Press Release - 22 November 2007

Fly Green with WAYN

Travellers will soon be able to do their bit to save the planet while travelling - by offsetting their carbon footprint before they go.

The system set up by social networking website WAYN.com means their ten million members will be able to log on, calculate the size of their footprint and offset it before they fly.

The money will be used to support verified carbon reduction projects around the world or to fund the re-planting of native broad leaved trees in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, a programme recognised by the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP's) Plant for the Planet programme. In addition, WAYN.com will donate another 5% of all member offsetting to a WAYN fund which will sponsor specific regeneration projects.

WAYN.com - which joined forces with CarbonFootprint.com to launch the initiative - is the first social networking site to offer such a service. It will be up and running by the end of the year.

Yesterday Jerome Touze, co-CEO and co-founder of WAYN.com, said: ''We're aware that many of our members care strongly about the environment. Whether they do travel or hope to travel, they are interested in their world and the global issues which affect it.

''We run a number of global campaigns through the WAYN Club, but offering this carbon offsetting tool for our members is something we are really excited about because it is so relevant to the planning stage of a trip.

''Being responsible for such a large community, we feel we should be at the forefront of ensuring we make it easy for members to make their contributions simply and at a point where they are engaged with the trip planning process.''

''We picked Carbon Footprint as their research and knowledge was so strong plus they have worked with both government and corporate partners and are a leading carbon reduction & Carbon offset provider with worldwide recognition and the web's leading free carbon footprint calculator.''

John Buckley, Managing Director of Carbon Footprint added: ''Climate change can only be tackled if each and every one of us reduces our impact.

''Having access to such a huge global network means we could have a substantial environmental effect by partnering with WAYN.com.

''If people really want to make a difference and take the small steps required to Carbon neutralise we're now making the process relevant and easy to do so.''

UK WAYN members add approx 195,000 trips per year to their top 10 favourite destinations which equates to around 265,000 tonnes of CO2 from flights alone. If even 1% of these members were to offset for these more common routes, we could add just under 2,000 trees to a Kenyan rainforest. And for each 2000 WAYN would be adding a further 10 trees.

Travellers boarding a return flight to Sydney , Australia from London will leave a carbon footprint per person of 3,918 tonnes of CO2 which costs just £28.31 to neutralise.

A return flight to Paris will spew out 0.124 tonnes of CO2 which will cost just £2 for one passenger to offset.

Notes

WAYN.com - which stands for Where Are You Now? - boasts ten million members from 200 countries. It is designed to enable members to find others in a location they are on their way to, share holiday experiences, and network with pals they meet along the way. The site was formed three years ago by Jerome and Peter Ward who came up with the idea over a pint in a pub in London's Covent Garden.

Contacts:

John Buckley
Carbon Footprint Ltd
01256 345645