Bank of America has partnered with Brighter Planet, a Vermont-based company focused on building a clean energy future, to create a unique credit and debit card product. The Brighter Planet Visa card is one of the few eco-friendly credit cards in the U.S. that focuses on carbon offsets.

Cardholders help reduce their carbon footprint with each purchase. Instead of earning airline miles or other rewards, cardholders earn an “EarthSmart^TM reward” point for every $1 spent using the card. Each $1,000 of purchases will fund an estimated ton of carbon offsets — about equal to taking a car off the road for 2,000 miles. Since the card was launched in November 2007, cardholders have offset more than 35,184,629 pounds of CO2. That’s the equivalent to removing 1,061,355 cars from the road for a day.

Said Patti Prairie, chief executive officer of Brighter Planet:

With a majority of Americans wanting to do something about the environment, the Brighter Planet Visa credit card offers a practical and effective way for individuals to take personal steps to build a clean energy future. Consumers should conserve what they can, then use the card to offset what they cannot.

By using the Brighter Planet checking account, customers can feel good about using their Check Card for everyday purchases since a percentage of their spending will also help to fund community based renewable energy projects across the United States.  Bank of America says it intends for this partnership to continue to develop additional offerings in the future leading to a full suite of environmentally focused banking products.

Quick Facts

• Bank of America partnered with Brighter Planet, a Vermont-based company focused on building a clean energy future, to create the Brighter Planet Visa card
• Cardholders earn an “EarthSmart^TM reward” point for every $1 spent using the card
• Every 1,000 points will fund an estimated ton of carbon offsets

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