ASPEN, CO. - March 25, 2009 - The Aspen Institute and National Geographic are proud to announce a host of actions taken to reduce the 2009 Aspen Environment Forum's environmental impact and minimize its carbon footprint. The Forum, themed "Powering the Planet: Energy for the Long Run," from March 25 to 28 in Aspen, Colorado, was designed to offer a powerful, three-day exchange of ideas and solutions around the world’s energy challenges and opportunities. An important part of delivering on this goal is ensuring that the Forum does all it can to reduce its own energy consumption and carbon emissions.

As a part of this major effort, the Institute and National Geographic have teamed with NativeEnergy to offset all carbon emissions generated by the 2009 Aspen Environment Forum and with the City of Aspen's ZGreen Program to find ways to minimize the event's carbon footprint and environmental impact.

NativeEnergy's comprehensive carbon footprint offset for the 2009 Aspen Environment Forum includes:

• Attendee travel (air and ground) emissions "“ typically the most significant source of event carbon pollution


• Performing artists and VIP travel (air and ground) emissions


• Vendor travel and shipping emissions


• Staff travel, office, accommodations, and shipping emissions "“ solar RECs for green electricity, carbon offsets for other emissions


• Accommodations (attendee, performing artists, VIPs) "“ solar RECs for green electricity, carbon offsets for other emissions


• Venue - electricity is being greened-up with certified renewable energy credits from a solar project; other venue emissions offset with high quality carbon offsets


• Waste - related emissions (mostly from food waste off-gassing, some incineration, paper, cardboard)

"¨"¨Through its partnership with the City of Aspen’s ZGreen Program, the Aspen Meadows Resort, located on the Aspen Institute’s campus, earned status as a ZGreen Property by using green standards such as its own carbon offsetting program, purchasing wind power for the property, in-room recycling, reducing its paper usage, towel and sheet reuse in the hotel rooms, on-site composting, as well as other energy-efficient measures.

The Aspen Institute’s Doerr-Hosier Center received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) GOLD Building Rating for being an environmentally responsible and healthy place to visit and work. For more about LEED Gold Rating, visit www.usgbc.org.
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In addition, the Aspen Environment Forum has earned certification as a ZGreen Event by adhering to a series of green-event requirements, which govern the types of foods served at the event, the makeup of all event-related materials, the event’s energy usage and transportation offerings, and the Forum’s approach to waste. Meals at the Forum will utilize local ingredients whenever possible and will be served using reusable dishes and linens. When disposable cups are available, they will be made of recycled and compostable materials. Additionally, the Forum’s signage, posters, and program book were all printed on 100 percent recycled materials using soy-based ink, and leftover banners will be made into tote bags after the event. For transportation throughout the event, Forum participants will be shuttled in hybrid vehicles and encouraged to walk and carpool between campus and town. Finally, a major part of the effort is to minimize the Forum’s waste. The Forum will be largely avoiding individually packaged and disposable items to reduce paper and plastic waste, as well as composting food waste on site - at last year’s Forum, the Institute composted 600 gallons. And to ensure learning and better practices in the future, the Aspen Meadows and the Aspen Institute are tracking waste produced each day of the event. For more about the City of Aspen’s ZGreen Certification Program, visit www.aspenzgreen.com.

"¨The goal of all of these efforts is to not only reduce the environmental impact, but also to remind attendees that there are many things we each can do on our own to help ensure a healthy environment for future generations.

For more information about the Aspen Environment Forum and to view the full list of Forum speakers, view an abbreviated version of the Program Agenda, and watch video clips of Forum sessions, visit www.aspenenvironment.org.

Media interested in covering this event should contact Elizabeth Judge for more information at Elizabeth.judge@aspeninstitute.org or (202) 285-8289. For general registration, contact Deborah Murphy at (970) 544-7960 or deborah.murphy@aspeninst.org, or go to the forum’s website at http://www.aspenenvironment.org.

Sponsors for the Aspen Environment Forum, presented by the Aspen Institute and National Geographic, include Duke Energy, Shell, and GM.

About the Aspen Institute"¨
The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colo., and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.

The goal of the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program is to provide the leadership and a neutral forum for improving policy making through intentional dialogue in the areas of energy and environmental policy. The Program's neutrality and intentional dialogue method provide an impartial venue for leaders to engage in informed discussion and inquiry on the important issues of our time.

About National Geographic
The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Since 1888, the Society has funded more than 9,000 expeditions around the globe, encouraging conservation of natural resources and raising public awareness of the importance of natural places, the plants and wildlife that inhabit them, and the environmental problems that threaten them. Through various media vehicles, including its official journal, National Geographic magazine, the Society reaches more than 325 million people a month.

National Geographic magazine has a long tradition of combining on-the-ground reporting with award-winning photojournalism to inform people about life on our planet. Published in English and 31 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around 8 million. In 2007 and 2008 it won a total of five prestigious National Magazine Awards, including the top award for General Excellence both years. In 2008, the magazine won first place for explanatory reporting from the Society of Environmental Journalists for stories on climate change and biofuels.

Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.

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