-- The World Resources Institute was awarded $200,000 to support the "Green House Gas Protocol" initiative, a program that defines and promotes public reporting of companies' greenhouse gas emissions, and to the Green Supply Chain Group's program to strengthen the environmental performance of the supply chain industry in China.

-- Earth Day Network was awarded $150,000, which will go toward its National Civic Education Project and a related Education Media Campaign program.

-- Keep America Beautiful received $200,000 to be used for its 2010 Community Improvement program, which is focused on recycling, conservation, education and employee engagement.

-- The National Arbor Day Foundation received $50,000 for reforestation efforts in northern California's Plumas National Forest damaged by recent fires.

-- The National Council for Science and the Environment was awarded $90,000 for its "Campus to Careers" green jobs internship program, and sponsorship support for the National New Green Economy Conference in January 2010.

-- The National Park Foundation received $150,000 for the First Bloom youth engagement and education program, which provides children in grades 4-6 with hands-on native plant restoration projects and lessons.

-- The Nature Conservancy received $250,000 for reforestation and protection of forests in Kenya; the development of a carbon offset program in Brazil, and completion of the first part of a climate change assessment in China.

In 2008, The UPS Foundation added "Environmental Sustainability" as one of its focused giving areas to complement its focus on environmentally responsible business practices.

Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation's major areas of focus include community safety, non-profit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2007, The UPS Foundation donated more than $46 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS's community involvement.

For additional information on The UPS Foundation's environmental commitment, visit www.sustainability.ups.com/community.

SOURCE: The UPS Foundation

UPS 
Keisha Simmons, 404-828-6798 
keishasimmons@ups.com 
or 
Fleishman-Hillard 
Kathryn McClelland, 314-982-9133 
kathryn.mcclelland@fleishman.com

In order to achieve its goals, Conexant developed a Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) that is used as framework to develop and manage programs that prevent pollution, minimize the company's overall environmental impact, reduce health and safety risks, promote integrity and fair labor practice, and continually improve business practices and performance. Conexant's SEMS is certified to ISO 14001:2004 (International Organization for Standardization - Environmental Management Systems) and conforms to the requirements of OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Administration Standard - Health and Safety Management Systems), and the EICC (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition - Electronic Industry Code of Conduct).

Conexant's recent environmentally friendly accomplishments include:

-- Achieving greater than 98 percent compliance meeting restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)/green requirements for legacy products, and 100 percent compliancy for all new products.

-- Reducing energy consumption throughout worldwide facilities by at least 10 percent, while reducing carbon emissions by hundreds of tons per year through initiatives that reduced power requirements for lighting, AC/heating, computing, printing, and data storage.

-- Reducing energy consumption and air emissions from employee travel by approximately 57 percent through the use of various work-collaboration tools

-- Lowering fuel/emissions/impact on landfills by reducing the amount of packing materials by 60 percent.

-- Increasing the use of post-consumer recycled materials by approximately 25 percent.

About Conexant

Conexant's comprehensive portfolio of innovative semiconductor solutions includes products for imaging, audio, embedded-modem, and video applications. Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. For more information, visit www.conexant.com.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage. On the Web at www.SDCExec.com.

Conexant is a registered trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc.

SOURCE: Conexant Systems, Inc.

Conexant Systems, Inc. 
Gwen Carlson 
(949) 483-7363

In early 2008, Con-way launched a formal sustainability program across its operating companies -- Con-way Truckload, Con-way Freight and Menlo Worldwide Logistics -- and at its trailer manufacturing division, Road Systems, Inc. (RSI). Sustainability highlights across the enterprise include:

Con-way Freight (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2006)

--  SmartWay Excellence Award winner -- 2008
--  Speed reduction -- 65 to 62 mph in 2008
--  Installed low-profile tires to improve rolling resistance and reduce
    weight
--  Set idling monitors to three minutes
--  Annual diesel fuel savings: 3,594,377 gallons (3.8 percent)
--  Annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction: 601,928 tons
--  Annual particulate matter emissions reduction: 32.09 tons

Con-way Truckload (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2005)

--  SmartWay Excellence Award winner in 2006 and 2007
--  Speed reduction -- 70 to 65 mph in 2008
--  100 percent of tractors converted to single wide-base tires
--  Truck spec weight lowered by 670 pounds, saving 11,400 gallons of
    diesel fuel each year
--  Annual diesel fuel savings: 3,050,060 gallons
--  Annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction: 340,872 tons
--  Annual particulate matter emissions reduction: 21.63 tons

Menlo Worldwide Logistics (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2007)

--  85 percent of network miles run by SmartWay-approved carriers, with 75
    percent carrier participation
--  Implemented no-idling policy at distribution centers
--  Launched the first LEED-certified warehouse
--  Installed more efficient lighting and motion detection systems to
    reduce energy consumption
--  Conducted energy audits at 18 company locations

RSI

--  Recycled 80 percent of old trailers, eliminating 7,424 pounds of waste
    per 28-foot trailer
--  Recycled all aluminum components, suspension and wheel end components,
    tires and wheels
--  Established a facilitywide recycling program for paper, plastic and
    aluminum

"Working to shrink our carbon footprint in meaningful, tangible ways is a continuous process of improvement and waste reduction, not unlike Lean and Six Sigma methodologies," added Miller. "Effective green initiatives can and should be founded in good business practice that achieves environmental goals while contributing to efficiency and the bottom line. It provides competitive advantage on several fronts while benefiting our customers and their sustainability strategies."

Follow Con-way on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Con_way_.

Con-way images are available at www.con-way.com/en/about_con_way/newsroom.

About Con-way Inc.

Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) is a $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. A diversified transportation company, Con-way delivers industry-leading services through three primary operating companies: Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics. These operating units provide high-performance, day-definite less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload and intermodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services and trailer manufacturing. Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries operate from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries. For more information about Con-way, visit www.con-way.com.

Contacts:
KG Partners
Belinda Donovan/Amber Caouette
(207) 773-0700
bdonovan@kgmoment.com
acaouette@kgmoment.com

Con-way Inc.
Tom Nightingale
(734) 757-1609
nightingale.tom@con-way.com

SOURCE: Con-way Inc.

mailto:bdonovan@kgmoment.com
mailto:acaouette@kgmoment.com
mailto:nightingale.tom@con-way.com

Bidegain said that while landlocked countries in this region like Bolivia and Paraguay would especially suffer the rise in temperatures, coastal countries like Argentina and Uruguay would be hit harder by the effects of the rising sea level.

In the meantime, Brazil is investing millions of dollars in efforts to study and adapt to impacts like the gradual transformation of the Amazon jungle into savannah, and has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36.1 or 38.9 percent - depending on GDP growth levels - by 2020.

The expert said Uruguay - which is sandwiched between Argentina and Brazil - will not escape the impacts. The last five-yearly report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 2007, said that in the best-case scenario, the average global temperature would rise between two and 2.5 degrees by 2050.

The report by Tierramerica, a specialised news service on the environment and development produced by the IPS (Inter Press Service) news agency with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that is published by 20 newspapers in the region, is based on the responses of 23 climate change experts who were sent an extensive questionnaire by email, which was then supplemented by telephone contacts.

Several of the experts are members of the IPCC, like Bidegain, who was a reviewer of the Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and of the IPCC Technical Paper on Climate Change and Water (2008).

The aim of the special 40-page Tierramerica report, "Latin America and the Irreversible Effects of a Warmer Planet", which is available on-line in Spanish, is to analyse the state of global warming in the region, by consulting with experts, scientists and authorities, and representatives of civil society and international bodies. Updated reports will be produced periodically.

The report was presented Thursday in Montevideo by its author, Cristina Canoura, and IPS regional editor for Latin America, Diana Cariboni, ahead of the Dec. 7-18 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

In the Danish capital, delegates from around the world will try to reach agreement on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

"A worrisome aspect for Uruguay is the rise in the average sea level. There is even greater uncertainty in that respect from a scientific point of view, because there is enormous debate, and even today the models used to project this kind of variable are not entirely reliable at a global level," said Bidegain.

The IPCC projected a 60 cm rise in sea level by the end of the century, although other researchers believe that is an overly conservative estimate and warn that it could rise by over a metre.

This is especially alarming for Uruguay, said the scientist, given that this country has only seen a 10-cm rise in sea level in the past 60 years. "This would be at least six times that, which is overwhelming," he remarked.

"This, naturally, has all kinds of effects on daily life that you can't even imagine. The rise in sea level won't only cause coastal flooding, but a process of salinisation of lakes, like at the mouth of the Santa Lucia river, where Montevideo gets its water," he said.

The scientist said adaptation efforts should be prioritised over mitigation initiatives. "The change is going to happen. The greenhouse gases that we have already emitted will remain in the atmosphere. What we are seeing now is not because of what we're emitting today, but what we have released into the atmosphere in past decades," he explained.

"Global warming is inevitable in the next 50 years. That must be understood. It's inevitable, no matter what we do. What will be negotiated in Copenhagen is an agreement to achieve an at-least voluntary reduction in greenhouse gases to try to curb the warming, but unfortunately it is going to continue for several decades."

Bidegain explained the concept of irreversibility discussed in the Tierramerica report.

"There are scientists in the world pointing out that with a more than two degree rise in the average global temperature, the climate system could stabilise at a certain level, which no one knows what that would be, but at which we would all suffer. But later, even with voluntary or coordinated greenhouse gas cuts, there would be no return, even to current levels," he said.

"Our society is based on the consumption of fossil fuels which, whether coal or oil, emit greenhouse gases when we burn them. We have to think of a new kind of society, a new way of life," said Bidegain.

The researcher underlined that Uruguay has made progress, especially with the creation this year of the National System of Response to Climate Change, although he also stressed the need to design concrete long-term plans for agriculture and livestock, chief economic sectors in this country that will be affected.

Winter crops like wheat and barley will be hit hardest, according to experts. "It's necessary to think about that with respect to the future, how Uruguay is going to cover that shortage. We will have practically no flour to make bread. Are we going to replace it with another crop? Climate change presents us with opportunities as well as challenges," he said.

One of the experts surveyed for the Tierramerica report, Agustin Gimenez, said "the most evident and negative effects of climate change in Uruguay and in the region (southern Brazil and the pampas in Argentina) are the increase in climate variability and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events."

Gimenez is national coordinator of the National Institute of Agricultural Research unit on research and development on agro-climate and information systems.

The Tierramerica report says that Latin America and the Caribbean could suffer a loss of agricultural revenue of up to 12 percent, in a scenario of mild climate change, and of up to 50 percent in a more severe scenario.

Bidegain also underscored the need for these problems to be given priority in the plans of the future government of Uruguay, which will be elected in the Nov. 29 presidential runoff election.

Tierramerica is a multimedia platform that offers news reports, interviews and columns on the environment and development in Spanish, English and Portuguese in print, audio and images. It is sponsored by UNEP, the UNDP and the World Bank.

While not a new concept, sustainability is fast becoming a standard expectation of consumers, forcing manufacturers to seek viable, repeatable ways to improve their sustainability profile. Although conventional wisdom dictates that sustainability will increase costs, organizations are realizing that sustainable best practices can frequently result in increased cost savings.

"Our clients are turning to us to help them reduce both costs as well as the environmental impact of their supply chain processes," said Lorcan Sheehan, senior vice president of marketing, ModusLink. "Most consumer product OEMs want to be socially responsible. ModusLink's in-depth understanding of our clients' business processes and sustainable best practices allows us to work with them to identify and implement practical steps to realize their sustainability and cost objectives."

ModusLink's Sustainable Solutions Suite is designed to help supply chain practitioners minimize the environmental impact of their supply chain processes and reduce total supply chain costs. The Company said it evaluates an organization's carbon footprint and offers a solution set to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, reduce the use of plastics, increase the use of recyclable materials and minimize the amount of product and components sent to landfills. Through its work with the world's leading technology brands, ModusLink has developed sustainable packaging solutions that are designed eliminate 4,085 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the environment every year; or a savings of 8,254 barrels of oil.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies, the group noted.

More Information: www.moduslink.com

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