For more information:
Sharon Burstein: (518) 339-4027
SharonBurstein@gmail.com

Released: Friday, December 19, 2008

(Lake Placid, NY) – The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake Placid, New York recently has joined with the Adirondack Council and their Cool Park/ Healthy Planet Carbon Retirement Program (click here). The program has been created by the Adirondack Council to prevent thousands of tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted by power plants from Maine to Delaware. The Golden Arrow has committed to retire enough carbon credits to offset the total number of occupied room nights for the month of December. It is estimated that the there is
100 lbs of carbon emitted per room night. The Golden Arrow is hoping to retire over 100 tons of carbon credits through this program. The goal is to make guests and the public know that they can really help to make a difference.

What makes the Adirondack Council’s program unique is that it removes actual carbon credits that power companies in the northeast must now purchase to give them the right to emit carbon. Through the Adirondack Councils Cool Park/Healthy Planet Program, these are now permanently retired which is a huge benefit to the environment. The campaign prevents the emission of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide from existing power plants. The effects of the program are real and measurable.

"The Adirondack Council is thrilled to assist the Golden Arrow in preventing hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide emissions from regional power plants," said Adirondack Council Executive Director Brian L. Houseal. "This landmark Lake Placid hotel will wipe out its own carbon footprint for the month of December through our Cool Park/Healthy Planet program. Plus, it will help us to purchase and retire additional allowances, preventing even more carbon pollution in the future. It will also help us to promote mandatory carbon reduction programs. We'd love to see this regional greenhouse gas program expanded to all 50 United States."

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first government-mandated carbon dioxide control program in the United States. It requires power plant emissions reductions in New York and nine other Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States. Over a period of years, the 10 states will steadily reduce their power plant carbon emissions through a “cap-and-trade” program. Founded in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a leading environmental research, education and advocacy organization with members in all 50 United States. The Adirondack Council’s Cool Park/Healthy Planet Program allows individual citizens to help quicken the pace of those reductions. Each year, every power plant in the region must purchase one “carbon allowance” for each ton of carbon dioxide they emit. Each year, the number of allowances available at auction is reduced, until the emissions reduction goal is reached (10 percent in the region by 2019).

As supplies are reduced, the price will rise, making it more affordable for power plant owners to eliminate carbon emissions than to continue buying allowances. In an effort to speed this process, the Adirondack Council participated in the September kick-off auction alongside the power plants and bought 1,000 tons’ worth of allowances. The Adirondack Council has offered the public the opportunity to retire those allowances in groups of three tons each for $25.

The program benefits the giver, the recipient and the environment in four ways.

1. The satisfaction of knowing they have helped prevent actual carbon emissions. Each donor receives a serial-numbered as proof of their contribution.

2. Each donation allows the Council to use part of the proceeds to buy more allowances at future auctions and part to support its research, advocacy and education efforts.

3. New York and other RGGI states have committed the revenue they receive from the quarterly RGGI auctions to promote clean energy and energy conservation. Money the Council pays for the allowances will go to state-sponsored carbon-reduction programs such as those operated by the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority.

4.Carbon Reduction Certificate donations to the Council are fully tax-deductible. The Council doesn’t sell the allowances to the donor, but rather retires them in the donor’s name (or the name they choose). The certificates have no cash value – they are simply proof of a good deed toward a healthier environment. The Adirondack Council is tax-exempt, federally registered (501c3) charitable organization.

“We are very excited to have a definitive and measurable impact by retiring these carbon credits,” said Jennifer Holderied owner of the Golden Arrow. “The Golden Arrow has committed to retiring enough credits to offset the carbon emitted per occupied guest room for the month of December. So the more people who stay at the Golden Arrow this month, the more carbon credits that will be retired!

Since the start of their Green program in 2005, The Golden Arrow has made significant advances in their Green Initiatives. They are a leader in green efforts throughout the North Country and have set high expectations for other green hotels and resorts nationally in their quest to preserve the valuable resources provided by the lush region of the Adirondack Mountains. The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort recently received the Environmental Excellence Award from New York State. They are the only resort in the United States to have achieved a 4-Green Leaf ration from International Audubon.

Located directly on the lake at 2559 Main Street in the Olympic Village of Lake Placid, New York, the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort has 166 rooms and suites along with extensive conference facilities with every meeting being automatically Green, dining at Charlie’s and the T-Bar, along with a wide range of amenities on property. For further information or reservations call 518- 523-3353 locally, toll-free at 800-582-5540 or visit the Golden Arrow’s web site at www.golden-arrow.com

For more information:
John F. Sheehan
Director of Communications
The Adirondack Council
518-432-1770 (ofc)
518-441-1340 (cell)
518-456-4512 (home)