HOUSTON, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Day -- Concern for the environment and skyrocketing jet fuel costs are giving consumers and airlines compelling reasons to find more eco-friendly ways to fly. Although a bio-fueled commercial airline fleet is still years away from being feasible on a mass scale, air carriers and passengers can start the greening process today. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080221/NYFNSN01LOGO) "Passengers and carriers alike can incorporate effective green practices into their travel routine. Taking simple steps can make a positive impact on our environment," says Ron Schultz, with ExpressJet Airlines. ExpressJet makes its environmental policy statement, information about its recycling programs, and flight schedule information available online at http://www.xjet.com/ According to the Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere, published by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, passenger aviation and air cargo transport produces about 3 percent of the planet's carbon dioxide emissions. One airline found one of its greatest reductions in harmful emissions, not in the air, but on the ground. "Simply by eliminating the daily commute, a home-based workforce can dramatically reduce emissions," Schultz said. Since the Environmental Protection Agency reports automobiles produce approximately 61 percent of all transportation-related emissions, employees, airlines and the environment all benefit from telecommuting. ExpressJet Airlines ticket agents save more than 98,000 gallons of gas a year, and eliminate more than 2 million miles of car travel, working at home. Employing its 212 ticket agents through home-based workforce company Alpine Access, ExpressJet also lowers emissions by more than 1.8 million pounds a year. Research conducted by Kate Lister and Tom Harnish in 2008 found that if employees who could perform their jobs by telecommuting actually did, greenhouse gases could be cut by up to 67 million metric tons annually. Airlines also feel pain at the pump as fuel costs climb. Flying a younger fleet of fuel-efficient planes helps. Flying planes equipped with winglets, wingtip devices that reduce a plane's drag as it flies through the air, increases aerodynamic efficiency and further reduces fuel consumption. Flying a fleet with winglets reduced ExpressJet Airlines' fuel consumption by 3 percent a year, the equivalent of taking 6,377 cars off the road. Airlines and their customers can lower fuel consumption by reducing a plane's flight weight. Packing light not only makes carrying baggage through the airport easier, it also helps the environment. ExpressJet lost weight by switching from glass to plastic wine and alcohol bottles and reduced its environmental impact two ways: reducing fuel consumption and recycling. "These plastic bottles are fifty percent lighter than the glass ones, and we recycle them along with all other plastic and paper products we use in flight," says Tim Baldwin, Senior Catering Manager at ExpressJet. Air travelers are increasingly concerned about offsetting their carbon emissions. In response, a host of offset-purchase businesses have sprung up in the last few years. According to Trees for the Future, an environmental organization founded in 1989, "the most cost-effective way to meet the threat of global climate change is by restoring tree cover to the world's barren lands." Trees for the Future offers "Trees for Travel(TM)," certificates, in $1, and $40 denominations. The organization calculates that "each tree planted in the humid tropics will absorb 1 ton of CO2 over its lifetime." For more information, visit http://www.treesftf.org/ and click on "Get Involved." ExpressJet Airlines offers convenient, non-stop service on a young, fuel-efficient fleet across the Southwestern and Western U.S. Visit http://www.xjet.com/. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080221/NYFNSN01LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: ExpressJet Airlines CONTACT: Kristy Nicholas of ExpressJet Holdings, Inc., +1-832-353-1409 Web site: http://www.expressjet.com/ http://www.xjet.com/ http://www.treesftf.org/

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