved using recyclable materials to create unique accessories.  Additionally STA Travel is a retail outlet for volunteer programs that encourage conservation in locations around the globe.  Internally, STA Travel also strives to be an environmentally friendly work place.

Further information about STA Travel’s Carbon Credits program can be found at: