|
Clinton Foundation Celebrates Earth Day
April 22, 2008
Credit: Clinton Foundation |
In observation of the 38th Anniversary of Earth Day, Clinton Foundation employees
and volunteers from around the United States are putting the Foundation’s
commitment to environmental stewardship into action in their communities.
In New York, employees from both the Harlem and Midtown offices volunteered
their time to improve air quality, plant trees, install green roofs, and revitalize
public green spaces in Hunt’s Point— a low income community home
to several waste and sewage treatment facilities in the South Bronx— in
partnership with Timberland and CityYear.
In Little Rock, the Clinton Presidential Center will host the largest Earth
Day celebration in Arkansas to motivate, educate, and energize the community
to take positive action for a clean and healthy environment. The theme of this
year’s carbon-free event will be “What Can YOU Do?,” designed
to give attendees positive and simple ideas for greening their lifestyle. The
event will feature the "Innovate or Die Competition” award winning
Aquaduct bicycle, a three-wheeled mobile filtration vehicle that is designed
to both transport and filter up to twenty gallons of water in developing countries
where access to clean water is unavailable.
The Center is no stranger to environmental innovation. In 2005, the Center
was recognized with two Green Globes for best practices in energy and environmental
design. In 2007, through additional sustainability changes made to the existing
building, the Center became the only presidential library to receive Platinum
LEED certification.
The Foundation focuses on finding solutions to fight global warming through
a number of initiatives and efforts. In August 2006, President Clinton launched
the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), which
is now partnering with many of the world’s largest cities to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions through innovative energy-saving building, waste management and
transportation programs. CCI’s purchasing consortium is helping 1,100
cities access affordable green technologies. And its Energy Efficiency Building
Retrofit Program is making it financially feasible for cities and private building
owners to reduce their energy use by 25-50 percent through implementing a variety
of energy-efficient improvements in their existing buildings. Through this program,
the Foundation will be retrofitting its headquarters in Harlem.
In addition, members of the Clinton Global
Initiative (CGI) have made hundreds of commitments to action to find exciting
new ways to confront the challenges of global warming, which include, establishing
clean energy markets in the developing world, new approaches for protecting
tropical forests, green buildings.
Last fall, CGI and President Clinton launched MyCommitment.org to provide all
individuals with the tools to make their own commitments and connect with those
who share a common vision for social change in their communities and around
the world. Many people have already committed to reducing their own carbon footprint
through simple changes in their daily routines. You can browse these commitments
and make your own at www.MyCommitment.org.
| 
