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Yahoo! Issues "Greenest City in America" Challenge
with Reward of Hybrid Taxi Fleet
Matt Dillon and Global Green USA join in effort
to "Be a Better Planet;"
Coincides with introduction of Yahoo! Green eco-site
NEW YORK, N.Y. - May 14, 2007 — With the multi-megawatt backdrop of
New York City's Times Square, Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) will issue a
challenge today in search of the greenest city in America. Cofounder
David Filo, joined by actor Matt Dillon and Global Green USA CEO Matt
Petersen, will introduce "Be a Better Planet" (
http://better.yahoo.com/planet ),
a program that empowers Americans to take action against climate change.
Consumers participate by using Yahoo! tools, resources and communities
to become better planetarians.
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The winning city, which will be announced following the program's
conclusion on June 8th, will be rewarded with a fleet of hybrid taxi
cabs or the equivalent cash donation, to be dedicated toward city
greening projects. To kick off the program, Yahoo! will also donate a
fleet of hybrid taxis to New York City, recently determined to produce
1% of all U.S. greenhouse gases. By displacing traditionally fueled cabs
with hybrid taxis, Yahoo! will be helping New York City edge closer to
its ambitious environmental goals. The City will also save enough gas
per year to drive a hybrid vehicle 56 times around the Earth.
"Americans everywhere are taking notice of the increasingly dire
predictions around global climate change," said Yahoo!'s David Filo. "We
want to make it easy for consumers to do something, as well as help them
build enduring habits that can truly make a difference. We believe many
small individual actions can add up to significant change."
The program coincides with the introduction of Yahoo! Green (
http://green.yahoo.com ),
a new site launching today as a one-stop resource for the growing number
of environmentally-concerned consumers. The eco-site is designed to
inform and empower consumers with the latest news, tips, and ways to
take action. The site features a personalized plan to protect the planet
— a pledge that allows consumers to choose from a menu of actions to
reduce their personal carbon emissions and see the collective impact of
everyone who participates. In the near future, it will include the
latest environmental headlines from Yahoo! News; featured content from
Global Green USA, Environmental Defense, NRDC, and Lime; blog feeds from
environmental authority Amory Lovins, Environmental Defense's chief
scientist Bill Chameides and EcoGeek; green shopping tips; relevant
content from Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo! Groups, the Yahoo! Autos Green
Center; with even more content and features to come.
"Part of reducing global warming pollution can be as simple as
turning off the lights when not being used, changing to compact
fluorescent light bulbs and walking or using public transportation more
often," said Matt Dillon. "I'm excited to support Global Green USA's
work with Yahoo! to get the word out about more simple solutions to
global warming through this program — I urge everyone to take the pledge
to make their city the greenest in the country."
Dillon has also asked the question "What are the most effective yet
simple ways people can save energy?" on Yahoo! Answers, the leading Q&A
site on the Web, inviting people to share their thoughts and offer
advice.
Lower Carbon Diets with Yahoo! Green, Yahoo! Answers and Yahoo!
Mobile
To participate in the "Be a Better Planet" promotion, users can do
one or more of the following:
Take the Green Pledge: Visit Yahoo! Green and commit to lowering
their carbon diet by pledging such actions as changing light bulbs,
taking public transportation, using reusable shopping bags, properly
inflating tires, and recycling more;
Yahoo! Answers: Help save the planet by answering an environmental
question and contributing to the growing body of knowledge and advice on
Yahoo! Answers;
Yahoo! oneSearch: Learn more about living a greener life by
conducting a "green" mobile search on Yahoo! oneSearch, a new search
service with results optimized for the mobile phone. Consumers can enter
keywords such as "organic food," "public transport," "recycle center,"
"bike," and "ride share" to find relevant resources.
Participants earn points with each green action, contributing to
their hometown's overall ranking, which will be visible nearly in
real-time on an interactive national map. They will also receive a free
energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), while supplies
last.
The "Be a Better Planet" promotion is part of Yahoo!'s new integrated
branding campaign, "Be a Better ___," which launched on April 30 with
online, television, radio and cinema advertising. Its goal is to inspire
consumers and businesses to be better at whatever interests them by
tapping Yahoo!'s breadth of products and services.
"Our buildings and transportation are two of greatest contributors to
global warming," said Global Green USA's Matt Petersen. "Across the
country, cities are leading the fight against global warming — through
green policies, sustainable buildings, and solar power — while our
federal government fails to act. We applaud Yahoo! for mobilizing its
users to shift their actions, and in turn further reduce the impact of
our cities on the environment."
Global Green USA — which works with cities to create policies,
programs, and incentives to create more cost-effective, energy
efficient, healthier buildings — will partner with the winning city to
green a school, city building, or a citywide green building program (see
http://globalgreen.org/greenbuilding/index.htmll for their "Municipal
Green Building Guide") should the winning city choose Yahoo!'s cash
donation in lieu of hybrid taxis.
Yahoo!'s Commitment to the Planet
Yahoo! has a long track record of supporting environmental
sustainability both in its operations and on its global network. The
company uses renewable power, hydroelectric energy, and passive cooling
at its various facilities and data centers. Its award-winning commute
alternatives program offers incentives such as Wi-Fi enabled biodiesel
shuttles and generous public transit subsidies. The company has also
launched several sustainability-focused product initiatives, including
an annual Earth Day resource site (earth.yahoo.com), the Yahoo! Autos
Green Center, and 18Seconds.org, dedicated to educating Americans about
the cost-savings and environmental benefits of CFL bulbs.
Yahoo! recently replaced incandescent light bulbs with CFLs on its
billboards in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and
announced that it will become carbon neutral in 2007.
About Global Green USA
Global Green USA is a national environmental organization and is the
US affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev's Green Cross International. To learn
more about their work on green cities, sustainable building, and other
smart solutions to global warming, visit
www.globalgreen.org
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most
trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo!'s mission is to
connect people to their passions, their communities, and the world's
knowledge. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Reema Bahnasy
OutCast Communications
reema@outcastpr.com | main: 415-392-8282
direct: 415-345-4760 | cell: 415-810-1602
Yahoo IM: rbahnasy
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