In a similar vein as the recent announcement of BP's Target Neutral program, [6] the online travel giant Expedia [7] will be offering a similar carbon off-setting program in partnership with TerraPass, a carbon reduction program sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. [8]

Of course, this post is less about flogging Expedia's new program (which they should be commended for), than it is a segue into a post we have been meaning to do for a while now on TerraPass, the Ford Motor Company and the massive climate change spin machine [9], the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

It is befuddling to see a company like Ford, on one hand supporting major climate change causes like the TerraPass, while on the other hand continuing to support an organization like the CEI, whose most recent claim to fame was the production and distribution of the most offensive counter-climate change advertisements to date. For those not in the loop, I have included the infamous TV commercial (that ran in 14 US cities this spring) below.

And we're not the only ones confused about this, check out this [10]from the TerraPass people themselves on their frustration with Ford's continued involvement with the CEI.

If Ford is serious about climate change, their words should match their actions. An old PR story that speaks to this reputation discrepency is as follows:


The moral of the story is that good reputations are hard earned. You won't develop one if you don't deserve it, no matter how good your PR guru is.

Here's the video from the CEI, an organization that Ford Motor Company continues to support:
[11]