Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), The Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org today announced a joint, global carbon-neutral initiative to offset the carbon dioxide produced when customers power their computer systems. Called "Plant a Tree for Me," the program allows customers to make a donation that will be used by the two nonprofits, The Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org, to plant trees in sustainably managed forests. Dell's commitment marks the first time a major corporation has given its customers a way to offset the emissions associated with the electricity used by their computers.

"We applaud Dell's leadership for its commitment to offset the carbon footprint of its computers," said The Conservation Fund's president, Larry Selzer. "Climate change has emerged as one of the dominant environmental issues of our time, and Dell's industry-leading efforts to address this challenge, and its invitation to its customers to join in this initiative, serve as a model for corporate environmental stewardship in the 21st century."

Native trees and forests help fight climate change as part of their natural processes. As they grow, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen. In addition to trapping the dangerous gases that cause climate change, these new forests help to protect water quality, restore wildlife habitat and enhance public recreation areas.

Through the program, a customer donation of $2 for a notebook and $6 for a desktop computer will offset carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to powering the average computer for three years. Dell will remit 100 percent of the donations received from the "Plant a Tree for Me" program to The Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org to be used to plant trees.

"Dell recognizes that offsetting carbon dioxide emissions with tree planting is an effective and inexpensive way to fight climate change," Carbonfund.org executive director Eric Carlson said. "The beauty of this program is that anyone can do it and make a difference."

According to Carbonfund.org, carbon dioxide emissions today are at their highest levels in recorded history, covering over 650,000 years, and are 40 percent higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution.

The "Plant a Tree for Me" program is available now to Dell customers making new computer purchases. It will be available in February to U.S. consumers and in April to global consumers for any brand of computer.

"The customer experience starts with receiving the best value and continues with the knowledge that we are working with our customers to protect the environment throughout the life of their systems," said Michael Dell, chairman of Dell. "Programs like 'Plant a Tree for Me' and our global recycling efforts empower our customers to participate with us in making a difference. It is our hope that other companies in our industry will join us to improve the environment that we all share."

About The Carbonfund.org Foundation

Carbonfund.org is a leading national nonprofit that educates the public about the dangers of climate change and makes it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. Carbonfund.org promotes affordable carbon reduction strategies and supports renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects that reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions. Carbonfund.org combines education and outreach with affordable high-quality carbon offsets to help drive the price of clean technology below its dirty counterparts. Carbonfund.org works with more than 100 businesses and organizations to offset their offices, travel, events, shipping and production emissions. For more information, please visit: http://www.carbonfund.org/.

About The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America's land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community "greenspace" and historic sites totaling more than 5.5 million acres nationwide. With 1 percent fundraising costs and 96 percent program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation's top-rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator. For more information, visit http://www.conservationfund.org/ and http://www.gocarbonzero.org/.

Since 2000, The Conservation Fund, though its Climate Change Program and Go Zero(SM), has restored 30,000 acres and planted more than 9 million trees through its carbon sequestration program. Over the next 100 years, these new forests will capture an estimated 13.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere.

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell sells more systems globally than any computer company, placing it No. 25 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit http://www.dell.com/. To get Dell news direct, visit http://www.dell.com/RSS.