Volkswagen Carbon Neutral Project
Program FAQ
BACKGROUND
What is the Volkswagen Carbon Neutral Project?
It is a unique partnership between Volkswagen of America and Carbonfund.org in which each new vehicle bought in the US between September 1, 2007 and January 2, 2008 will have its carbon emissions offset for the first year of ownership. VW of America will pay for the first year of offset and is the first automaker to subsidize the cost of carbon offset for its consumers.
How does the Carbon Neutral Project work?
There are two main components to the project: the one-year carbon offset of all new cars sold, and the drive to Carbonfund.org where the VW Community – existing owners, enthusiasts, prospects – can choose to make their own contributions to offset their car, home or travel.
What are the components of the Carbon Neutral Project?
In-dealership materials, content on vw.com, an affiliate page on Carbonfund.org and online
media directed at the VW enthusiast community are all part of the campaign.
Who is Carbonfund.org?
Carbonfund.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects globally that reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the threat of climate change. Carbonfund.org works with a variety of partners including NASCAR, Dell, Yakima, Orbitz and Lancôme.
Carbonfund.org’s philosophy, “Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Can’t,™” encourages everyone to continually strive to reduce their carbon footprint through sensible energy reductions combined with cost-effective carbon offsets.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
What is Carbon Offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is the act of counterbalancing the Carbon-Dioxide (CO2) emissions that are
produced as people use energy in their daily lives by reducing an equal amount of carbon
somewhere else. For example, planting trees, which absorb CO2 from the air, can
counterbalance (or offset) the CO2 emissions produced from burning fuel to drive a car in a
different part of the country.
Other methods of offsetting include supporting renewable energy sources – which reduces the dependency on fossil fuel energy – and the retiring of carbon credits corporations use to
continue to operate inefficiently.
How are the emissions of each car calculated?
The CO2 emissions of each VW model were determined based on each vehicle’s average MPG, as rated by the EPA, and the number of miles the car is expected to drive in one year, as reported by the US Department of Transportation. In general, the higher a car’s MPG rating, the lower the CO2 emissions and the lower the offset cost.
What are the offset costs for each VW model?
For 2008 models:
Rabbit: $22
GTI: $21
R32: $26
Jetta Sedan: $22
Eos: $22
New Beetle: $23
New Beetle Conv.: $23
Passat Sedan: $25
Passat Wagon: $24
Touareg 2: $31
For 2007 models:
Rabbit: $21
GTI: $19
Jetta Sedan: $20
Eos: $20
New Beetle: $20
New Beetle Conv.: $21
Passat Sedan: $22
Passat Wagon: $22
Touareg: $28
What exactly is VW of America paying for?
The offset method selected by Volkswagen is reforestation. The costs to offset each new vehicle sold for one year will be used to fund a reforestation project in Louisiana. The 1,100-acre area benefiting from the Carbon Neutral Project is referred to as the VW Forest.
What is the VW Forest?
The VW Forest will be located within a 500 to 3,700-acre forestation project in Northeast
Louisiana. There is a current 3-phase carbon offset project in development, which is adding area to the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge. The first phase of the project is complete. The second phase has 1,100 acres available for a dedicated VW Forest.
The planting area is in the region known as the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), a
wetland ecosystem that today supports less than 20% of its original 22 million acres of
bottomland hardwood habitat. Decades of conversion to agriculture, often with marginal
productivity, have left the remaining forested area highly fragmented.
Wildlife dependent upon large forested tracts, such as the Louisiana Black Bear, the Florida
Panther and many species of Neotropical Songbirds have either disappeared or experienced
significant declines. This project offers unique opportunity to mitigate climate change by
removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and to contribute to the restoration of one of
America’s most important wetland habitats.
This area has a sequestration potential of 495,000 metric tons of CO2, which would cover the
expected offsets generated by new car sales as well as 29,000 tons worth of offset generated by the VW community. In fact, the VW Forest will be situated in an area that is particularly efficient for CO2 sequestration. The climate, soils, and growing conditions in the LMAV result in carbon absorption rates that are among the highest of any region in the United States: 450 tons of CO2 per acre, compared to 130 tons per acre in comparable projects worldwide.
Why reforestation?
What do you think of when you here of the deforestation of the Amazon Rain Forest? CO2 has about a 50-year lag time between the time it's released into the atmosphere and the
time we see it correlate with temperature changes. Reforestation is the single carbon offset
method that actually reduces the amount of CO2 already in the atmosphere. This is powerful
enough, but reforestation has additional benefits.
When trees are cut down, they create islands of habitat that prevent animals from traveling large distances. This fragmentation of habitat is already the leading cause of extinction and will be exacerbated by climate change as animals try to migrate across miles of barren land.
Reforestation projects seek to connect many of these patches of forest to create biological
corridors that will expand habitat for endangered species.
In addition, trees are also regulators of water, which means that when trees are present there is a much smaller risk of flooding in the rainy season as well as a smaller risk of completely drying out in the dry season.
When and what are we planting in the VW Forest?
Site preparation for the VW Forest will begin in November/December 2007 and will be available for planting in January/February of 2008. This schedule is seasonal and is dictated by environmental, rather than administrative, factors. The VW Forest will be planted with native bottomland hardwoods such as hemlock and oak.
What happens to the land after we are done planting trees?
Once the three phases of the larger reforestation project are complete, the land will be donated to the US Fish and Wildlife Service for protection and management in perpetuity. The land will not be developed or sold. The carbon rights will remain with Carbonfund.org and retired under agreement with VWoA.
What animals are native to the VW Forest?
It is home to one of the last concentrations of the threatened Louisiana black bear and Florida
Panther, and serves as a haven for concentrations of ducks, geese, raptors, wading birds and shorebirds.
CUSTOMER QUESTIONS
If you or someone you know is interesested in more information, or are interested in reducing your overall carbon footprint, you will find the tools to do so on
www.Carbonfund.org.
How do I participate?
· New car buyers: Anyone buying a new VW between Sept. 1, 2007 and Jan. 2, 2008 will be enrolled. Be sure to give your sales person your email address to reduce paper consumption.
· Certified Pre-Loved customers: These owners will have to offset their own emissions. You can visit http://vw.com/carbonneutral and be sure to ask for a CNP (VW Carbon Neutral Project) information card.
· Service customers: These owners will have to offset their own emissions. You can visit http://vw.com/carbonneutral and be sure to ask for a CNP (VW Carbon Neutral Project) information card.
· Just browsing: Even people who don’t currently own a VW are welcome to participate in the program. These owners will have to offset their own emissions. You can visit http://vw.com/carbonneutral and be sure to ask for a CNP (VW Carbon Neutral Project) information card.
How do I add years of carbon offset to the one that VW is providing?
We encourage owners to supplement the first year of offset. However, this cost cannot be added to the lease or finance payments. Owners who would like to offset more than one year should visit carbonfund.org/vw and purchase additional years of offset.
Can I offset more than my car?
Yes. Direct owners who are interested in offsetting more of their carbon footprint to
carbonfund.org/vw, where they can offset the carbon emissions of their home, other cars and
even travel.
When will I get confirmation of my participation in the program?
New car owners will receive a joint confirmation letter from Carbonfund.org within 6-8 weeks of purchase.
What is Global Warming?
Global Warming is the heating up of the Earth’s atmosphere, from an excess of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas released from the burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal. This excess of CO2 in the atmosphere acts as a blanket around the earth that traps heat from the sun - this is called the greenhouse effect. Global Warming has numerous negative effects that will disrupt life for all inhabitants of the earth, including sea level rise, erratic weather patterns such as drought, flooding and stronger storms such as hurricanes.
What is a Carbon Footprint?
Your “Carbon Footprint” is simply the total amount of CO2 gas that is produced from the energy that used in a person’s daily life. This includes gas for their vehicle, electricity for their home and work as well as natural gas or oil for heating purposes. Since you can’t see CO2 gas, the concept of a “footprint” helps to describe that it is actually there and that it is directly connected to one’s activities, just like footprints left on the beach.
How much do I need to offset?
The average American is responsible for 10 tons of CO2 emissions annually through their direct energy use at home, driving and flying. However, the average American is responsible for about 23 tons of CO2 when you also include their purchases, activities and the other services we all share throughout the economy like eating at a restaurant, street lamps, roads, or having a local Fire department.
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