NEW YORK, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoMedia's EcoAd
advertising program has recently grown its client base, adding
nearly 20 new advertisers, each of which have purchased ad time
that will in turn support local environmental projects in
communities across the country. The EcoAd program, which
enjoys broad support within the environmental community, has also
added a number of new "green" and community groups to its list of
partners and supporters.
EcoMedia's new clients include Boston Properties, Cirque du
Soleil, Ford Dealers of Northern
California, Solar City and Winthrop Hospital, among many
others. The new green and community supporters and partners
include Environment California, Environment Now, One Atmosphere,
Luminalt, Santa Monica Baykeepers, Solar Schools Initiative, Energy
Independence Now, The Better World Group, the International Council
for Local Environmental Initiatives (I.C.L.E.I.), The Climate Group
and the Foundation for Environmental Education.
"We welcome these new clients, supporters and partners to our
EcoAd program, which turns advertising into action," explained
Paul Polizzotto, President and
Founder of EcoMedia. "Every year, corporations spend hundreds
of billions of dollars in advertising. At EcoMedia, we
leverage that money to fund a wide range of environmental projects
in local communities. Ultimately, we want consumers to expect
and demand that the commercials they watch, listen to and read will
do something to improve the quality of their lives. That's
our definition of green media."
"I believe that people – and companies – basically want to 'do
good' but a lot of people are skeptics," said Wendy James, President, The Better World Group.
"EcoMedia's EcoAd program is a terrific way to actually
deliver the goods by making certain that a portion of each ad
dollar goes to a great environmental cause. We need everyone
pulling together to get closer to our goals, and this is a great
way to add to our growing network of sustainable neighborhoods and
communities."
The EcoAd program provides advertisers with the option of
purchasing advertising that will deliver added value beyond a
traditional marketing campaign. With the purchase of every
EcoAd package, a portion of dollars spent goes directly toward
funding environmental and clean energy projects, all of which have
been identified by local municipalities and public entities as
being critical. EcoAd advertising packages are available
across CBS platforms, including network, local television, radio,
outdoor, and online.
In addition to adding new clients, supporters and partners,
EcoMedia has also put EcoAd dollars to work by launching projects
in California, Massachusetts and Texas with three previously announced clients.
Each project will make a significant environmental impact in
their respective communities. Additional EcoMedia environmental
projects will be announced in the coming months.
The three local projects which launched over the last few months
include:
- In Texas — EcoMedia partnered
with Chevrolet and the City of
Arlington to transform Randol Mill
Park, where energy efficiency and water conservation
measures in the new concession and restroom facility as well as
solar panels on the building rooftop were constructed at no
additional cost to taxpayers.
- In Massachusetts — Residents
of Shrewsbury will see solar
energy in action at the Floral Street Elementary School, thanks to
an EcoAd grant from Avidia Bank and with the participation and
support of The Foundation for Environmental Education. The
outdoor classroom will be incorporated into the math and science
curriculum to help educate students on the concept of renewable
energy.
- In California — With an EcoAd
grant from SunPower Corp., EcoMedia collaborated with One
Atmosphere, Luminalt and the City of San
Francisco, along with more than 100 volunteers, to install a
28kW solar PV system on the roof of the Tel-Hi Community Center in
northeastern San Francisco.
It is estimated that this project will reduce the Center's
energy costs by approximately 86%, allowing Tel-Hi to fund
much-needed services for senior citizens and local youth.
These successful alliances between stakeholders in Texas, Massachusetts and California are examples of the innovative
public-private partnership model at the core of EcoMedia's
approach. As public budgets face unprecedented cutbacks,
municipalities are in urgent need of new and creative sources of
funding; the EcoAd program fills the gap, offering advertisers the
opportunity to accomplish tangible and lasting public benefits that
would otherwise not have been possible.
Support for EcoMedia's EcoAd program has come from leaders
across the public-private spectrum.
Michael Schmitz, Executive
Director of the international nonprofit International Council for
Local Environmental Initiatives (I.C.L.E.I.) Local Governments for
Sustainability, said, "There's a financing gap that's very real,
and it will not be met by the federal government or the state
governments, increasingly. But what EcoMedia has figured out
is the way to get that bridge financing through this creative
advertising model. It's exactly the kind of thing that's
going to help catalyze these kinds of projects." (I.C.L.E.I. is a
potential project sourcing and fulfillment resource for
EcoMedia.)
Paul Scott, Executive Director,
One Atmosphere said, "The EcoAd
grant from CBS was pivotal in helping us put solar (panels) on top
of the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center in San Francisco. We had made a lot of good
progress toward our goal, but the EcoAd grant put us over the top.
The grant will do a lot of good for a lot of deserving
people, while also helping the environment."
About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we're propelled by the desire to create positive
social change; that's been our mission since we founded the company
in 2002. Our premise? That the billions of dollars
spent annually in advertising represent a tremendous reservoir of
untapped resources – resources that should be directed toward
bricks-and-mortar projects which benefit local communities.
We develop and nurture a wide-ranging network of partnerships
with municipal governments and NGOs nationwide, and connect them
with corporations eager to improve the quality of life in the
communities they serve.
The result is our EcoAd program, a profoundly innovative twist
on traditional advertising, which we have protected through a
robust patent portfolio development program. Through our
proprietary service, we are able to efficiently redirect a portion
of every EcoAd-branded media buy to a local community, where it
funds a much-needed environmental project: a solar installation on
a community center (San
Francisco), a refurbished park and playground for kids with
special needs (Arlington, Texas),
an elementary school solar learning area (Boston suburbs).
In 2008, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide-range
of projects including an energy efficiency retrofit and solar power
installation at Miami City Hall, a
green makeover for public schools in San
Francisco, Miami and
Cook County, Ill., and a solar
panel installation at California's
Long Beach airport, we were proud
to become the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio,
exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio,
interactive, publishing and outdoor media.
The EcoAd program aims to create jobs, save taxpayer money and
improve the environment. In the process, we're fundamentally
altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary
commercial – and green media, in general – into a catalyst for
real, quantifiable, and measurable change.
We invite you to visit ecoad.cbs.com to learn more about the
tangible improvements EcoMedia is making in communities across the
country.
EcoAd is not a certification program, nor is the EcoAd logo a
seal of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify,
endorse or make any representations about EcoAd advertisers, their
products or services.
Public Endorsements for EcoMedia & the EcoAd
Program
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,
Founder & President, Waterkeeper Alliance and Senior Counsel,
NRDC: "EcoMedia's EcoAd program has been one of the best
ideas I have encountered to conserve and protect our natural
resources... Cities get much needed funds; communities get cleaner
water, air and green spaces; and corporations can put their
resources to work for the betterment of society. Now as a CBS
company, EcoMedia is partnered with a major media conglomerate to
take the next logical and necessary step." (Paul Polizzotto serves on the Board of Trustees
of the Waterkeeper Alliance.)
Fred Krupp, President,
Environmental Defense Fund: "Environmental Defense Fund has
always encouraged innovating financing mechanisms to transition our
country to cleaner forms of energy. The EcoAd concept holds
strong promise in this respect by generating private sector revenue
to fund community-based renewable energy projects. While EDF
is not endorsing any specific advertising or companies, the EcoAd
program can have a positive impact in the transition to clean
energy."
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom,
State of California (Former
Mayor, City of San
Francisco):"California
is proud to be the most innovative and progressive state when it
comes to our Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), our Renewable
Portfolio Standards, and our decades of achievements in energy
efficiency, so we recognize and appreciate great innovations that
effectively increase sustainability. That's exactly how I see
this EcoAd venture backed by the proven team at EcoMedia and the
broad sweep of their media assets."
George E. Pataki, Former
Governor, State of New York:
"As Governor of New York, I
always understood that whether it was the preservation of over 1
million acres of open space for use by future generations or the
establishment of cutting edge programs like the nation's first
green building tax credit, improving our environment and creating
jobs are not mutually exclusive goals. That's why I applaud
EcoMedia for developing an innovative source of funding to do the
same thing across America, making our communities healthier, more
energy independent and more competitive in the global economy."
(Mr. Pataki is employed by Chadbourne & Parke, LLP, which
provides legal services related to intellectual property for
EcoMedia CBS Inc.)
Terry O'Day, Executive Director of Environment Now:
"EcoAd is a brilliant program and is a model for inspiring and
fostering environmental protection. EcoAd advertisements
leverage advertising dollars to make a tangible, real and positive
impact in local communities by financing community projects that
might not have otherwise been completed."
Dan Jacobson, Environment
California: "EcoAds provide an innovative and bold approach
to implementing sustainable action in local communities.
Advertisers are making a direct impact, contributing to
renewable energy projects that result in real environmental and
health benefits."
Liz Crosson, Executive
Director, Santa Monica Baykeeper: "The EcoAd program is
innovative and exciting. Directing advertising dollars
towards local environmental projects is exactly the type of program
we need to invest in our future. Santa Monica Baykeeper
commends EcoMedia for funding critical renewable energy and energy
efficiency projects."
Nestor Fernandez, Executive
Director, Telegraph Hill Community Center: "The grant that
was made possible by the EcoAd program with EcoMedia-CBS was
critical in allowing the rooftop solar installation on our
Telegraph Hill Center to be completed. By significantly
reducing our energy costs, and demonstrating the power of renewable
energy to the residents of San
Francisco who benefit from our facility, this project will
have a tremendous and lasting impact on this community."
Daniel Emmett, President of
the Board of Energy Independence Now: "EcoMedia CBS
EcoAd program is an exciting model for the future bringing business
solutions and awareness to solving environmental problems in our
local communities."
Terri Ludwig, CEO, Enterprise
Community Partners: Enterprise believes EcoMedia's EcoAd is
a breakthrough opportunity for green affordable housing. As
the first national green affordable housing program, Enterprise
Green Communities fundamentally transforms the way we think about,
design, build and retrofit housing for people with low-incomes.
The additional capital that the EcoAd provides to projects
will further support Enterprise's goal of ensuring that all
affordable housing is green within the next decade."
(Enterprise Community Partners is a potential project sourcing and
fulfillment resource for EcoMedia.)
Denise Sheehan, CEO, The
Climate Registry: "The Climate Registry recognizes CBS for
its commitment to measure, report, and reduce its carbon footprint
by publicly reporting its Greenhouse Gas emissions since 2006.
We further support its leadership as the sole media company
to have taken this stand. CBS' EcoAd product further
demonstrates this leadership by offering the corporate sector an
option for media purchasing that results in lasting carbon-reducing
impacts." (CBS Corporation is a Climate Registry member.)
Mayor Bob Foster, City of Long Beach: "Companies are not
tapping new budgets. It's money they're already spending on
advertising; they're just spending it in a different way. Now
with the EcoAd program, their dollars actually make tangible
environmental improvements to local communities. We are proud
that our city was an early partner in this innovative
public-private partnership."
Manny Diaz, Former Mayor,
City of Miami/Senior Partner,
Lydecker Diaz: "I saw what EcoMedia made possible for my
constituents and other municipalities nationwide when I was Mayor
of Miami and President of U.S.
Conference of Mayors and I wholeheartedly applaud CBS for acquiring
EcoMedia and its brand, EcoAd."
Joel Makower, Chairman &
Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group, Inc.: "Americans today are
looking for companies to be environmental heroes — to take bold,
audacious actions that positively affect individuals, communities,
and the planet. They want more than lip service or small,
incremental change. They want, and deserve, action.
EcoAd advertisements offer a powerful tool for companies to
demonstrate their commitment and leadership."
Ed Begley, Jr.: "Every
community deserves a clean, healthy environment and I can tell you
first-hand that renewable energy projects, like installing solar
panels, is a great way to achieve that goal. I applaud
CBS-EcoMedia for funding these projects through its EcoAd program,
because it gives us hope that we can change the world, one green
step at a time."
Glen Kizer, President, Solar
Schools Initiative: "Our mission at the Solar Schools
Initiative is to expand environmental and energy literacy by
supporting solar PV installations on schools across the country.
We view the EcoAd program as a unique source of the critical
funding that will allow us to accomplish many projects that would
otherwise have been shelved." (The Foundation for Environmental
Education's Solar Schools Initiative is a recipient of
EcoAd-generated project funding. EcoMedia coordinates with
Glenn and his team to source
school renewable energy projects.)
Pauline Souza, Partner &
Architect, WRNS Studio and Green Schools Advocate for the US Green
Building Council: "EcoAd will create tremendous benefits for
public schools and their communities. Funding from the EcoAd
program will help schools become greener and more sustainable
without placing further burden on taxpayers. At the same
time, we'll actually be able to educate parents, students, and
school administrators with the message that, 'We can all do better
if we work together to make the small changes that have an enormous
impact.' EcoMedia's green makeover at Rosa Parks School in
San Francisco is a great example
of that. It had a huge impact on the community just by
improving the conditions for one local school." (WRNS
Studio provided technical services for the Rosa Parks school
'greening' project.)
Terry Tamminen, Founder &
CEO Seventh Generation (Former Secretary of California EPA):
"The EcoAd program is such an exciting concept, because when you
see it, you know that money from that commercial is going into a
community, working with cities and local communities for real
bricks and mortar projects that otherwise wouldn't get done that
make our communities better and our planet better. What could be
better?" (7th Generation provides consulting services to
EcoMedia.)
Chris Perry, Vice President,
Chevrolet Marketing: "Chevrolet recently announced that it
will invest $40 million in various
clean energy projects throughout America with a goal to reduce 8
million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Eco Media's
EcoAd model provides us with an excellent opportunity to help
promote energy savings, renewable energy, responsible use of
natural resources and conservation in local communities across
the United States."
Alex Petrov, Vice President,
Consumer Brands, Safeway, Inc.: "We are really part of a
larger community of sustainable companies, so the notion of
actually being able to go through the EcoAd program…is a good
opportunity for Safeway and O Organics. We have highly valued
this partnership."
Jan Soderstrom, Vice
President, Brand Management,
SunPower Corp.: "SunPower is participating in the program
because it's a great fit with our vision of 'changing the way the
world is powered.' As the leader in solar energy, our goal is
to make a meaningful impact on the environment and certain local
communities. Through the EcoAd program, we have the
opportunity to promote our value proposition and at the same time
give back."
Marilee Grant, Director of
Community Relations, Boston Scientific: "Boston Scientific
is committed to making more possible in the communities where we
live and work. We make this commitment real by supporting
global, national and local health and education initiatives,
striving to improve patient advocacy, and minimizing our impact on
the environment. Participating in the EcoAd program provides
us with a unique opportunity to give back in a very tangible and
meaningful way."
Patrick Cloney, Executive
Director, MassCEC: "We look forward to a future partnership
with EcoMedia-CBS, whose efforts to drive vital environmental
improvements such as energy efficiency and renewable energy in
communities across America are helping cities and towns save money
and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions."
James Grande and Dennis Wilson, Owners of Pacific Coast
Termite: "Pacific Coast Termite is excited to participate in
the EcoAd program in the Bay Area.
We look forward to working closely with local municipalities
and other public organizations to identify and fund renewable
energy and energy efficiency projects. We recognize the
importance of these environmentally sustainable developments and
are proud to be a part of such a cutting-edge initiative."
Michael P. Monahan, Business
Manager Local 103, International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers: "As the awareness of our environmental challenges
becomes more and more commonplace, CBS-EcoMedia has developed an
historic program that allows companies and organizations to reach
consumers while investing in a cleaner, more sustainable
environment."
Arley Baker, Deputy Executive
Director, Communications, Port of Los
Angeles: "The EcoAd program helps us further
demonstrate our commitment to a sustainable future by contributing
in a tangible way toward making the Los
Angeles area a healthier, greener place to live."
Paul Orzeske, President,
Honeywell Building Solutions: "Honeywell has been helping
its customers reduce energy consumption and costs for more than 100
years. And funding is always a challenge, especially in the
public sector. So we're excited to team with
EcoMedia."
Phil Ting, Assessor &
Recorder, City and County of San
Francisco: "It's so critical that there is this
environmental impact. People forget there's a difference when
we trade off fossil fuel for clean energy, and the environmental
impact in this neighborhood should not be underestimated."
(San Francisco is a municipal
partner of EcoMedia.)
Michael Schmitz, California Director, I.C.L.E.I.:
"There's a financing gap that's very real, and it will not be
met by the federal government or the state governments,
increasingly. But what EcoMedia has figured out is the way to
get that bridge financing through this creative advertising model.
It's exactly the kind of thing that's going to help catalyze
these kinds of projects." (I.C.L.E.I. is a potential project
sourcing and fulfillment resource for EcoMedia.)
SOURCE EcoMedia A CBS Company