6.15.2006 - 03:00pm ET

(CSRwire) Portland, Oregon - The Climate Trust, a leading provider of carbon offset programs, and Organic Bouquet ( www.OrganicBouquet.com), the nation's first organic floral company, have announced a partnership to purchase carbon offsets to mitigate greenhouse gases generated from shipping the company's flowers.

This is the latest initiative adopted by Organic Bouquet in its ongoing efforts to integrate environmental sustainability at every level of operation.

"It's absolutely critical for businesses to take responsibility for reducing their environmental impact if the current trends in global climate change are to be reversed," said Claudio Miranda, Vice President of Organic Bouquet, who spearheaded the initiative.

Organic Bouquet will participate in the Climate Trust's Truck Stop Electrification Program, which reduces wasteful diesel emissions at truck stops where, each night, thousands of truckers idle their engines to power heating, air conditioning and appliances.

The program will retrofit 275 "docking stations" at seven major truck stops along I-5 with "Shurepower" electrical outlets, allowing truckers to power their rigs with electricity rather than diesel fuel.

The Climate Trust estimates this program will remove nearly 90,000 metric tons of CO2 over the next 16 years, the equivalent of taking 16,000 cars off the road or planting 180,000 trees. By offering a cleaner and cheaper alternative to diesel idling, the project will also save truckers an estimated 10 million gallons of fuel.

"Transportation is one of the fastest growing contributors to global warming," said Bjorn Fischer, Business Development Manager at The Climate Trust. "The Truck Stop Electrification Program is particularly compelling because it directly offsets transportation-related CO2 emissions."

The Climate Trust offers companies a viable way to reduce their fossil fuel footprints through programs - such as reforestation, green building, and clean-air transportation - that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). To date, the Climate Trust's "carbon offset" programs have already removed 1.7 million metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking over 300,000 cars off the road.

About The Climate Trust: The Climate Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting climate change solutions by providing high quality greenhouse gas offset projects and advancing sound offset policy. The Climate Trust has already offset over 1.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from $4 million invested, making it one of the largest and most experienced offset buyers in the U.S. and world markets. The Climate Trust provides offset opportunities to power plants, regulators, and businesses of all sizes. Their service includes an online application tool, www.carboncounter.org, which easily calculates individual and entity emissions of greenhouse gases from a range of sources. www.climatetrust.org

About Organic Bouquet: Organic Bouquet (www.OrganicBouquet.com), established in 2001, has pioneered the organic flower market. As a leading voice in the organic movement, it is raising public awareness of critical environmental issues, using sustainably grown flowers as a catalyst for change. www.OrganicBouquet.com

For more information please contact:

Commitment to Transparency: This organization is committed to transparency and stakeholder dialogue and encourages your comments and feedback.

Post a comment below: *Your Comment: *Name: *E-mail (will not be displayed):   Notify me when others add comments to this discussion. Verification String (Six characters shown at left)