State College, PA - Four Indiana dairies, connected by family history and geography, have jointly signed an historic agreement with Environmental Credit Corp (ECC) to create more than one million carbon credits from greenhouse gas-reducing projects. Each credit is equivalent to one metric ton of carbon dioxide prevented from entering the atmosphere. The farms' greenhouse gas reductions are comparable to planting 4 million deciduous trees or offsetting the emissions of 20,000 cars.

The Bos, Herrema, Hidden View, and Windy Ridge dairies located in Fair Oaks, IN, house upwards of 17,000 cows and produce more than 100,000 gallons of milk each day. These modern dairies provide milk to southeast states for fluid consumption and locally for the production of high-quality cheese.

With a commitment to excellence extending to sustainable waste management, each dairy has installed biogas digesters manufactured by GHD, Inc. (Chilton, WI). Tony Bos, Sr., explains, "Because of the technology we use, we are processing the manure into something valuable. The biogas we produce is about 60% methane, very much like natural gas. We use it for heat and electricity. Now in addition to energy, we qualify for clean air credits."

To get the most benefit from the potential credit markets, the farms chose to work with ECC, a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), North America's only voluntary, legally binding rules-based greenhouse gas trading system. ECC works closely with the farms to develop project protocols, monitor and certify their methane emission reductions, and monetize and manage the resulting carbon credits. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, advancing global warming 21 times faster than carbon dioxide. Carbon credits are currently valued at around $4.00 per ton in the U.S., up from around $2.00 during 2005.

With about eight million dairy cows in the U.S., potential revenues to the dairy industry from carbon credits could exceed tens of millions of dollars annually as the greenhouse gas market grows. Dozens of farmers have already applied to enroll in ECC's carbon credit program, joining with other farms to take early advantage of this new source of revenue.

Jim Jensen, ECC's VP of Business Development, meets with dairy farmers regularly to discuss the growing opportunities. As he puts it: "American farmers can be great stewards of the environment; they deserve to be recognized for the actions they take to reduce global warming. Cash for carbon credits is a great place to start." Farmers interested in ECC's carbon credit program should contact Jim at (814) 235-1623 or jjensen@envcc.com. ECC's website is www.envcc.com

About the Bos Dairies For more information about the Bos dairies, visit the Fair Oaks Dairy Visitors Center. This is a great place to visit for adults and children alike. The educational center has terrific Disney-quality exhibits. Visitors have the chance to take a 45-minute bus tour where they are driven through the barns. Then they go into a viewing area to watch cows being milked on a giant milking merry-go-round. The facility is located at the southwest corner of I65 and State Road 14.

About Environmental Credit Corp. Environmental Credit Corporation (ECC) is a leading supplier of environmental credits to global financial markets. By developing projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, waste management, and other industries, ECC creates carbon credits for sale into rapidly-growing emissions trading markets in the United States and Europe. ECC is a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) as a credit aggregator and offset provider, and markets carbon credits through the CCX as well as directly to power companies, industrial greenhouse gas emitters, and to state and privately-managed funds that specialize in carbon credits and other environmental benefits.

Environmental Credit Corporation is a Ceres company.

About Chicago Climate Exchange,® Inc. CCX is the world's first and North America's only voluntary, legally binding rules-based greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading system. CCX members reflect a cross-section of major public and private sector North American entities, including Ford Motor, International Paper, IBM, American Electric Power, Manitoba Hydro, Amtrak, the City of Chicago and Oklahoma University, as well as non-industrial environmental innovators such as World Resources Institute, Pax World and the Rocky Mountain Institute, and cities such as Chicago, Oakland, Boulder and Portland. Reductions achieved through the CCX pilot market are significant in scale and impact. CCX Members gain practical experience by building an efficient emissions management and monitoring system, while also acquiring cutting edge measurement and trading skills that will be needed in short and long term as the world comes to terms with the climate change challenge. The Chairman and CEO of CCX is economist and financial innovator Dr. Richard L. Sandor, who was named a Hero of the Planet by Time magazine for his work in founding CCX.

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