Vulcan Inc. Joins BICEP Coalition

BOSTON, MA,  January 21, 2014 /3BL Media/ – BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) announced today that Seattle-based Vulcan, Inc., a diverse company with real estate, media, sports, aircraft, research, investment and philanthropic portfolios, has joined its coalition of 33 companies, representing a broad spectrum of business sectors to advocate for innovative climate and clean energy policies. 

“Our global climate is rapidly warming due to unprecedented carbon emissions and environmental degradation. Now more than ever, we need the private sector to lead in advocating for cleaner energy,” said Barbara Bennett, president and chief operating officer, Vulcan Inc. “BICEP’s goals for innovative climate policies are aligned with our vision here at Vulcan. Business working together can be a powerful force for designing and realizing a sustainable future.”

“Vulcan, Inc. brings fresh perspective and technological savvy to Ceres BICEP coalition,” said Mindy Lubber, Ceres President. “In this critical year for the climate, we are thrilled that the company has joined our efforts, and are certain it will be a powerful advocate for action on climate change.”

BICEP, a project of Ceres, was launched in 2008 with a core group of five companies, including Starbucks, Levi Strauss & Co. and Timberland. It has since expanded to 33 leading companies, such as eBay Inc., General Mills and Jones Lang LaSalle. BICEP members are vocal proponents of renewable energy, greener transportation and stricter pollution controls on power plants.

Vulcan, Inc. was founded in 1986 by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen. Vulcan Inc. strives to create a new kind of future – one that upends conventional thinking. Among the many ways it works to improve the status quo, the company aims to disrupt the current climate change trajectory in order to leave the world a better place for generations to come. Vulcan, Inc.’s work includes investments in low-carbon energy technologies, urban revitalization projects, wildlife conservation and forest protection, and films to educate the public about pressing environmental concerns.

By joining BICEP, Vulcan, Inc. has committed to expanding its global sustainability efforts by working with businesses and policymakers to enact meaningful energy and climate policies.

Additional climate efforts from Vulcan, Inc. include:

• Underwriting a lawsuit to require the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to conduct its first environmental impact study of the federal coal leasing program since the 1970s.
• Founding member of Seattle 2030, a smart district in Seattle aimed at dramatically reducing environmental impact.
• Catalyzing research on ocean acidification – one of the most detrimental effects of climate change – through The Paul G. Allen Ocean Challenge.
• Investing in clean technology and supporting the development of innovative energy alternatives like bioenergy and geothermal power.
• Designing and building the Seattle Seahawks’ CenturyLink Field to be one of the most energy efficient football stadiums in the country.
• Establishing the Green Sports Alliance, which helps sports teams, venues and leagues improve their environmental performance.
• Producing films that educate and build awareness about the stark realities facing our planet – including “Pandora’s Promise,” “Strange Days on Planet Earth,” and the upcoming “Racing Extinction.”
• Reducing the company’s environmental footprint through Vulcan Blue, a program to engage employees in environmental education, a reduction in emission from business travel and company-wide volunteer days.
• Installing the largest solar array on the CenturyLink Convention Center.

More information on Vulcan, Inc.’s climate and environmental efforts is available at www.vulcan.com.

About Ceres
Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of over 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $13 trillion. Ceres also directs Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), an advocacy coalition of nearly 30 businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation. For more information, visit www.ceres.org or follow on Twitter @CeresNews.

About Vulcan, Inc.
Vulcan, Inc. creates and advances a variety of world-class endeavors and high-impact initiatives that change and improve the way people live, learn, do business and experience the world. Founded in 1986 by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, Vulcan oversees various business and charitable projects including real estate holdings, investments in dozens of companies, including the Seattle Seahawks NFL, Seattle Sounders FC Major League Soccer, and Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchises, First & Goal Inc., the Seattle Cinerama theatre, Experience Music Project, the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Allen Institute for Cell Science and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. For more information, visit www.vulcan.com.