LAS VEGAS, United States — Dell Computer has announced a global carbon-neutral initiative that plants trees for customers to offset the carbon impact of electricity required to power their systems.

"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 system," said company chairman Michael Dell at the Consumer Electronics Show here. "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."

Dell says it is the first global technology company to offer customers the opportunity to offset the emissions associated with the electricity used to power their computers through its 'Plant a Tree for Me' program. Dell is partnering with The Conservation Fund and Carbonfund.org, nonprofit organizations that will use the funds to plant trees in sustainably managed forests, absorbing carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere from generated electricity. The company said that 100 percent of the donations received by the “Plant a Tree for Me” program will be used by partners to facilitate planting trees.

A customer donation of $2 for a notebook and $6 for a desktop will go toward the planting of trees which will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, offsetting the equivalent emissions resulting from the production of electricity used during the average three-year use of a computer.

The program is available now to Dell’s U.S. consumer customers making new computer purchases. It will be available to any U.S. consumer for any brand of computer in February and available to global consumers in April.

Dell also launched a new Web site , www.dell.com/earth, which highlights its environmental responsibility programs. The site contains information on Dell’s approach to environmental leadership, links to in-depth information on environmental programs and policies found throughout dell.com. The site also contains an “energy counter” that tracks the accumulated energy and carbon savings impact enabled by Energy Smart features on Dell products.