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Mayors Climate Protection Center Joins Forces with Wal-Mart to Create Mayors’ Climate Protection Award for Cities


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Local Climate Protection Partnership will Honor Energy-Efficiency Improvements made in Cities


Washington, D.C. – In conclusion of “Earth Week”, the Mayors Climate Protection Center of the United States Conference of Mayors, announced a joint partnership with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to further combat global warming by launching an annual Mayors’ Climate Protection Award to honor leading efforts made by mayors in American cities. The winning mayors will demonstrate a true commitment and progress toward the goals that the Mayors Climate Protection Center and Wal-Mart share, including: to protect our environment, increase energy efficiency in cities, and make our planet sustainable for generations to come.

“We are honored to partner with Wal-Mart on this award to mayors because they truly understand the critical need to change human behavior in cities, which is where the rubber meets the road, by increasing the use of energy-efficient products,” said Conference President and Trenton (NJ) Mayor Douglas H. Palmer.

The Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards program will honor exemplary efforts underway by mayors nationwide in one of the following areas:
• greening of municipal buildings facilities and operations;
• improving local air quality;
• reducing carbon dioxide emissions and combating climate change locally;
• increasing the use of energy-efficient products and transportation, including mass transit; and
• supporting green housing projects.

“The Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards are a great way to encourage our country’s mayors to integrate environmentally-friendly practices into their city’s everyday operations, and reward those individuals and communities for their exceptional work in protecting our environment,” said Andy Ruben, vice president of corporate strategy and sustainability for Wal-Mart. “We’re proud to be working alongside the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and know that having these leaders invested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency in cities across America is an enormous boost toward sustaining our environment and helping people live better.”

“This new U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart partnership also represents the importance of forming public-private partnerships to engage cities and citizens to take active steps to change human behavior and increase climate protection,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the United States Conference of Mayors.

An independent panel of judges will select the winners of the 2007 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards and final determinations will be made in early June. The announcement of the Mayors’ Climate Protection Award-winning mayors will be made at the first Annual Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards Luncheon during the 75th Annual Conference of Mayors meeting in June, 2007, scheduled to be held in Los Angeles.

To visit the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayors Climate Protection Center and view a list of environmental best practices currently underway by mayors, go to: http://usmayors.org/climateprotection/. To see the positive impact that Wal-Mart’s environmental programs are already having on businesses and communities, please visit: http://walmartstores.com/microsite/walmart_sustainability.html.



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