ST. LOUIS– Enterprise Fleet Management, a division of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has launched an aggressive set of environmental initiatives to help its customers reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution. The goal is to help businesses with medium-size fleets better manage vehicle emissions.

Under Enterprise's environmental platform, customers can opt into a program to offset the impact of their fleet's greenhouse gas emissions. Enterprise's charitable foundation will enhance the program by matching a portion of each customer's greenhouse gas offset purchase, up to a total match of $1 million.

Other important initiatives include fleet emission footprint analyses, strategies for vehicle cycling and fleet optimization, and emerging fuel and engine technologies.

"Based on the results of a recent research study, we know our customers are looking for innovative ways to address the environmental impact of their fleets," said Steve Bloom, senior vice president of Enterprise Fleet Management. "This program enables them to become part of the solution, and we look forward to significant participation. In fact, nothing would please us more than to use up our entire $1 million match pledge."

Enterprise Fleet Management's environmental platform is geared to the specific needs of these businesses:

Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. Enterprise Fleet Management will help customers purchase verifiable greenhouse gas emission offsets through a trusted third-party partner. For customers who choose to purchase a greenhouse gas emission offset, the company will match 25 percent of each offset's purchase price, with a $600 maximum contribution per customer per year. Enterprise estimates that the average fleet vehicle each year will log 20,000 miles and emit anywhere from 19,000 to 27,000 lbs. of CO₂.

Fleet emission footprint analysis. Enterprise can help businesses analyze options to balance or mitigate emissions by measuring the carbon footprint of individual vehicle in a company's fleet. These include service vehicles such as cargo vans, step vans, and medium-duty trucks, which generally do not feature low-emission, fuel-efficient engines.

Vehicle cycling/fleet optimization. Enterprise's environmental program will provide customers more comprehensive data for vehicle cycling and fleet optimization. In addition to traditional factors such as acquisition cost, maintenance expense, and residual value, Enterprise has expanded its analysis to measure current fleet emissions, projected improvements in fuel efficiency, and direct and indirect remediation costs.

Emerging fuel and engine technologies. Because Enterprise owns the largest fleet of flex-fuel vehicles, as well as thousands of gas-electric hybrids, it has firsthand knowledge to help fleet customers make smart decisions about new engine technologies. For example, although FlexFuel vehicles, which run on E-85 fuel (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) or biofuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent, these fuels may not be widely available in all fleet service areas. In addition, costs for acquisition, maintenance, and resale can differ significantly compared with traditional vehicles.

The new Enterprise Fleet Management environmental program is an extension of a comprehensive, multi-plank sustainability platform announced in 2006 by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. For more information about Enterprise's complete environmental platform, visit fleet.keystogreen.com.