4.22.2008 - 03:00pm ET

(CSRwire) BELTSVILLE, MD - April 22, 2008 - In celebration of Earth Day, Ritz Camera, the largest retail camera and photo chain in the United States, today announced a unique new promotion called "Buy Green, Be Green" that empowers customers to make a significant contribution to the environment. Simply put, each time a customer purchases a special edition ECO-Green color Nikon COOLPIX S52 camera, Ritz Camera will make a donation to Carbonfund.org to help prevent nearly two tons of carbon dioxide from harming the Earth. This donation will also make the customer carbon neutral for one month by offsetting his or her carbon footprint.

"We are delighted to offer our customers the 'Buy Green, Be Green' promotion with the new, special edition ECO-Green Nikon S52 camera," said David Ritz, CEO, Ritz Camera. "We believe our customers will respond enthusiastically to this promotion and together with their support we hope to accomplish our goal of reducing nearly 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment."

As part of this promotion, Ritz Camera has partnered with Carbonfund.org, a certified 501(c)(3) charitable, nonprofit organization that leads the fight against global warming climate change. Ritz Camera will fund the reforestation activities of Carbonfund.org. These efforts will offset 1.91 tons of carbon dioxide per camera sold during the promotion. The average American produces this amount of carbon dioxide each month as a result of daily activities such as electricity use and travel, according to Carbonfund.org data.

"People make choices every day, from the clothes they wear to the gadgets they buy. If you're in the market for a digital camera, this promotion from Ritz Camera offers you the choice to make a difference," said Eric Carlson, executive director at Carbonfund.org. "Not everyone has the ability to drastically change their lifestyle to help reduce pollution in the environment. But by reducing what we can and choosing products and opportunities that help offset our carbon emissions, we can make contributions that add up over time to make a huge positive impact on the environment."

Customers can track Ritz Camera's progress toward its goal of helping reduce almost 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment by visiting www.ritzpix.com/green. The website also provides additional detail about Carbonfund.org and simple ways people can reduce their impact on the environment.

The Nikon COOLPIX S52 camera was introduced earlier this month and the special edition ECO-Green color is available exclusively at Ritz Camera. The camera features 9.0 effective megapixels, a 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization and manual sensitivity settings as high as ISO 3200. The COOLPIX S52 includes Nikon's unique image innovations including enhanced Face-Priority AF, which automatically finds and focuses on up to five faces within the frame; In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, which can automatically detect and correct red eye in a photo; and D-Lighting, which compensates for excessive backlight or insufficient flash in images.

The special edition ECO-Green Nikon COOLPIX S52 will be available exclusively at Ritz Camera stores nationwide and on www.ritzpix.com/green starting May 1, 2008 for an MSRP of $249.95.

About Ritz Camera Centers, Inc.

Ritz Camera Centers, headquartered in Beltsville, MD, is the largest specialty camera and image chain in the United States with approximately 1,000 locations in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The chain of stores includes Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Kits Camera, Inkley's and The Camera Shop. All name brand camera and digital imaging products are available.

All stores have RitzPix Departments with sit-down Print Bars offering digital prints and many other image products including enlargements, photo books and cards "in minutes". The Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. website, www.ritzpix.com, offers customers these same image products in 1 Hour with in-store pick-up and without shipping charges.

Ritz Camera Centers, Inc. also owns and operates Boater’s World Marine Centers, a leading marine specialty retail chain with 140 stores nationwide.

About Carbonfund.org

Carbonfund.org is the 'leading carbon reduction and offset organization, making it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions they are responsible for in their everyday lives by supporting high-quality verified renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. Carbonfund.org works with over 650 corporate and non-profit partners including Discovery, Allstate, Volkswagen, Dell, Orbitz, Environmental Defense, and Lancôme.

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