Press Release
For Immediate Release
17 May 2008
REMAINING NEUTRAL
ACTE and British Airways to Offset Carbon Emissions for Washington, D.C. Global Education Conference
Washington, D.C. -- Reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), in partnership with British Airways, will make its upcoming Washington, D.C. Global Education Conference carbon neutral. The association’s Munich conference, held in October 2007, resulted in a 674.6 tonne reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2). ACTE expects this number to be higher this year due to the large number of delegates and countries represented at the conference.
“ACTE has been leading the way to a sustainable corporate travel industry since 2004,” Susan Gurley, ACTE Global Executive Director, said. “Being a good corporate citizen is about being responsible environmentally and also socially, and ACTE is fortunate to have the support of key Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategic partners and sponsors, such as British Airways. We’re delighted to be working with them once again to offset carbon emitted by attendees' travel to and from the conference.”
“British Airways was delighted to be associated with offsetting the emissions associated with this ACTE event,” commented Richard Tams, British Airways’ general manager UK & global corporate sales. “Offsetting from this and other conferences, along with our new offset scheme on www.ba.com, provides vital funding for clean sources of energy in developing countries and helps boost living standards in the communities they support.”
British Airways has been a sponsor of ACTE’s global education conferences since 2006. For ACTE’s Munich conference, British Airways sponsored the totality of the carbon offsets to fund a renewable energy project in the developing world.
At the upcoming Washington, D.C. conference, 18-20 May, two CSR sessions will be offered: “Green Taxes vs. Cap and Trade,” and “Light Green, Dark Green: What Color is Your Company?” Leading organisations such as Estee Lauder, A.T. Kearney and NativeEnergy, will give an overview of their green policies and various shades of green, while representatives from TerraPass, the Pew Center for Climate Change and IATA will discuss the various regulatory solutions to aviation-related GHG emissions and how this might impact the business travel industry.
In addition to these sessions, ACTE has committed to hosting a CSR-empowered event. This includes choosing a venue for its "green" initiatives: using at least 25 percent post-consumer recycled materials for programs, tote bags, and lanyards, and supplying attendees with USB drives to limit the need to print session handouts and whitepapers.
ACTE officially launched the CSR Initiative in the Fall of 2004, and was the first organization in the business travel industry to recognize this key issue, and to educate members on the positive corporate and social benefits of sound CSR practices.
In the last three years, ACTE has been involved in a number of CSR initiatives, including:
- Support for the United Nations Global Compact
- The ACTE/KDS Survey on the impact of CSR in the business travel industry – now in its fourth year
- Partnering with VCD, a major German transport and environmental organization, on its Green Travel Project
- Hosting carbon-low global conferences in partnership with Marriott and British Airways (the ACTE Global Education Conference in Munich in October 2008 resulted in a reduction of 674.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide)
- Global Symposium at the ACTE Singapore Conference, 20-21 August 2008 on Mainstreaming CSR in Business Travel Management, which will focus on how businesses can integrate responsible business travel management practices into its fr
amework - Cutting its consumption by 65 percent and reducing its carbon footprint by half in the last two years
- Two ACTE staff members are committee members for the Green Meetings & Events initiative, led by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The hire of a dedicated Global CSR Director, Marie Morice, in Singapore
ACTE’s CSR Program is member driven and is lead by a Global CSR Committee represented by leading organizations across the industry and beyond. It offers a comprehensive package on relevant CSR issues for corporate travel buyers, hotels, airlines and TMCs, including practical tools and resources, and innovative education events with leading experts and state-of-the-art research.
The Program is also develops strategic alliances with leading organizations to provide a wide choice of innovative, inspirational and integrated solutions as well as expert speakers on key relevant CSR issues such as carbon management, labour migration and corporate duty of care.
ACTE will continue to commit itself, now and in the future, to promoting the economic prosperity of the business travel industry in conjunction with environmental protection.
For more information on ACTE and its CSR initiatives, please go to http://www.acte.org/initiatives/CSR.php.
ABOUT ACTE:
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €200 billion business travel industry. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has offices in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.
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For more information, contact:Kathy Brannigan
ACTE Senior Director, Global Communications
t: 703.683.5322 x203
e: [email protected]
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Debbie Flynn
CEO
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Bridges Wharf, Battersea
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T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
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