One public school will receive a green schools makeover
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EcoMedia, a leading
environmental media company, and the CBS Corporation today kicked off the
CBS and EcoZone(R) Green Schools Initiative in San Francisco. One winning
public school from the San Francisco Unified School District will receive a
green makeover overseen by a professional "green schools coach."
Approximately $250,000 is planned to be spent in the San Francisco Unified
School District as part of this Green Schools Initiative. EcoMedia and CBS
were joined by San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Superintendent
Carlos Garcia, and newly-appointed SFUSD Director of Sustainability Nik
Kaestner, in a call for entries from schools in San Francisco. The Green
Schools Initiative kicked off in Miami last week with a call for entries
there and continued to rollout across the country with today's kickoff in
San Francisco.
"The EcoZone Green Schools Initiative trains our young people to be
more active, involved and engaged in the environment," said Mayor Gavin
Newsom. "We have an obligation to provide them with the knowledge and
understanding necessary to become the next generation of environmental
leaders."
"This initiative, like our Environmental Service Learning Program,
helps us deliver on our commitment to teach our students what it truly
means to be environmentally responsible," said Superintendent Garcia.
"Participating schools, their students, teachers and administrators will
have the opportunity to experience firsthand what it means to be stewards
of their environment."
"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, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 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 San Francisco, Miami and the other 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.
"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 announcement of the EcoMedia and CBS Green Schools Initiative
in San Francisco as another important demonstration of how we can leverage
the creativity and influence of the media and local governments to deliver
measurable, meaningful improvements for our environment and the students of
our nation."
"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."
"Empowering teachers and students to reduce their carbon footprint is
critical to protecting our environment," said Nancy McFadden, Senior Vice
President Public Affairs of PG&E. "PG&E is proud to partner with CBS and
EcoMedia on the Green Schools Initiative, which will provide valuable tools
to help children understand the importance of incorporating environmental
values into their everyday lives."
"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."
"We are honored to align with EcoMedia and CBS in this groundbreaking
initiative, which perfectly complements O Organics' commitment to promoting
health and wellness through education and inspiring young people to be
conscious of steps they can take in their daily lives to benefit the
environment," said James D. White, Leader of the Better Living Brands
Alliance and President of Lucerne Foods. "Thanks to the innovative strategy
that EcoMedia has developed for the Green Schools Initiative, we'll be able
to help make a sizeable impact on how we teach our kids about the
importance of environmental responsibility."
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. Approximately $250,000 is planned to be spent in each
participating region as part of this Green Schools Initiative. 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 (NYSE: CBS) 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.com/greenmyschool
CONTACT:
Matthew Hargarten, +1-312-377-4136,
mhargarten@digcommunications.com, or Sarah Douglis,
+1-646-287-3203, sarah@ecozonemedia.com, both for EcoMedia; or
Jeremy Murphy for CBS, +1-212-975-4577, Jeremy.Murphy@cbs.com
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