The per-package price for the optional service is $0.05 for UPS Ground services and $0.20 for UPS Next Day Air(R), UPS 2nd Day Air(R) and UPS 3 Day Select(R) services. Based on customer feedback, a flat fee is used to make it simple and convenient for those wishing to participate. The price includes the cost of calculation, administrative costs associated with the service and the cost of the offsets.

Offsets will be purchased based on the carbon associated with participating customer shipments. To encourage customers to participate in this flat fee program, UPS will match the offset purchases, effectively doubling the offsets purchased in 2009-2010, up to $1 million.

The calculation to measure the CO2 impact of the customers' shipments is based on a variety of current and historical operational data, including distance and transport mode. UPS's calculation methodology and processes are verified by Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS), an inspection, verification, testing and certification company. The calculator is based on Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most widely used international standard for carbon accounting and reporting. In addition, the carbon offset process is also certified by The CarbonNeutral Company.

"Our customers told us they wanted an easy, credible way to join us in our efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains," said Bob Stoffel, senior vice president, engineering, strategy, supply chain and sustainability. "These services complement UPS's own sustainability efforts while offering customers a new option to address the environmental challenges of their supply chains."

The UPS carbon neutral service initially is available to the roughly 1 million U.S. customers who use UPS Internet Shipping with their UPS account number. UPS plans to extend the program to other UPS customers in 2010.

UPS Internet Shipping users simply check a box for carbon neutral shipping when they near the completion of their transaction on ups.com. UPS then will purchase high-quality certified carbon offsets. Initially, these will include offsets certified to the "Gold Standard," "Voluntary Carbon Standard" or "Climate Action Reserve."

In a second, related move, UPS also announced a carbon analysis service for its high-volume customers. Under this plan, available only on a contract basis, UPS will calculate the carbon impact of a customer's entire UPS shipping activity. The calculations then can be used by the shipper to purchase offsets directly or through UPS. The proprietary calculator used for this service also is verified by SGS.

"We believe these steps are important not just for UPS, but also for our customers," Stoffel noted. "Our global economy depends upon reliable transportation, so we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint on the environment."

UPS has extensive programs for conservation, reducing fuel use and emissions by its air and ground transportation operations and using alternative fuel technologies. To learn more about UPS's total environmental program, go to www.responsibility.ups.com. To learn more about UPS's carbon neutral product, please go to www.ups.com/carbonneutral.

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is the world's largest package delivery company and a global leader in supply chain and freight services. With more than a century of experience in transportation and logistics, UPS is a leading global trade expert equipped with a broad portfolio of solutions. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

SOURCE: UPS

UPS 
Elizabeth Rasberry, 404-828-4866 
erasberry@ups.com

"We are proud of the leadership that State Farm Chairman and CEO, Ed Rust, has demonstrated as a longtime member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer to promote healthier workplaces," said Weldon. "The CEO Cancer Gold Standard certification recognizes that State Farm's commitment to serving their more than 80 million policies and accounts is matched by a commitment to serve the health and wellness needs of their own employees and family members."

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for companies to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet, and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.

State Farm is the 43rd organization to become Gold Standard accredited. Other organizations joining State Farm in championing this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat include: Aetna, the American Cancer Society, the American Legacy Foundation, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Aptuit, AstraZeneca, C-Change, Cigna, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Fox Chase Cancer Center, GHI (an EmblemHealth company), GlaxoSmithKline, Hogan & Hartson, Independence Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Meridian Health, Minot State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute, Novartis, The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PhRMA, PPD, Pride, Inc., Quintiles Transnational, sanofi-aventis, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Virtua Health and The Wistar Institute.

((Comments on this story may be sent to health@closeupmedia.com))

"As Dr. Michael Seiden, president and CEO of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and his leadership team help lead the fight against cancer, our Gold Standard certification acknowledges that their efforts begin with a commitment to the health of their employees and their family members," said Weldon.

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard, calls for companies to evaluate their benefits and culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use and encouraging physical activity, healthy diet and nutrition; detect cancer at its earliest stages; and provide access to quality care, including the availability of clinical trials.

The most recent President's Cancer Panel report, "Maximizing our Nation's Investment in Cancer: Three Crucial Actions for America's Health", identified the CEO Cancer Gold Standard as an initiative that emphasizes cancer screening, tobacco control, cancer education, lifestyle modification, and access to cancer treatment when needed.

Fox Chase becomes the seventh NCI-designated cancer center to achieve Gold Standard accreditation, joining with the National Cancer Institute, who also achieved Gold Standard accreditation late last year.

((Comments on this story may be sent to health@closeupmedia.com))

"Our Gold Standard certification recognizes that Pride Inc.'s commitment to serving their community starts with providing for the health and wellness needs of the employees who help them fulfill that commitment," said Weldon.

Pride, Inc. is a North Dakota-based non-profit provider of vocational and developmental services for the elderly and disabled. The organization has taken a proactive approach to its employees' health, providing incentives to make healthier lifestyle choices including losing weight and quitting smoking.

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM) calls for companies to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet, and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.

The most recent President's Cancer Panel report, "Maximizing our Nation's Investment in Cancer: Three Crucial Actions for America's Health", identified the CEO Cancer Gold Standard as an initiative that emphasizes cancer screening, tobacco control, cancer education, lifestyle modification, and access to cancer treatment when needed.

Other organizations joining Pride, Inc. in championing this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat include: the American Cancer Society, the American Legacy Foundation, the American Society of Clincial Oncology, Aptuit, AstraZeneca, C-Change, Cigna, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Fox Chase Cancer Center, GHI (an EmblemHealth company), GlaxoSmithKline, Hogan & Hartson, Independence Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Meridian Health, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Minot State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute, Novartis, The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PhRMA, PPD, Quintiles Transnational, sanofi-aventis, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Virtua Health and The Wistar Institute.

About the CEO Roundtable on Cancer

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard encouraging its widespread adoption in workplaces across the country. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard(TM) and the accreditation process, please visit www.CancerGoldStandard.org.

SOURCE: CEO Roundtable on Cancer

CEO Roundtable on Cancer 
John Dornan, Executive Director 
919-531-0966 
John.Dornan@CEORoundtableOnCancer.org 
To read the President's Cancer Panel 2007- 2008 Report, please go to: 
http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp.htm.