German Engineering, without all that Pesky CO2

Reader Contribution by Staff

Here’s a cool move from Volkswagen: Starting tomorrow, the automaker will pay to offset one year’s worth of carbon dioxide emissions from every new vehicle it sells in the United States before Jan. 2, 2008.

Volkswagen will work with Carbon Fund — perhaps the heavyweight among the growing number of carbon-offset nonprofits — to reforest the lower Mississippi alluvial valley, wetlands in northern Louisiana that have mostly become farmland. According to Volkswagen, this ecosystem is one of the top carbon-suckers in the United States — its trees and soil absorb 450 tons of CO2 per acre, compared to 170 tons of CO2 per acre from comparable reforestation efforts.

Specifically, Volkswagen will pay CarbonFund to plant more than 250,000 native trees in the area, which will reduce CO2 emissions by more than 372,000 tons.

Learn more about the Mississippi alluvial valley. Calculate your carbon footprint and see how you can offset it.

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