Vespa aims to please bees

From Canadian Scooter Corp

TORONTO, ON — Canada’s first national carbon neutral driving program was launched Tuesday by Canadian Scooter Corp (Vespa Canada) and its partners Environmental Defence and the Carbon Reduction Fund. Under the new program, Vespa will offset the estimated greenhouse gas emissions for all new Vespas, including the green-themed EnviroVespas in yellow (sun), blue (sky) and green (grass).

To celebrate the new program, the latest Vespas (the Italian word for ‘wasp’) from the land of love were joined Tuesday morning by their bee friends, and a host of well-known admirers, in an outdoor oasis at Terroni Restaurant in downtown Toronto.

“Vespa Canada has just taken a quantum leap in making transportation fun, affordable and most importantly, environmentally responsible,” said Morey Chaplick, Canadian Scooter Corp.

The innovative carbon neutral driving program comes with a unique and serious twist that’s all about the birds and the bees: supporting the habitat of wasps, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. To help its bee friends, Vespa also announced that it will support the protection of pollinator habitat through Environmental Defence.

“With climate change the most important issue facing us today, Canadians are looking for corporate leaders to step up and do their part,” said Dr. Rick Smith, executive director, Environmental Defence. “By helping to tackle climate change and protect the places that bees, wasps and other pollinators need to survive, Vespa is setting a tremendous example for other Canadian companies to follow.”

Much of the food that we eat and nature that we enjoy is created by an incredible relationship between flowers, trees, grasses, wasps, birds and bees. North America received a significant scare last year as domestic bees began dying in record numbers. The die-off touched off a long-overdue debate about the unsung but vital role wasps, bees, butterflies and other pollinators play in our environment and food supply.

“We applaud Vespa Canada in showing environmental leadership by not only addressing the carbon footprint of their products, but in making a positive contribution by raising awareness and making a positive contribution to the issue of pollinator habitat,” said Yvan Champagne, managing director, the Carbon Reduction Fund. “Our goal at the Fund is to find high quality carbon offset projects that not only reduce or sequester GHG emissions, but that also make a positive environmental contribution.”

Vespa Canada, which has plans to release a new Hybrid Vespa, will offset an estimate of three years worth of emissions for every Vespa sold in the remainder of 2008, including the new EnviroVespas in green, yellow or blue. To ensure appropriate carbon offsets, Vespa will purchase high quality verified offsets from the Carbon Reduction Fund.

To learn more about the Vespa carbon neutral driving program, and the new EnviroVespa, visit http://www.envirovespa.com/.