ECO-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY
GIFT IDEAS
DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO HELP STOP ACID RAIN
Gift Doubles as Investment
in Clean Air & a Healthier Future
A $50-Item that Never Wears Out, Never Gets Stale, Never Goes
Out of Style
& Will be a Source of Pride for Both Giver and Recipient
Please
Visit Our Shop
For more information:
John F. Sheehan
518-432-1770 (ofc)
518-441-1340 (cell)
518-456-4512 (home)
Released: Tuessday, November 22, 2005
ELIZABETHTOWN, NY - The Adirondack
Park's leading environmental organization - the Adirondack Council
- announced today that it has retired more than 7,500 federal
sulfur dioxide pollution allowances through its holiday season
Clean Air Certificate Program, leaving fewer than 2,500 available
this holiday season.
"This may be the last year we can offer Clean Air Certificates
to the public," said Adirondack Council Executive Director
Brian L. Houseal. "Our holiday gift program has become very
popular with those who want to strike a personal blow against
acid rain and lung disease."
Federal sulfur dioxide pollution allowances are given to electric
power plants each year by the federal government. Each plant
receives one allowance for every ton of acid-rain-causing (and
lung-damaging) sulfur dioxide it is allowed to emit that year.
Each year, plants receive fewer and fewer allowances and must
reduce their pollution or pay increasingly higher prices for
additional allowances.
"With the recent spike in the price of pollution allowances,
prices rose from $200 a ton in 2003 to $1,300 per ton this fall,"
Houseal said. "We don't know very many people who can afford
to spend $1,300 on a holiday gift. But we offer the opportunity
to retire an entire ton of sulfur dioxide for just $50."
Houseal explained that for every $50 donation, the Adirondack
Council will retire one of the remaining 2,400-plus sulfur dioxide
allowances it owns. It will send the donor a personalized, suitable
for framing, Clean Air Certificate. It can be personalized with
the name of the donor, or any recipient the donor chooses.
Once an allowance is retired, it can never be sold to or used
by a power company to create air pollution. Retiring pollution
allowances reduces the available supply, driving up the cost
of polluting and encouraging plants to clean up their emissions.
Houseal explained that Adirondack Council Clean Air Certificates
had been purchased mostly by individuals, but also by groups
that pooled their money to buy large blocks of allowances. School
groups, scout troops, environmental clubs, garden clubs, political
organizations, private foundations, and elected officials on
the local, state and federal level have purchased Clean Air Certificates
and retired a ton or more of pollution, he said.
|
"Despite the overwhelming
increase in value of these allowances, our board of directors
has made it clear that we would rather retire all of them for
$50 apiece than sell them to brokers," Houseal said. "We
would reap more than $2 million, which exceeds our budget for
an entire year. But someone else would reap 2,500 tons of sulfur
dioxide pollution in their water, their soil and their lungs.
That's not a fair trade from our point of view."
Houseal noted that the main reason for the recent jump in allowance
prices was the federal Clean Air Interstate Rule, which went
into effect in March. The CAIR requires deep cuts in sulfur dioxide
pollution between now and 2015. The Adirondack Council was one
of the nation's chief advocates for the CAIR.
"That's another way your donation through the Clean Air
Certificate Program can help stop acid rain," Houseal said.
"Every cent of that $50 goes to our work protecting the
Adirondack Park. It is expensive and time-consuming to lobby
the government in Albany and Washington, DC for better clean
air regulations. This program has helped support our successful
work on acid rain since 1997."
The Adirondack Council is dedicated
to ensuring the ecological integrity and wild character of the
Adirondack Park. Founded in 1975, its 14 staff and 18,000 members
make it the largest environmental organization focusing full
time on the Adirondack Park.
To purchase a Clean
Air Certificate, visit us online anytime.
or Call us toll-free to Speak
to a Live Person
Weekdays from 8:30 AM TO 5 PM, ET 1-877-873-2240
|
Other
Great Adirondack
Council Gifts
s Singing Loon Stuffed
Toy:
This soft, plush, stuffed loon actually sings an authentic call
when its belly is pressed. Bring back memories of your last stay
on a wilderness lake or teach a child about the north woods'
most elusive and interesting bird. Batteries included. Bird call
recorded in New York by the Cornell University Ornithology lab.
($12)
s
Adirondack
Council 2006 Photo Calendar: Breathtaking images of the Adirondacks as seen
through the lens of renowned landscape photographer Carl Heilman
II. ($12.99)
s
"Forever
Wild" Organic Cotton T-shirts: Generously sized from small to XL,
carrying the Adirondack Council's famous "Forever Wild"
logo and the motto "Defending the East's Last Great Wilderness.
Made in the USA. ($15)
s
"Forever
Wild" Tan and Sage cap: High-quality, soft cotton cap, adjustable from
small to XL with just a tug on the cloth belt; carries the Council's
famous "Forever Wild" logo. Made in USA. ($15)
s
The Adirondacks:
Wild Island of Hope: An entertaining blend of conservation, great
hikes and Adirondack natural history, as told by The Adirondack
Council's first director and renowned landscape photographer,
Gary Randorf. Includes 100 color photos of the Park's most spectacular
sights. ($23)
s
Gift Memberships: Membership in The Adirondack
Council starts at $35 per year. Members receive newsletters,
action alerts, special reports and updates and our annual State
of the Park report, as well as invitations to the annual meeting
and annual Forever Wild Awards Dinner each July. ($35 and up)
|
|
|
