November 1, 2007

President Clinton recently announced new partnerships with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and retail giant Wal-Mart which will help the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) successfully combine the resources of the public and private sectors to drive down the cost of energy-efficient and clean-energy technologies.

By partnering with the US Conference of Mayors, CCI is helping 1,100 additional cities gain access to a volume of discounts on energy-efficient and clean-energy products offered by CCI’s purchasing consortium. Through this consortium, CCI is able to give member cities access to lower prices on hundreds of individual products that reduce energy consumption in buildings, decrease fuel consumption and pollution by vehicles and capture and convert landfill methane into electricity. This discount, on products ranging from energy efficient light bulbs to environmentally friendly building materials, was previously only available to participants of the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, a group of 40 of the world’s largest cities that are working together to fight climate change. Now 1,140 cities will get a great deal when purchasing products that will help reduce their carbon emissions and make a measurable difference in combating global climate change.

Wal-Mart, one of the world’s largest purchasers of green technologies, will be an instrumental partner in the effort to help these cities buy green. By using their combined purchasing power, CCI and Wal-Mart will further drive down the prices of green technologies and work together to develop new energy efficient products, such as improved lighting fixtures for parking lots, best-in-class HVAC systems that will improve ventilation in buildings and new or improved methods to create clean energy, such as solar power.

These partnerships will help CCI achieve its mission of assisting cities around the world in their efforts to preserve the environment and put a stop to global climate change.