Porsche invites owners to 'offset' emissions via donations

An online tool creates a dollar number based on annual mileage and mpg.

Porsche has launched a new program that allows drivers to calculate their annual vehicle emissions and make donations to 'offset' the carbon-dioxide output.

An online tool asks for annual mileage and the vehicle's average miles per gallon to estimate how many tons of carbon dioxide the driver has put into the atmosphere while behind the wheel.

Entering Americans' average 13,500 miles at an arbitrary 21 mpg equates to 5.65 tons of CO2. The Porsche Impact site then suggests a "recommended offsetting amount" that varies with the tonnage and the particular type of initiative. In the example above, the company suggests the emissions can be offset by $108 in donations to 'biodiversity' programs, $95 to solar, $70 to water, or $158 to forest protection.

The site provides direct links to places where Porsche owners can pay the recommended donations, such as solar power installation in Mexico or protecting the old-growth spruce forest on Afognak Island in Alaska.