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Top 50 Insurance Brokerage Rutherfoord and Carbonfund.org Announce CarbonFree™ Partnership

Top 50 Insurance Brokerage Rutherfoord and Carbonfund.org Announce CarbonFree™ Partnership

Published 09-01-06

Submitted by Carbonfund.org

Roanoke, Va. (August 31, 2006) - Rutherfoord, one of the nation's top 50 insurance brokers, and the non-profit Carbonfund.org, a leading carbon offset provider with more than sixty corporate and non-profit partners, announced that the brokerage firm is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and is the first insurance brokerage to join Carbonfund.org's CarbonFree™ program to establish a carbon neutral footprint in response to the emerging risk of climate change.

According to Thomas Rutherfoord, Chairman of the Board, "Rutherfoord is taking the lead in assisting its clients in eliminating and managing business risks that can impact their success. Given the enormity of this global issue, it is incumbent upon us to do our part to implement and assist others in sustainable business practices."

"We're beginning to see the undeniable effects that climate change has on our industry as well as the world in which we live," says Stephen Myers, Vice President and Practice Leader for Rutherfoord's Environmental Risk Management Practice. "Recent catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina coupled with the high price of petroleum make us all aware that we live in a fragile environment. Companies are realizing that in addition to their economic responsibilities, they have environmental and social responsibilities as well. At Rutherfoord, we see this as a healthy trend and we're proud to lead by example and be the first in our industry to take this important first step" says Myers.

The company utilized its internal environmental expertise along with climate change expert and insurance veteran, Phillip Ludvigsen, PhD, to perform a carbon footprint analysis of the company, mapping energy use in such areas as electricity and natural gas usage as well as emissions from car and air travel by its employees.

Rutherfoord is offsetting its carbon footprint with the non-profit Carbonfund.org organization, a leading carbon offset provider with more than sixty corporate and non-profit partners in the US and Canada. Carbonfund.org has purchased and retired verified emission reductions equal to Rutherfoord's emissions.

Eric Carlson, Executive Director of Carbonfund.org, announced that "Rutherfoord is the first insurance entity to fully offset its carbon footprint and receive our CarbonFree™ designation, signifying their leadership on this critical issue. Climate change poses huge risks for the multi-trillion dollar insurance industry and their active participation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential."

In addition, Rutherfoord has joined EPA Climate Leaders, a voluntary program whose members are dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy use. Rutherfoord will be the first U.S. insurance broker to do so.

Matt LoPiccolo of Rutherfoord's Environmental Risk Management Practice adds that the process of adopting carbon neutral practices will also help the brokerage as it offers environmental consultative risk advice to clients considering taking this voluntary step. Rutherfoord plans to provide a variety of carbon and climate-related risk management and consulting services.

The purchase and retirement of verified emission reductions is fast becoming best business practice by leading companies, such as Working Assets, WebEx, the Calvert Group and Rutherfoord. Although the insurance industry has been reporting on climate change for decades, few insurance entities have yet taken specific actions. Carbon reduction programs are accelerating worldwide as companies in Europe and Asia meet the regulatory requirements set forth by the Kyoto Protocol. Although such involvement in the U.S. is still voluntary, 29 states have now adopted some regulatory requirements to reduce or track greenhouse gas emissions.

About Rutherfoord
From its founding in 1919 in Roanoke, Va., Rutherfoord has expanded to become the 44th largest insurance broker in the nation, according to Business Insurance, a weekly news magazine for business executives. The company, which designs and implements cost-effective domestic and international insurance programs for clients throughout the world, is a recent recipient of "Agency of the Year" from Rough Notes Magazine and has been chosen as the risk management insurer for the events surrounding Jamestown 2007, America's 400th anniversary. For more about Rutherfoord insurance agents, brokers and consultants, see www.rutherfoord.com.

About Carbonfund.org
Carbonfund.org reduces the threat of climate change by making it easy and affordable for any individual or business to reduce their carbon footprint and support climate-friendly projects. With its easy-to-use calculator, low offset cost per ton of CO2, and verified offset projects, Carbonfund.org is proving that anyone can reduce their impact on climate change easily and efficiently. Carbonfund.org is a 501(c)(3) charitable, nonprofit organization. For more information, visit www.carbonfund.org.

Carbonfund.org is consistently ranked as the "best value" for carbon offsets in the monthly independent survey by Ecobusinesslinks, at www.ecobusinesslinks.com/offsets.

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Carbonfund.org

Carbonfund.org

Carbonfund.org (www.carbonfund.org) reduces the threat of climate change by making it easy and affordable for any individual or business to reduce their carbon footprint and support climate-friendly projects. With its easy-to-use calculator, low offset cost per ton of CO2, and certified offset projects, Carbonfund.org is proving that anyone can reduce their impact on climate change easily and efficiently. Carbonfund.org is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit business, and a member of the EPA's Green Power Network, the Chicago Climate Exchange, and Ceres. Carbonfree and "Reduce what you can, offset what you can't" are trademarks of the Carbonfund.org Foundation.

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