Hyundai Makes Genesis Purchase Ultra Green

Going green is all the rage these days, but Hyundai has devised a unique way to make the purchase of a 2009 Genesis sedan truly environmentally friendly. The Korean automaker will join forces with Carbonfund.org to offset the entire first year of emissions for all Genesis sedans sold in the U.S., based on an average of 12,000 miles driven per year. This includes all Genesis sedans sold since the car hit the market in June.

As part of its Hyundai Blue Drive initiative to improve its environmental record, Hyundai will offset 93,170 metric tons of CO2 through conservation and reforestation efforts in the Brazilian tropical savannah of Cerrado — one of the world’s principal eaters of carbon dioxide.

The project will preserve or reforest 3,000 acres of tropical forest in the region, which is also home to countless rare and endangered plants and animals that make it a biodiversity hot spot.

Interestingly, based on current sales figures, Hyundai’s plan has it overbuying on its carbon offset. It’s sold only 5,127 sedans through November, which is roughly 1,000 a month. Extrapolating this (and assuming similar sales for ’09), the company would only need to offset approximately 70,000 tons of CO2 to make good on its promise.

No doubt the tropical forest will not complain about the error.