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Chattanooga's newest corporation has long been recognized as environmentally friendly, both in its automobiles and and its community partnerships.

Volkswagen of America has launched a partnership with Carbonfund.org that will help the entire community of VW owners to start tackling the issue of carbon emissions. VW owners that want to initiate change to offset their vehicle's carbon emissions, can visit Carbonfund.org to use simple tools to gauge their output and take action toward offsetting it.

The contributions of the full Volkswagen community will be put toward re-forestation of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley as the chosen means of carbon reforestation, in an 1,100-acre plot of land.

It's simple: VW and VW owners take action, trees are planted and the process begins to offset carbon. As a side benefit, a lot of local creatures, like Louisiana black bears, fish, raptors, shore birds, wading birds and ducks are a little happier, as are the water, and the soil. And once the area is reforested, it will stay reforested.

The Carbon Neutral Project is the first time a group of car owners and a car company have had the potential to mobilize on this scale to help offset carbon emissions. And this project is just the start. VW TDI Clean Diesel models arrive in the United States this year, and will go a long way toward redefining the performance that people can expect from their vehicles.

As always, Volkswagen will continue to explore fuel, engine and manufacturing solutions that help to reduce adverse environmental impacts.

Helpful tips for driving more efficiently

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%

Observe the Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23%

Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.29-$0.94 per gallon

Remove Excess Weight

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones. The fuel economy benefit is 1-2% per 100 pounds for a gasoline savings of $0.04-$0.08 per gallon.

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears

When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $4.08/gallon

Find more environmentally friendly driving tips at www.fueleconomy.gov

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