Contact:
Jena Thompson
703.908.5809
Park City, UT (January 22, 2007) – Presented by The North Face and Lexus, The Ice Lounge is a hospitality lounge built to bring together celebrities, filmmakers, media and the environmental community to have open discussions about the environment. While most Americans agree that we must do something to fight climate change, the challenge often seems too great or complicated for any one of us to make a difference – until now.
Just minutes from the frenzy of Main Street, The Ice Lounge is built on the future site of the St. Regis Resort & Residences and is a spectacular ice-sculpted façade and entrance which leads to a luxurious tented oasis. The Ice Lounge features a silent auction, Lexus Hybrid shuttle service, St. Regis butler staffing, cuisine by Chef Iverson, The North Face environmental “fireside” chats, a view of Olympic ski runs, music and a “meltdown party” in honor of the cast and filmmakers of Zoe Cassavetes' “Broken English.”
“This year The North Face and Lexus, along with other partners, are demonstrating a model for environmental stewardship,” said Jena Thompson, The Conservation Fund spokesperson. “Together we’ve launched EXPEDITION ZERO to show The Ice Lounge guests how they can “Go Zero” by erasing their carbon footprint this week and throughout the year. Already, our guests have helped to offset more than 6,200 tons of carbon dioxide by planting more than 5,000 native trees—we’re halfway to our goal.”
EXPEDITION ZERO is an initiative to encourage The Ice Lounge guests to “Go Zero” while raising donations that will allow the nonprofit Conservation Fund to plant native trees that, over the next 100 years, will trap more than one ton of carbon dioxide. In addition, these new forests will help to protect water quality, restore wildlife habitat and enhance public recreation areas. For more information on EXPEDITION ZERO, please visit www.conservationfund.org.
Two events featured at The Ice Lounge include:
* 1/19-1/23 – EXPEDITION ZERO Silent Auction – The packages include heli-skiing with Wasatch Powder Birds and The North Face athletes, Deer Valley skiing with The North Face athletes and additional premier ski packages, including Stöckli Swiss-made skis and gear
* 1/23 – “Broken English” Meltdown Party
Sponsors of The Ice Lounge include The North Face, Lexus, St. Regis Resort & Residences, Conservation Fund’s “Go Zero” program, SkiGreen™, Napapijri, Microsoft Zune, Godiva, Bernard K. Passman Galleries, Amstel Light - the Official Beer of the Ice Lounge , Silk Soymilk, Bamboo Hardwoods, Synlawn, Lexus Hybrid Living, Stöckli Ski, and Crest White Strips.
About The North Face
The North Face®, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1966. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company's website, www.thenorthface.com.
About Lexus
Lexus has become synonymous with luxury since its introduction in 1989. By offering some of the finest quality luxury vehicles and providing benchmark customer service, Lexus has become the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States for seven years in a row. Lexus and its 221 dealers have repeatedly achieved high honors for both the products they sell and the customer service they provide as rated by the independent research firm of J.D. Power and Associates.
About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund is the nation’s foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community “greenspace,” and historic sites totaling more than 5 million acres. With 1% fund raising costs and 96% program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation’s top rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.
www.conservationfund.org.
About SkiGreen™
SkiGreen is a partnership between the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and leaders in the winter sports industry in order to build support for non-polluting renewable sources of power (such as wind and solar energy). Ski areas depend on a reliable snow-pack to provide their guests with a high quality winter-sports experience, but air pollution, primarily from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is causing unseasonably warmer temperatures, reduction in snow-pack levels and ultimately lower quality ski conditions over fewer ski days. BEF is a national non-profit foundation dedicated to reducing the impacts of climate change by changing the way energy is produced. Our ski area partners and resort guests play a critical role in getting that mission accomplished. Visit www.SkiGreen.org for more information.
Contact:
Jena Thompson
703.908.5809
Arlington, VA (December 13, 2006) – A partnership between The Conservation Fund, Anheuser-Busch and its Natural Light and Natural Ice beer brands will help North Carolina and South Carolina shorelines “Keep it Natural” in time for the holidays this year. The public-private initiative helps to conserve coastal shorelines, preserve wildlife habitat and expand recreation opportunities in North Carolina and South Carolina. This year’s program will protect local coasts through on-the-ground conservation and restoration work with North Carolina Coastal Federation and South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.
“Natural Light is proud to partner with The Conservation Fund to enhance the ‘Keep it Natural Carolinas’ program,” said Jim Lukowski, director of Natural Light for Anheuser-Busch. “With the addition of North Carolina Coastal Federation and South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, this program will be able to conserve additional vital habitat and recreation areas for local residents.”
“The ‘Keep it Natural Carolinas’ program exemplifies Anheuser-Busch’s abiding dedication to the protection of our coastal natural resources and the creation of new areas for public recreation,” said The Conservation Fund’s president and CEO, Larry Selzer. “Anheuser-Busch and Natural Light demonstrate how businesses and environmental organizations can work together to produce lasting, mutually beneficial results. We applaud Anheuser-Busch, Natural Light, North Carolina Coastal Federation and South Carolina Coastal Conservation League for contributing to the conservation of our nation’s coastlines. ”
The “Keep it Natural” program will support North Carolina Coastal Federation’s work to safeguard coastal shell fishing and swimming waters and protect and restore oyster habitat and public beaches. This year, the group began one of its largest restoration projects to date at Carteret Community College, where it is working to stabilize shorelines and control stormwater along 1,200 feet of shoreline at Bogue Sound.
"Partnerships like this one are what make our work to restore and protect the coast effective," said Todd Miller, executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. "We're very pleased to work with Anheuser-Busch and The Conservation Fund to help citizens keep our coast natural and productive."
The program will also support South Carolina Coastal Conservation League’s work to protect the coastal plain, including shorebird and sea turtle nesting areas, wetlands and coastal marsh islands. The League will focus on its South Carolina Conservation Bank, which provides funding for the protection of environmentally and historically sensitive lands statewide.
“It is gratifying to have the commitment of companies like Anheuser-Busch in support of conserving our irreplaceable landscape,” said Dana Beach, executive director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League. “These types of partnerships are strong testimony to the broad and strong feelings South Carolinians have for the state’s natural environment.”
Since its inception in 2000, the “Keep it Natural” program has supported the protection of more than 110,000 acres of wildlife habitat, working landscapes and recreation areas in North Carolina and South Carolina.
In addition to the “Keep it Natural Carolinas” program, The Conservation Fund, Anheuser-Busch Companies and Natural Light have partnered on a national campaign to preserve a total of one million acres for the National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System. Thus far, the program has supported, among others, land protection efforts at Pelican Island NWR in Florida, Waccamaw NWR in South Carolina and Trinity River NWR in Texas. Anheuser-Busch, through its Natural Light brand, is providing some of the funding to launch this nationwide effort. Additional details about the Keep it Natural program are available at www.ABenvironment.com.
About Anheuser-Busch
Natural Light and Natural Ice are brewed by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. For more than one hundred years, Anheuser-Busch has made protecting our environment part of its way of doing business, beginning with recycling spent brewers’ grain for cattle feed. Today, the company recycles more than 97 percent of the waste it generates, nearly 5 billion pounds of materials annually. In addition, Anheuser-Busch is one of the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. The company’s SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Adventure Parks are leaders in animal rescue and rehabilitation and have supported conservation projects worldwide for more than 30 years. The company also supports leading community and national conservation organizations, such as The Conservation Fund, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Keep America Beautiful. For more information on Anheuser-Busch’s environmental efforts, visit www.ABenvironment.com.
About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund is the nation’s foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community “greenspace” and historic sites totaling more than 5.5 million acres nationwide. With one percent fundraising costs and 96 percent program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation’s top rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator. Visit us online at www.conservationfund.org.
About North Carolina Coastal Federation
For more than 24 years, the North Carolina Coastal Federation has worked with citizens to safeguard the coastal rivers, creeks, sounds and beaches of North Carolina. The Federation has protected or restored about 50,000 acres and consists of more than 8,000 members, 150 group and agency partners, 600 active volunteers and a 16-member professional staff. NCCF has four key program areas: strengthening environmental standards, encouraging enforcement of environmental laws, restoring and protecting habitat and water quality and educating citizens and community leaders.
About South Carolina Coastal Conservation League
Since 1989, the Coastal Conservation League (CCL) has been working with communities, businesses, other conservation and citizen groups, to protect the South Carolina coast. From white sand beaches and pristine marshes to freshwater swamps and pine savannahs, the CCL focuses on the most efficient and effective ways to protect natural habitats, the wildlife that depends on them, and the variety of benefits they bring to the state. CCL also believes that the communities in which it operates are important, and that quality of life deserves the same high level of attention. The CCL vision: beautiful and livable communities surrounded by productive agricultural lands and wild lands rich with biodiversity.
Contact:
Jena Thompson
703.908.5809
Arlington, VA (December 8, 2006) - The U.S. Senate last night passed a bipartisan bill to create the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, H.R. 5466 as amended. The House approved the measure Tuesday to create the nation’s first all-water National Historic Trail, which will trace John Smith’s monumental 1607-1609 voyages of exploration in the Chesapeake Bay region. By sending the bill to the President, today’s Senate action marks the final step in the legislative process. President Bush is expected to sign the bill.
“This is a great day for the Chesapeake region,” said Patrick Noonan, Chairman Emeritus of The Conservation Fund. “The Senate’s action means the bill could be on President Bush’s desk this month. Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of the region’s Congressional delegation, the trail will be established in time for the Jamestown settlement’s 400th anniversary next year.”
Noonan said the trail will provide “excellent opportunities to educate the general public about geography, English settlement and Native American history and culture. The trail also expands opportunities for recreation, up-close observations of efforts to protect and restore the bay, and economic development, particularly in recreation and heritage tourism. Lastly, the trail is a fitting tribute to Smith’s exploration, which began a vital chapter in our nation’s history.”
Noonan praised Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, “who authored the initial bill to create the trail and deserves great credit for his vision and for leading this effort. Sarbanes had vital support from Senators John Warner and George Allen of Virginia and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and other members of the Senate.”
Senator Sarbanes said, “With the 400th anniversary of John Smith’s travels approaching next year, I am extremely pleased that we were able to move this legislation through both the House and the Senate during this short time period. This trail will bring history to life and will help educate visitors about the new colony at Jamestown, John Smith’s journeys, the history of the 17th century Chesapeake region, and the vital importance of the Native Americans that inhabited the Bay area. It will also provide new opportunities for recreation and heritage tourism not only for the more than 16 million Americans living in the Chesapeake Bay’s watershed, but for visitors to this area from throughout the country and abroad.”
Senator Warner said, “This visionary legislation brings to life the voyages of John Smith in 1608 and his encounters with Native American tribes, and traces his descriptions of the living resources in the Bay. It will also strengthen our efforts to stimulate heritage tourism for Chesapeake communities, and to restore the health of the Bay.”
Senator Mikulski said, "The Chesapeake Bay is part of who we are as Marylanders. It's part of our heritage and it's part of our culture. You can't know Maryland without knowing the Bay and its rich traditions. The John Smith Trail will help keep our maritime history alive and teach future generations of Marylanders about our greatest natural resource."
The measure to create the trail had very strong bi-partisan, regional support, Noonan said. He noted that Representative Jo Ann Davis, who sponsored HR 5466, the House companion to the Senate bill, had the support of twenty-three members of the Chesapeake delegation. He also pointed out that the measure had the active support of the Chesapeake Executive Council chaired by Governor Robert Ehrlich of Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, state legislators and many county and local governments. The trail has received strong support from the Virginia Council on Indians and other tribes. The trail is also supported by business groups, tourism officials and non-profit organizations, including the National Geographic Society, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Izaak Walton League of America, Garden Club of America, the Maryland Watermen’s Association and the Boone and Crockett Club.
William C. Baker, President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said, “The passage of this act is a landmark decision for the Bay and the nation. We thank all of the sponsors who worked so hard to make it happen, especially Senators Mikulski, Sarbanes, and Warner, and in the House, Representatives Jo Ann Davis, who sponsored the measure, and Steny Hoyer. The Captain John Smith trail creates an exciting way for people to connect to the Chesapeake Bay. It provides an up-close view of the Bay’s rich ecosystem and the efforts to protect and restore the Bay. The trail opens a path to recreation and provides for environmental education. It puts us in touch with the Chesapeake’s rich culture: the watermen, the Native Americans who have lived here for so long, and the many wonderful places along its shoreline.”
Earlier this year, the National Park Service recommended establishing the trail, after finding that Smith’s routes of travel are nationally significant and that the trail would promote recreation and tourism in the Bay region. The National Park Service also testified in support of the bill at a hearing before the House Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks.
The Conservation Fund is the nation’s foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community “greenspace,” and historic sites totaling more than 5.5 million acres nationwide. With 1 percent fundraising costs and 96 percent program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation’s top rated conservation nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.
Escape the crowds and heat of summer, and spend a night on our camping platform at Hidden Lake. Make a reservation now.
Powered by: Phase2 TechnologyPalmetto-Peartree Preserve
212 Main Street
Columbia, NC 27925
Phone: 919-967-2223
Fax: 919-967-9702
Email: palmettop3@earthlink.net
