Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter J. Pantuso, Nov. 13, 2007

By now you should have received the newest ABA member brochure in the mail -- our fact-filled yet playful "Penguin Packet." In addition to being fun, funny and cute, the penguin has become a symbol of what we are trying to protect -- the polar ice caps and the environment we live in.

This whimsical brochure, titled "Save A Penguin, Take A Motorcoach," was put together to capture the attention of Congress, the media and of course our own members, and to remind everyone about the environmental benefits of travel by motorcoach, the greenest form of transportation on the planet. Using government data and our own independent research, we looked at the CO2 emissions from motorcoaches, city buses, cars and trucks and confirmed that other than my motorcycle and bicycle, motorcoaches were the cleanest form of passenger transportation. Now we need to make sure everyone knows about it, even Al Gore.

So when your community is looking at how to build travel and tourism business, and how to move people from one place to another in the most energy efficient manner possible, remind them that the motorcoach can do both. Taking 50 people out of cars and taking them to a hotel, attraction or destination is good for the environment and good for business.

The packet is the first of what we plan to be many toolkits ABA members can use to educate everyone from their customers to local officials and the media. It is designed to emphasize key points and make the green message easy communicated and easily understood.

Upcoming toolkits will focus on safety, advertising & marketing, and working with the media in everything from a crisis situation to a feel-good story you want to share.

What do you think of ABA’s Penguins? Please feel free to post a comment or email me directly to share your thoughts, ppantuso@buses.org. And if you want more, by all means let us know.

The cover photo of the penguin packet depicting penguins boarding the coaches at the base of the U.S. Capitol was taken after the Capitol police put in restrictions that now force coaches to remain blocks away from Capitol office buildings and force passengers, mostly students and seniors, to hike up and down hill to get too and from the coach in all types of inclement weather.