Delta Commemorates Earth Day 2009 by Matching Customer Donations to Offset Carbon Emissions

/PRNewswire / -- On Earth Day, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) is doing its part to give back to the environment. For every dollar a customer donates online at delta.com and nwa.com between April 22 and May 22 to the airline's two environmental partners, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy, Delta will match up to $25,000.

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Delta is making it easy for customers to donate online to help offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with their air travel. Customers who wish to make a donation can select "Plant Trees to Offset Carbon Emissions" under "Trip Activities" when booking a flight at delta.com. At nwa.com, customers can make a financial contribution directly to The Nature Conservancy(R) or make a donation to help offset carbon emissions associated with their flight when they book.

"We have a responsibility to preserve and protect our planet's natural resources," said Tim McGraw, Delta's director of Corporate Safety, Health and Environmental Programs. "Delta remains committed to helping our customers and employees worldwide take action while also serving as a global corporate leader through a variety of ongoing environmental programs, including our carbon offset programs."

All donations made at delta.com go to The Conservation Fund's Go Zero(R) program to plant trees and restore habitat for wildlife across the United States. All donations made at nwa.com are directed to The Nature Conservancy's Voluntary Carbon Offset Program to acquire and protect land in priority conservation areas, plant trees and restore forest on those lands, and monitor and verify the carbon benefits.

Delta was the first U.S. airline to provide a carbon offset program in partnership with The Conservation Fund in 2007. Through that program, nearly 100,000 trees have been planted and 262 acres restored at three national wildlife reserves, including Lower Rio Grande Valley along the Texas Gulf Coast, Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas and Red River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. The newly planted forests help absorb carbon dioxide, filter water, restore wildlife habitat and enhance public recreation areas.

Delta's carbon offset program is one of the airline's many efforts to effect positive, global environmental change including:

-- The improvement of fuel efficiency by 35 percent since 2000.
-- The reduction of annual water consumption by more than 150,000,000
gallons per year since 2004 through process improvement and
elimination of unnecessary water usage.
-- The diversion of more than 1.8 million pounds (923 tons) of aluminum,
plastic and paper products from community landfills since June 2007
through the airline's onboard recycling program.

-- The promotion of modernized Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems
worldwide that afford more direct aircraft routing, resulting in the
reduction of carbon emissions.



The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy are part of Delta's Force for Global Good, a program that unites Delta employees and customers in philanthropic and social responsibility efforts.

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