Schools nationwide will win 'green makeovers' valued at $250,000 in
products and services
MIAMI, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoMedia, a leading environmental media
company, and the CBS Corporation today kicked off the CBS and EcoZone(R)
Green Schools Initiative. One winning school in each city will receive a
green makeover valued at approximately $250,000 in products and services
and overseen by a professional "green schools coach." EcoMedia and CBS were
joined by Miami Mayor and current President of the U.S. Conference of
Mayors Manny Diaz, and Miami-Dade Superintendent of Schools Alberto
Carvalho, in a call for entries from schools in Miami, the Initiative's
first market.
"We are proud to launch this exciting initiative in Miami and happy to
provide an opportunity for our students to think about what being
environmentally responsible truly means," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. "We
are looking forward to the children's responses and to soon awarding Miami
students with the tools to 'green' their school."
"We are proud that this effort will help increase environmental
awareness with students across the country, while also challenging them to
explore concrete ways to improve our environment," said Leslie Moonves,
President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. "We look forward to
the entries from students, teachers and administrators, and are pleased to
highlight them across our broad range of media assets."
"Together with our partner CBS, we've created a new model for
advertising," said Paul Polizzotto, Founder and CEO of EcoMedia. "By
providing funding for environmental projects and technologies through the
sale of advertising, our media can be procured and sourced like any other
sustainable product. Now, in addition to energy saving light bulbs and
recycled paper, the simple everyday purchase of advertising can be part of
a corporation's ongoing sustainability initiatives."
EcoMedia has secured pre-sale sponsorships from a cross-section of
traditional and non-traditional advertisers including Microsoft, TCP, O
Organics, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Like all EcoMedia programs, the Green Schools Initiative is only made
possible by the sponsors who purchase media through the world class
advertising assets offered by EcoMedia and its media partners, including
CBS, Kimco Realty, Worldwide Pants, and KIWI Magazine. A significant
portion of these sponsors' media dollars will help fund the makeovers.
"We're proud to help lead this extraordinary effort to create 'green'
schools where students can learn real-world lessons on environmental
responsibility simply by looking at the classrooms around them," said Ellis
Yan, CEO, TCP, Inc, official lighting sponsor. "This is a shining example
of how the public and private sectors can work together to inspire
America's youth to make smart decisions that will help protect our planet."
Additional opportunities for sponsor involvement with the Green Schools
initiative are available in Miami and markets where calls for entries will
be launched over the next few weeks. EcoMedia and CBS expect this
innovative public-private partnership to continue expanding to award green
makeovers to schools across the country.
Students, teachers and administrators can enter the Green Schools
Initiative by submitting a creative response that expresses what "being
green" means to them, as well as filling out an application at
http://www.ecozonemedia.com/greenmyschool.
Winners will be chosen by a committee consisting of members of
EcoMedia's Advisory Board, including USGBC, NOAA EPA/Energy Star,
Waterkeeper Alliance, city and school officials, corporate sponsors, and
members of the CBS Corporation, and will be announced in January 2009. In
addition to the grand prize, a sustainable environmental program will be
provided to all participating schools through Miami non-profit Dream In
Green.
"Green schools are a powerful demonstration of our commitment to our
children's future," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair
of the U.S. Green Building Council, "and it's the best way to show the next
generation how we can all make a difference in this world. We are excited
about today's announcements of the EcoMedia and CBS Green Schools
Initiative and the launch of the Mayor's Green Schools Alliance as
important demonstrations of how we can leverage the creativity and
influence of the media and mayoral leadership to deliver measurable,
meaningful improvements for our environment and the students of our
nation."
The USGBC "Mayors Green Schools Alliance" includes Mayor Diaz in his
capacity as current President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Formation
of the Alliance has also involved a dozen other leading mayors from across
the country including Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Vice President of the
USCM.
"As one of the Nation's premier environmental science agencies, NOAA is
proud to support the Green School's Initiative," said Jack Dunnigan,
Assistant Administrator for NOAA. "Environmental awareness is the thread
that binds the wise use of our natural resources together with the strength
of our economy. NOAA is proud to join with EcoZone as part of a partnership
between industry and government to educate the public and promote improved
awareness and action to benefit our environment."
"The CBS & EcoZone Green Schools Initiative offers us a great
opportunity to educate and inspire our youngest citizens to protect the
environment through energy efficient products and practices," said Mike
Zatz, Manager of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR
Commercial Buildings Program. "We at ENERGY STAR are excited to participate
in this partnership, and are pleased to contribute the analytical tools to
help both the winning schools and others identify opportunities for energy
efficiency improvements, and measure the impacts of these improvements on
the environment.
This program represents another clear example of EcoMedia's innovative
public-private partnership model: delivering media that does more than
simply carry green messages and raise awareness, by actually funding real
projects and technologies that lead to measurable environmental
improvements in communities around the nation. Now, the procurement of
media by leading corporations can also benefit the communities where their
products and services are sold. Truly "Green Media" is media that actually
greens.
About EcoMedia
EcoMedia is the world's premier environmental media company, dedicated
to innovative marketing and media programs that reach target consumers
while generating the resources to help the public tackle critical
environmental challenges. Founded in 2002, EcoMedia and its partners CBS,
Kimco, and Worldwide Pants, offer clients world-class advertising assets
and content that fulfills their marketing objectives while connecting their
advertising to concrete environmental initiatives across the country
through the EcoZone Program. Up to fifty percent of each sponsor's media
spend goes toward funding measurable efforts by local governments to
improve the environment. Examples of EcoZone initiatives have included
solar panel installations and lighting retrofits in public buildings, as
well as runoff water filtration installations, all funded by sponsor media
spends. All projects are approved and overseen by the EcoMedia Advisory
Board, made up of environmental leaders such as EPA's Energy Star and the
U.S. Green Building Council, in cooperation with mayors and other local
officials. The company's latest program is the CBS & EcoZone Green Schools
Initiative, which provides for "green makeovers" valued at $250,000 in
products and services for schools across the country. Visit
http://www.ecozonemedia.com for more information about EcoMedia, the EcoZone
Program and the CBS & EcoZone Green Schools Initiative.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is a mass media company with constituent parts that
reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer
businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The
Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with
well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive
distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50
states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every
field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and
The CW - a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.
Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CBS College Sports Network),
local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and
syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television
Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS
Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS
Interactive), music (CBS Records), licensing and merchandising (CBS
Consumer Products), video/DVD (CBS Home Entertainment), in-store media (CBS
Outernet) and motion pictures (CBS Films). For more information, log on to
http://www.cbscorporation.com.
SOURCE CBS Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.cbscorporation.com
http://www.ecozonemedia.com
http://www.ecozonemedia/greenmyschool.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/965075.html
CONTACT:
For EcoMedia: Matthew Hargarten,
+1-414-745-8408, mhargarten@digcommunications.com, or Sarah
Douglis, +1-646-287-3203, sarah@ecozonemedia.com; For CBS: Jeremy
Murphy, +1-212-975-4577, Jeremy.Murphy@cbs.com
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