Carbon off-setting initiatives seem to be a genuine hit for the majority of leading car hire companies, and some firms now find that they are above initial expectations.

Enterprise, Alamo and National, for example, initiated a new green scheme, called 'Keys to Green'. This is geared towards the passengers to give them an option to offset the carbon produced through their trips of cars.

The programme provides renters with an opportunity to pay a fairly small and optional amount on top of the fee for their rental vehicle, with the aim of helping off-set the environmental impact caused by the carbon emissions produced by their rental vehicle.

Generally, all the additional funds that are collected through this way are then given out to help various environmentally-friendly projects, intended to cut green house gases.

A large number of customers have joined these off-set initiatives and for most of the times, the additional surcharge is below $1.25 on top of the rental fee.

The main benefit of these carbon off-setting initiatives is that every time a customer chooses to do his/her bit; the rental company will match the payment made by him/her.

As such, Enterprise is able to generate $2.50 for each rental, and this fund is then utilised for a range of green programmes, including methods to produce wind energy from alternate sources. Carbon offsetting is surely one of the better options for tourists and passengers to cater to the needs of green consciousness.