BLUU Car Rental’s core mission is not just about getting people from A to B.
As a pillar of the tourism industry, the company recently formed a partnership with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), which aims to green desertified, barren landscapes across South Africa in aid of ecotourism.
World Tourism Day raises awareness of the need for sustainable and accessible tourism across the planet and events that take place globally highlight the shift towards tourism being recognised as a crucial pillar of socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. To honour World Tourism Day, September 27, and to acknowledge their commitment to making ecotourism green again, BCR and FTFA planted hundreds of indigenous trees.
1 000 trees were distributed to vulnerable rural communities in the Eastern Cape and another 1 000 trees were planted at FTFA’s Stutterheim Afforestation project in the Kologha Forest. The total carbon emissions sequestrated by this initiative is 738 tonnes – that's equivalent to the emissions from driving 160 standard passenger cars for a full year. Emafini Primary School in Gqeberha was host to one of BCR’s tree-planting events where 17 enthusiastic volunteers planted 30 trees at the under-resourced school.
BCR has already distributed and planted over 4 000 trees in the last three months, sequestering 1 476 tonnes of CO2 to date.
“The BLUU Team has had a wonderful time planting these trees in their communities, and the warm welcome and gratitude shown by everyone involved has been humbling. I can think of no better way to celebrate Tourism Month, which plays such an integral part in our business, as well as South Africa’s economy as a whole,” said Lindsay Versfeld, Marketing and Partnership Manager at BLUU Car Rental.
