The Philadelphia Eagles will reimburse its employees living in the Philadelphia region and

New Jersey who purchase electricity from wind farms, making it the first organization to pick up this type of cost for employees.

Eagles owner Christina Lurie, joined by Secretary of Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Michael DiBerardinis; NFL Executive Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Joe Browne; and PECO, An Exelon Company Director Frank Jiruska, spoke at the site of the 2007 NFL Business Summit at the downtown Marriott.

The Eagles will present its Go Green program, which was launched in 2003, during the four-day conference, as NFL team representatives share best practices in the areas of business, marketing, and community relations.

"We hope to serve as an example for NFL teams and the corporate sector," said Lurie. "The topic of greening in sports is especially important in cities like Philadelphia with professional teams and sports arenas. Game days have a huge environmental impact considering traffic, trash, energy and material consumption, and water use. They are also opportunities for education and awareness."

"On behalf of Gov. Rendell, who is taking a number of steps to make Pennsylvania a leader in the national drive toward energy independence, I thank the Eagles for being a great role model for the community, private businesses and other NFL teams," said Commonwealth of DCNR Secretary Mike DiBerardinis.

"With the Go Green initiative, the Eagles are showing a commitment to educating and encouraging the community about recycling practices and helping to green the environment. Imagine getting this message out to hundreds of thousands of fans! That's a great score for the conservation of our natural resources."

Secretary DiBerardinis added that these types of initiatives help individuals understand the role that can be played in the stewardship of our earth and our quality of life.

If an employee purchases 300 KW of wind energy, it is equivalent to planting 268 trees every year or not driving 3,600 miles. Considering the Eagles would get at least 100 employees to participate, that would equal 360,000 miles not driven or more than 26,800 trees planted.

"Since its launch in May 2004, PECO WIND has become the fastest growing green power program in the country, with more than 36,000 customers," said PECO director Frank Jiruska. "The environmental benefit for the entire program is the same as planting about 11 million trees or not driving 144 million miles. This purchase - where employees of a company band together to enroll in PECO WIND - is the first of its kind, making the Eagles trailblazers, which makes today a very good day for the environment."

"'Go Green' is more than just a play on words for the Eagles," said Lurie. "'Go Green' has become both a rallying cry for the football team and we hope a good citizenship message for the community."

The Philadelphia Eagles is the first team in professional sports to adopt responsibility for the environment and its role in the community. In 2003, the Eagles launched Go Green, a ground-breaking campaign to better the environment and encourage sustainable business practices as core operating principles.

4/13/2007