June 13, 2005 (Orlando, Florida) — The American Solar Energy Society (ASES), the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today that their plan to give attendees of the Solar World Congress 2005 event (August 6-12 in Orlando, Florida) an option to green their travel has met with unexpected success. Many attendees are voluntarily selecting to green their travel and include the cost in their registration for the conference, despite little promotion for the option. Currently, approximately 10 percent of registrants are choosing to offset the emissions associated with their travel to the conference. The percentage is expected to increase as early registration discounts end June 24 and sign-up rates peak.

The online registration, which opened in May 2005, enables attendees to choose among a host of options as they prepare for the conference, including check boxes to green their travel to the event via ground or air, the latter broken out as either domestic or international. Attendees who voluntarily “green” their travel add $2.00 for ground travel, $20.00 for domestic air travel and $90.00 for international air travel. In addition, for every Green Tag purchased by attendees, and by ASES/ISES to “green” the conference itself, BEF is reinvesting a part of the proceeds to cover the cost of future ASES Legacy School Photovoltaic (PV) projects up to $12,000 per year, with any additional reinvestment dollars going to the ASES Yellott Award Scholarship fund.

“This is very exciting for us. In the absence of any federal leadership to respond to the threat of global climate change, states, municipalities, and even individuals are stepping up to fill the void,” said Becky Campbell-Howe, director of operations for ASES. “By enabling conference attendees to offset the adverse environmental effects of their travel, we’re allowing them to take responsibility for the environmental consequences of their actions. It sends a powerful message.”

The Solar World Congress is a major international event, with over 1,200 attendees representing more than 70 countries expected to convene in Orlando. Working with the conference organizers, BEF calculated the percentage of attendees that would travel by ground or air, and estimated the average round-trip miles that would be needed to attend the conference. With that information, BEF estimated the equivalent number of pounds of CO2 (15.7 million) that could be offset though purchases of Green Tags. In addition, BEF calculated the amount needed to offset the emissions associated with the conference facility and hotels (5 million). This is equivalent to taking more than 500 vehicles off the road for an entire year. The organizers of the Solar World Congress 2005 are purchasing 260 Green Tags to offset the emissions associated with the event itself; the rest is up to conference attendees.

About SWC 2005
The Solar World Congress 2005 is shaping up to be the largest and most diverse gathering of renewable energy professionals in recent history. Over 700 speakers, from more than 70 countries, will come together to present and discuss the latest international technical research, design case studies, business success stories, policy initiative results, and advocacy efforts. The program also includes hands-on workshops, renewable energy and cultural site tours, and networking opportunities. SWC 2005 is presented jointly by the American Solar Energy and the International Solar Energy Society, with the support of 15 other participating organizations. For more information, go to: www.swc2005.org.


About ASES
The American Solar Energy Society is the nation’s largest and oldest membership organization dedicated to promoting renewable energy. ASES publishes Solar Today magazine, organizes the annual National Solar Tour, sponsors the annual National Solar Energy conference, and advocates for government policy initiatives to promote the research and deployment of renewable energy. ASES has regional and state chapters throughout the country. For more information go to: www.ases.org.


About ISES:
The International Solar Energy Society has been serving the needs of the renewable energy community since its founding in 1954. A United Nations-accredited NGO present in more than 50 countries, ISES supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technology, implementation and education all over the world. ISES is a multi-faceted, global membership organization. Clearly defined goals, extensive communication networks, and practical, real-world projects are the hallmarks of ISES. For more information, go to: www.ises.org.


About BEF
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to restore watershed ecosystems and further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and biomass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 2000 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. Created by regional environmental groups and the Bonneville Power Administration, the Foundation operates collaboratively with but independent of both.