Denver, Colo. (July 26, 2006) –
The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today that more than 160 tons of climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions were offset by organizers and attendees of the
Solar 2006 conference that took place July 7-13 in Denver, Colorado.
"ASES and BEF have a shared mission of advancing the use of renewable energy," said Brad Collins, executive director of ASES. "We serve that mission in many ways through our programs, but few of them are as tangible as collaborating to reduce the carbon footprint of the Society's annual solar conference."
ASES purchased enough Green Tags to offset the energy use associated with the meeting rooms, exhibition area, and hotel rooms. In addition, attendees were invited to green their travel by checking one of three options on the registration form. The options gave attendees choices between ground transportation and domestic or international air travel. The green travel options reflect the average distances traveled by conference attendees. Funds were then used to purchase Green Tags from BEF. For instance, an attendee who chose to green her domestic air travel offset nearly 3,000 pounds of travel-related greenhouse gas emissions (measured as carbon dioxide) by supporting the delivery of an equivalent amount of renewable power into the nation’s power grid.
All of BEF's Green Tag products are independently certified by Green-e® as coming from 100 percent new renewable energy projects. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, BEF reinvests all the net revenues from Green Tag sales in support of its mission, which is to develop solar power systems for schools, wind power systems for farms and ranches, and restoration efforts for salmon-bearing streams.
This year, BEF committed to supplying 20 percent of its Green Tags from solar energy resources, which typically command a price premium compared to other renewable energy resources.
"BEF is a proud member and supporter of the American Solar Energy Society," said Tom Starrs, vice president of marketing and sales at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. "Getting conferences and conference attendees to pay attention to the environmental implications of their travel and event-related activities is becoming more mainstream, and ASES has helped pave the way."
The Solar 2006 conference brought together leading speakers to explore the potential of renewable energy to address and ultimately reverse the threat of global climate change. The conference hosted a variety of forums, technical sessions, workshops, and exhibits on the topic of renewable energy as key to climate recovery. More information about the recent event can be found at www.solar2006.org.
About the American Solar Energy Society
The American Solar Energy Society is the nations’ oldest and largest membership society dedicated to advancing the US toward a sustainable energy economy. ASES publishes SOLAR TODAY magazine, organizes the annual National Solar Tour, sponsors the National Solar Energy Conference and advocates for government policy initiatives to promote the research and deployment of renewable energy. ASES has regional and state chapters throughout the country. More information is available at www.ases.org.
About the Bonneville Environmental Foundation
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sale of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for their certification and trading. More information is available on the Web at www.b-e-f.org or www.GreenTagsUSA.org.
