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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GREEN POWER PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM NETS COFFEE COMPANY UNEXPECTED PAYOFFS Good Deed Giveaway Turns Out to be a Very Good Business Decision PORTLAND, OR, May 24, 2004 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today that its long-standing customer, Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters (B&B) of Olympia, Washington -- well known for its commitment to environmental sustainability as well as for its premium coffees -- turned a good deed into a very powerful advertising campaign for the company. B&B donated approximately $59,000 worth of coffee and mugs to encourage utility customers into purchasing green power, as part of a regional multi-utility campaign. Expecting only modest exposure via the campaign's promotional activities, B&B has instead been given mass exposure to more than a million electric utility customers via customized monthly bill inserts, and even broader exposure to the general public through a television commercial featuring B&B, which Belo Marketing Solutions (BMS) produced and KING 5 and KONG 6/16 are airing this month throughout Washington state's Puget Sound region. The B&B contribution is also featured on all of the utility companies' websites, the home page of King 5 as well as on the BEF website. BMS, a division of KING 5, which developed the program to promote awareness of three Puget Sound Region utilities' green power offerings, approached BEF to solicit its support. BEF was already working with the utility companies as their green resource supplier. In turn, BEF sought donations from its own retail customers to help promote the program by donating some sort of give-away as an enticement to purchase the utilities' green power. B&B quickly stepped up with its contribution. "B&B deserves a lot of credit for what it is doing to help promote the sale of green power in the Puget Sound Region. Its donation was by far the most generous offer we received," said Noreen King, marketing consultant for BMS. "When we developed the program, the sponsor's advertising package we put together was estimated to be worth about $90,000 to $100,000. There was no dedicated sponsor's television advertisement on the table, and no free production offered. The more the program came together, the more we found we could do to promote B&B and help customers buy green power. The promotion piece of the green power campaign continued to grow, and we now estimate that B&B's advertising package is worth three times as much as originally thought!" The campaign itself kicked off in April and is centered on a joint effort among Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County Public Utility District and Tacoma Power to encourage customers to purchase green power. Not coincidentally, B&B is representative of how commercial customers can ensure green power is part of the electrical grid. Through its relationship with BEF, B&B purchases enough Green Tags each year to offset all of its electrical power requirements with green power. This includes its roasteries in Olympia and in Atlanta, GA, as well as its three retail outlets. These purchases have made B&B America's first 100% green powered coffee company. "Obviously, this donation helps us, our customers and our potential new customers get our coffee into their homes, and we appreciate that, but what is truly important is that this program helps get green power into people's homes," said Lois Maffeo, director of information and publications for B&B. "Every ton of greenhouse gases and other polluting emissions that are avoided because they were replaced by a green energy source is good for everyone. As a business whose operation is directly tied to the environment, we take green power to heart. The way our coffee is grown and the way our business is run requires quality and sustainability. We feel this applies to where and how we live as well, and we are proud to be able to contribute to this green power awareness campaign for all of our benefit." About the Donation For a limited time, customers signing up for green power will receive two 12-ounce bags of gourmet coffee and coffee mugs courtesy of B&B. Quantities are limited. B&B is running a link ( www.batdorf.com/bb/greenpower.cfm) to the KING 5 webpage ( www.king5.com) where customers can learn more about the campaign and purchase green power from the participating utilities, or green their existing power supply by purchasing Green Tags from BEF's online sales site (www.greentagsusa.org). About Green Tags Green Tags are certificates that represent the environmental benefits from a specific amount of electricity from a wind turbine, solar panel or other renewable energy source. When non-polluting energy displaces energy produced from burning fossil fuels, there is a corresponding savings in greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide) that are captured as the Green Tag. BEF's Green Tags are certified by Green-e (www.green-e.org) and designated Climate Cool by the Climate Neutral Network as having a net zero impact on the climate while also displacing fossil fuel generated electricity and approximately 1,400 pounds of C02 emissions per Green Tag ( www.climateneutral.com). The new renewable energy resources that produce BEF's Green Tags are certified by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Renewable Northwest Project and the Northwest Energy Coalition. 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. Contact Information
Effective PR, Inc. For the Bonneville Environmental Foundation 916-941-7553 billjeppesen@b-e-f.org Noreen King Belo Marketing Solutions 206-448-3718 nking@bmsnw.com Lois Maffeo Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters 360-754-5282 lois@batdorf.com Links to photo: B&B Coffees and Mug http://images.oaktree.com/users/bonneville/library5.jpg Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roaster's Free Coffee and Mug Give-Away to Promote Availability of Puget Sound Region Utilities' Green Power |
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