Experts Available to Discuss COP15, Climate Change Conference

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ExpertSource:

TOPIC: President Obama changed his schedule and will attend the climate summit in Copenhagen on its last scheduled day, according to an article by The Los Angeles Times. Obama pushed back his arrival date at the conference, to coincide with other world leaders, in order to play a more active role to help reach an agreement. The White House has stated that the United States will pay “its fair share” to assist developing countries transition to low-emission energy sources.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Valerie Davis, EnviroMedia Social Marketing

Whether sounding a warning to greenwashers on NBC’s TODAY show or spending all day in a landfill to show her dismay at the state of U.S. recycling efforts, Valerie Davis passionately speaks out about injecting ethics and authenticity into companies' sustainability programs and communications efforts. Davis co-founded Tuerff-Davis EnviroMedia Inc. in 1997, as the nation's first full-service advertising and public relations firm dedicated solely to environmental and public health campaigns, and helped found America Recycles Day with Vice President Al Gore as honorary chair. Among Davis’ key client and project accomplishments: leading the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign to victory in the America’s Favorite Slogan Competition, beating Nike’s “Just Do It” and “Got Milk?”; and overseeing a water-saving education campaign which helped curb projected daily peak-day water use within one region by an estimated 200 million gallons a day. In January 2008, Davis was interviewed by the TODAY show from the Federal Trade Commission's "Eco in the Market" workshop kicking off the regulatory review of its "Green Guides" for environmental marketing standards. It was at this FTC workshop that EnviroMedia launched GreenwashingIndex.com in partnership with the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Advertising. GreenwashingIndex.com is the world's first online forum that allows consumers to post and rate real green ads from television spots to billboards and print ads. Davis is a regular speaker at water, energy, solid waste, health and advertising conferences, including the National Symposium on Market Transformation for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy in Washington, D.C. She is a winner of the American Advertising Federation's Silver Medal Award for outstanding contributions to advertising and furthering the industry's standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. Davis is a board member of the Children's Environmental Health Institute. Davis is currently attending COP15 in Copenhagen.

PR Contact: Kelli Johnson

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Kevin Tuerff, EnviroMedia Social Marketing

Kevin Tuerff is leading the charge for ethical green marketing. He is the co-founder of The Greenwashing Index, a watchdog Web site created in partnership with the University of Oregon that invites consumers to post, rate and scrutinize green advertising. Those efforts have been highlighted in Brandweek and Time magazine. Tuerff is co-founder of the first marketing firm in the country to focus solely on the environment and public health. He is also co-founder of Green Canary Sustainability Consulting and a frequent guest lecturer on marketing and ethics at venues such as The American Academy of Advertising, the University of Oregon and at The University of Texas at Austin. Among Tuerff’s key client and project accomplishments: founding and launching America Recycles Day in 1997, a nationwide public-private partnership celebrated annually; overseeing the Dell, Inc. electronics recycling strategy and stakeholder engagement; and directing advertising campaigns for Green Mountain Energy Company, a supplier of clean electricity from wind and water. Tuerff is passionate about public service for health and environmental causes. He serves as an elected director of his county’s water utility district. In a life-changing experience, Tuerff’s received extraordinary kindness from people in Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001 when his plane landed unexpectedly and stranded him with hundreds of other travelers. That led him to create Pay It Forward 9/11, the nationwide movement that motivates people to spend every September 11th performing random acts of kindness for strangers. Tuerff is currently attending COP15 in Copenhagen.

Research and Publications: Greendetectives.net, Environmental Leader (regular columnist), Harvard Business Publishing, San Jose Mercury News Special Contributor; Speaker, “Sustainability: Turning Responsibility into Opportunity,” Green Marketing, American Apparel & Footwear Association Conference; Speaker, “Environmental Sustainability & Compliance,” Retail Industry Leaders Association Conference (2009)

PR Contact: Kelli Johnson

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Telephone: [phone]

Michael B. Bartoszek, Laidlaw Energy

Mr. Bartoszek is currently President and CEO of Laidlaw Energy Group, Inc., Homeland Laidlaw Energy, Inc. and their various affiliates, a leading developer of biomass-energy power plants in the Northeastern United States. Mr. Bartoszek founded Laidlaw Energy in 2003 to pursue significant opportunities in the renewable energy sector, following a successful venture operating natural gas fired power assets and more than a decade in the securities industry where he held numerous positions, including acting as an advisor to independent power producers and on other major capital projects. Laidlaw is currently developing major independent renewable energy projects in New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts which are carbon-neutral, thus creating no greenhouse gas emissions to contribute to global warming.

Email: [e-mail]

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Adam Browning, Vote Solar

Mr. Browning, executive director, co-founded the Vote Solar Initiative in 2002. Vote Solar is a national non-profit organization working at the state, federal and local level to implement programs and policies that allow strong solar markets to grow - and pave the way for a transition to a renewable energy economy. Prior to Vote Solar, Adam spent eight years with the Environmental Protection Agency where he ran an award-winning pollution prevention program.

Email: [e-mail]

Telephone: [phone]

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