Press Release

For Immediate Release
23 May 2006

ACTE and The CarbonNeutral Company launch new "Carbon Calculator" for ACTE Members as part of the association's commitment to corporate social responsibility

Alexandria, VA -- The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) and The CarbonNeutral Company have launched the "Carbon Calculator" which they announced this past winter. The carbon emissions calculator is an interactive tool for ACTE members to be able to calculate the CO2 emissions from their company's air and ground transportation and provide valuable insight into ways to reduce and neutralize these emissions through global carbon offset projects. This calculator will assist the business travel industry in determining its contribution to climate change and is now offered as a new benefit for ACTE members.

"This is the first step of many in ACTE's broad-based approach to corporate social responsibility," said Greeley Koch, ACTE's president. "Our association is committed to a policy that promotes restoring the environment and improves life for everyone through advanced business practices. This 'Carbon Calculator' will provide a way for ACTE members worldwide to assess their impact on the environment and identify the necessary steps to minimizing that impact."

Increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are producing significant increases in the earth's temperature through the greenhouse effect; the consequences are unpredictable, but they will be felt globally. This means more heat waves, floods, and droughts that will have a direct impact on global food supplies and drinking water. The Calculator process pioneered by The CarbonNeutral Company provides the international business community with a standard of CO2 measurement and a realistic programme to tackle the issue.

CarbonNeutral CEO Jonathan Shopley said, "Many businesses have realized that it makes commercial sense to act ahead of public pressure or regulation than to wait until the last minute. And voluntary measures are essential if the world is to achieve the reductions in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that the experts tell us are necessary. Using calculators to understand CO2 impacts is the first step; from there it's possible to consider alternatives – web conferencing instead of domestic flights for example – and then to 'offset' unavoidable emissions, supporting low carbon technologies in the process. Because it makes business and environmental sense, it is possible to imagine a world where CarbonNeutral flights and CarbonNeutral fleets is the standard."

According to Koch, an ongoing study by ACTE's Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Committee has indicated there is a growing trend among companies to do business with other firms committed to being good neighbours through similar corporate CSR policies. "The time is coming when corporate social responsibility will be a prerequisite for conducting business locally and globally," said Koch.

ACTE member can access the calculator on the members-only area of the ACTE website beginning today: http://www.acte.org.
The CarbonNeutral Company is the leading climate change business, with almost ten years in the industry, exciting and enabling corporations, NGOs, governments, celebrities and members of the public to measure, reduce and 'neutralise' CO2 emissions. CarbonNeutral – supported by the CarbonNeutral protocol – is the international branded standard for reducing CO2 emissions to net zero.

For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com