Earth Day Initiative Puts Consumers on a "LOW CARBON" Diet for 30 Days in April
AUSTIN, Texas-April 2, 2007-Green Mountain Energy Company, the nations leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset products, today announced its partnership with Whole Foods Markets national Earth Month carbon reduction initiative, The Whole Earth Weigh-InTM: 30 Ways in 30 Days.
Green Mountain has designed a way for Whole Foods Market shoppers to easily track and calculate their "carbon footprint" through a customized version of their web based carbon calculator and BeGreenTM carbon offset product. This initiative is part of a month-long program beginning April 1, 2007, and is available at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/earthday.
The BeGreen Weigh-In calculator allows shoppers to total the carbon emissions resulting from daily activities associated with electricity and natural gas usage, driving and air travel. Additionally, there are "Eco-Action" tips incorporated by Green Mountain that enable people to immediately shed pounds off their carbon weight. Program participants can also offset all or a portion of their carbon footprint by purchasing BeGreen Carbon Offsets. BeGreen Carbon Offsets are derived from cleaner energy projects across the country including solar and wind power as well as forest sequestration and energy efficiency projects.
The Whole Earth Weigh-In is an integrated carbon weight-loss plan incorporating a special guidebook for consumers available in all Whole Foods MarketTM stores and an interactive online tool. The program educates about the negative impact that carbon dioxide (CO2) has on the environment and offers straightforward tips and tools that everyone can use to reduce their CO2 emissions.
"As the Planet weighs in and the threat of global warming gets heavier, we were delighted to assist Whole Foods Market in educating shoppers about the many simple but effective ways they can lighten their personal carbon footprint," says Gillan Taddune, chief environmental officer, Green Mountain Energy Company. "Working together, we can all initiate small steps that can ultimately make a big difference in helping to address the negative impacts of climate change."
"When we came up with concept for the "Whole Earth Weigh-In" initiative, we wanted to ensure we teamed up with the partner to not only provide the carbon calculator component to the program, but one who was in sync with our own philosophy for green consumer education and that’s Green Mountain Energy Company," said Laurie Rocke, Whole Foods Market project team leader, national marketing.
Green Mountain’s carbon-reducing Eco-Action Tips, in tandem with the Weigh-In program, explain just how much CO2 is generated through everyday activities and demonstrate how subtle changes allow for significant reductions. The tips include:
1) Choose renewable energy (Electricity)
By purchasing a 100% new renewable energy product for a year, an American household using an average of 938 kWh per month could help avoid contributing over 15,600 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
2) Plant a Tree, Seriously
A single tree can absorb one ton (2,000 pounds) of CO2over its lifetime. One acre of tree cover in Brooklyn can compensate for automobile fuel use equivalent to driving a car more than 7,200 miles.
3) Drive Smart
Try walking, riding a bike or carpooling to reduce the miles that you drive. If you stopped driving just 20 extra miles per week for one year, you could save about 900 pounds of CO2 per year.
4) Reduce Hot Water Use and Burn Less Natural Gas
Wash your clothes in cold or warm water to save up to 500 pounds of CO2 per year. Rinse your dishes with coldwater (they dont need two hot baths) and wait to run the dishwasher until it is full.
5) Recycle More
You can save 2,400 pounds of CO2 per year by recycling just half of your household waste.
6) Change a Light
Twenty percent of the electricity consumed in the United States is for lighting. Replacing one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb can save 150 pounds of CO2 a year.
7) Adjust Your Thermostat
Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer could save 2,000 pounds of CO2.
"Green Mountain Energy Company and Whole Foods Market are a dream team’ of two of Austin’s best and brightest companies. By working together on The Whole Earth Weigh-In program, they have made it even easier and more fun for people to do the right thing for the environment," says Robin Rather, co-founder of Austin LiveableCity and member of Green Mountains environmental advisory board.
Visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/earthday for the BeGreen carbon calculator and to learn more about taking positive action against global warming and climate change, and pick up the WHOLE EARTH WEIGH-IN Program Guide at Whole Foods Market stores throughout the month of April.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nations leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, began in 1997 with a simple idea: "to change the way power is made." The company offers consumers the choice of cleaner electricity products using renewable sources such as wind, solar, water, geothermal, and biomass, over electricity made from polluting fossil fuels. These cleaner energy sources help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the air. Since 1999, Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 2.5 million tons of CO2 emissions and have been responsible for helping to deliver more than six billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy into the market. Additionally, Green Mountains customers have helped spur the development of 14 new wind and solar facilities across the nation, which are producing pollution-free power. For more information, visit www.greenmountain.com.
About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the worlds leading natural and organic foods supermarket and Americas first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2006, the company had sales of $5.6 billion and currently has 195 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Whole Foods Market motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"TM captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Whole Foods Market employs more than 42,000 Team Members and has been ranked for ten consecutive years as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine.



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