San Francisco-based Bandago Van Rentals says it is the first auto rental company in the United States to offset the entire amount of carbon dioxide produced by its nationwide fleet of vehicles, according to a June 18 press statement.

Bandago specializes in servicing the music industry, but also serves the general public, renting 15 passenger vans as well as Dodge Sprinter vans that have been customized for touring musicians.

“We are working with DriveNeutral because we know their carbon offsets are going to fund projects and practices that truly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere,” says Bandago CEO and founder, Sharky Laguana. “Currently, like other van rental companies, Bandago does not have the option of buying 100 percent pollution-free vehicles. However, we can still make a positive contribution and think that carbon offsetting is one of the best opportunities for us as well as for our clients who are also concerned about climate change."

With the help of DriveNeutral, a nonprofit organization that helps members offset their carbon dioxide exclusively through the Chicago Climate Exchange, Bandago expects to offset 823 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to taking nearly 240 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

According to the release, “DriveNeutral provides individuals and organizations the ability to take global responsibility for emissions through market-based carbon offsetting programs.”

To neutralize the greenhouse gasses produced by its vehicles, Laguana first determined the company’s climate footprint, or the measurable amount of CO2 emissions made by his company, using the CO2 calculator on DriveNeutral.org. This was done by estimating the mileage used for his entire fleet in one year. Through his partnership with DriveNeutral, the company then purchased and retired credits for that same amount through the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), North America’s first large scale market for greenhouse gas reductions.

“We are really excited to work with Bandago because they are taking swift and meaningful action to offset all of their vehicles for their clients, as well as the entire company,” says Jason Smith, co-founder and executive director of DriveNeutral. “This demonstrates how easy it is for any company to make a remarkable commitment to significantly reduce their impact on the climate.”