Northeast News Briefs

CA-CP Joins Earth Month 2003

From its Earth Month partnership with the Aveda™ Corporation in April 2002, Clean Air-Cool Planet expanded awareness about the effects of global warming on Northeastern ecosystems—and we’re about to do it again! The Minneapolis-based lifestyle and beauty product manufacturer has invited Clean Air-Cool Planet to participate in Earth Month 2003 to help educate the public about global warming, raise money to support regional advocacy work, and promote renewable energy alternatives. We plan to continue broadening our educational efforts in the region and pushing for the achievement of real carbon dioxide emissions reductions among our corporate, campus, and community partners. Last April, our strategy of visiting more than 40 salons and stores from Maine to Virginia generated tremendous support for our work and helped create new allies in the Northeast to find effective solutions to the onslaught of global warming. Read more about Aveda’s™ environmental mission at http://www.aveda.com.

One Sweet Concert

At the end of July, Clean Air-Cool Planet participated in the One Sweet Whirled Campaign—a partnership created by the Dave Matthews Band, Ben & Jerry’s, and Save Our Environment—to help raise awareness about global warming among music and ice cream lovers. Dave was touring through Mansfield, Mass., on July 23rd, where he delivered to a sold-out crowd of fans at the Tweeter Center. Clean Air-Cool Planet brought educational materials, Save Our Syrup stickers, and five eager volunteers to the One Sweet Whirled tent, where they spent three hours asking Dave’s loyal fans to sign a personal pledge to stop global warming in exchange for a hearty sample of the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor “One Sweet Whirled.” OSW staffers counted nearly 1,000 pledges—the most successful tour stop to that date! Thanks to all the Dave Matthews fans who showed their support to stop global warming!

Governors Gain Momentum on Climate

In August this year, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) reinforced their commitment to fighting climate change by passing “Resolution 27-7 Concerning Climate Change.” The resolution expands their regional commitment to the Climate Change Action Plan—devised in 2001—by summoning leadership from the college and university sector; launching initiatives for LED traffic lights throughout the region; and encouraging energy efficient vehicle use in state and provincial fleets.

Policymakers, business leaders, communities, and citizens throughout New England recognize the adverse impacts of a warmer climate to our seasonal and diverse way of life. As new governors arrive in statehouses this fall, Clean Air-Cool Planet will work with them to ensure that climate change is a top priority on their agendas. Visit our New England Governors’ and Eastern Canadian Premiers’ web page at http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/information/ne_governors.php.

NativeEnergy Chosen to Offset DOE Conference

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected NativeEnergy to provide renewable energy-based offsets for CO2 emissions associated with transportation and energy use at the 7th National Green Power Conference in Washington D.C., September 30 - October 2, 2002. The DOE praised NativeEnergy's innovative business approach, which provides upfront financial support to wind farms and other new renewable energy facilities based upon their lifetime production of clean energy and associated air emission reductions. Read more about Clean Air-Cool Planet’s partnership with NativeEnergy and their WindBuilders^sm program at http://www.nativeenergy.com/windbuilders.html.

Photo Exhibit Hits the Road

In partnership with nationally-known photography team Jerry and Marcy Monkman, Clean Air-Cool Planet is about to launch a traveling photo exhibit that will dramatically capture the beauty of the New England landscape and how the region will be transformed with global warming. EcoPhotography is based in Portsmouth, N.H., and aspires to deepen people's appreciation for wild places and raise awareness about those ecosystems that need special protection. The Monkmans’ work has appeared in National Geographic Adventure, Men's Journal, Backpacker, Natural History, Outdoor Photographer, Yankee, Canoe and Kayak, Country Journal, Conservation Sciences, Down East magazine and calendars, and National Audubon and National Geographic Field Guides. Some of the Monkmans’ New England photos can be seen in CA-CP’s website slide show.

To magnify outreach, Clean Air-Cool Planet hopes to place the exhibit in traffic-heavy public venues such as city halls, area restaurants, libraries, science centers, office buildings, and schools. If you are interested in getting more information about this exhibit or hanging it in your local community, please contact Rebecca Scott at rscott@cleanair-coolplanet.org, or 603-422-6464, ext. 5.

Timberland Joins Green Tag Trend

Timberland’s Senior Manager for Environmental Affairs Terry Kellogg accepts the WindBuilders^sm certificate from Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Associate Director for Business, Bob Sheppard.

Timberland has made a donation that will allow Clean Air-Cool Planet to purchase renewable energy credits—also known as Green Tags—for a wind turbine project on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The sale of the credits is used to subsidize wind farm construction because generating clean electricity by many wind farms is still more expensive—and thus less competitive—than electricity generation by coal fired power plants.

Offered by Vermont-based NativeEnergy, the Green Tags purchased by Clean Air-Cool Planet will “retire” more than 2,400 tons of CO2– enough to offset the carbon emissions of electricity use by 28 of Timberland’s retail stores for a full year. Clean Air-Cool Planet and NativeEnergy presented Timberland with a personalized WindBuilders^sm certificate of recognition for their support of the Rosebud project and their dedication to fighting climate change.