Save the environment while you shop

Environmentally friendly consumers can help reduce their carbon footprint when they are out looking for new shoes with the GE Money eco MasterCard.

GE Money purchases carbon offsets on the cardholder's behalf when they spend $600 a month or more and has agreed to contribute up to one per cent of a cardholder's net expenditure on carbon offsets.

GE Money claims that: "If 1,000 people spend $600 per month with the eco Mastercard, the carbon offsets accumulated each year would total over half a million tonnes - the equivalent of taking 115,000 cars off the road."

The credit card provider will purchase the carbon offsets through Origin Energy's carbon reduction scheme, which was launched in March 2007.

According to Origin's managing director Mr Grant King, the scheme is based on five key principles of "credibility, transparency, affordability, flexibility and effectiveness".

Companies such as National Australia Bank and Insurance Australian Group already provide support to the scheme.

"We encourage all organisations and individuals to think about what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint," claims Origin's chief operating officer Karen Moses.

Across the world GE claims it plans to cut its greenhouse gases every year and take the annual equivalent of almost 1.8 million cars off the road.

As an alternative, eco Mastercard customers can choose to have half their rewards credited to their credit card account with the other half being used to purchase carbon offsets, helping to save both their wallets and the planet.

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