28/04/2005 – Ice cream
makers Ben & Jerry’s are seeking young
people to stop the melt and help lick global
warming.
Together with WWF and polar explorer Marc
Cornelissen, the internationally-recognized
brand is launching the Ben & Jerry’s Climate
Change College in support of WWF’s international
PowerSwitch! campaign.
The three-year initiative will see six young
people – aged 18-25 – each year become Climate
Change Ambassadors after graduating from the
Ben & Jerry’s Climate College. Successful
applicants to the college will be fully trained
through internships, workshops, and a visit
to the polar region to witness the issue for
themselves and support ongoing research into
climate change.
"Just like ice cream, if it’s melted
it’s ruined," said Jerry Greenfield,
one of the co-founder's of Ben & Jerry's
ice cream, who attended the launch of the
Climate Change College. “Like everybody in
the world, I believe that global climate change
is an incredible problem and we need to do
something about it."
“It is this belief that has led us to create
the Climate Change College, giving young people
the skills to return to their countries to
inspire businesses and citizens to start addressing
the issue of climate change.”
The project’s main objective is to help these
young people develop the practical skills
to help fight climate change and prevent the
polar ice caps from further melting. This
group of international ambassadors will be
recruited from the UK and the Netherlands.
After completing their college and field mission
in 2006 the ambassadors will campaign and
spread the message with support from Ben &
Jerry’s and WWF.
Scientists fear that by 2100 there may be
no sea-ice left during the Arctic summers.
This will have far-reaching and non-reversible
impacts on local population and wildlife.
The second largest freshwater reserve on the
planet – the Greenland ice sheet – also shows
worrying signs of accelerated melting.
Unless CO2 emissions are drastically cut,
we will see warming over Greenland triggering
a very rapid meltdown. Over the following
centuries this could cause global ocean levels
to rise by seven meters. Global warming and
the meltdown of the polar ice caps will ultimately
affect people and communities the world over.
The main culprit for CO2 emissions is the
electricity sector, mainly due to coal-powered
stations. The use of coal is especially polluting
as it produces more CO2 per unit of energy
then any other fuel. WWF's PowerSwitch! campaign
aims at cleaning up the act of the power sector.
“Melting ice caps, violent weather, severe
droughts, warming oceans, species forced to
move to cooler homes – coal power is responsible
for these alarming signs of global warming,"
said Imogen Zethoven, leader of the global
PowerSwitch! Campaign. "We need to move
away from coal and fast."
Addressing the need for a new generation
of young campaigners, the Climate Change College
has been created to empower people to challenge
the way businesses and individuals impact
the environment. The PowerSwitch! campaign
will be the maincontent for campaign activities
in the college.
“Ben and I built Ben & Jerry’s on the
idea that business has a responsibility to
the community and environment," Greenfield
said. "Now, when we face a problem like
global warming, and you understand that the
biggest impacts on global warming come from
business and industry. I think business needs
to take a leading role. Business can be a
source of progressive change."
During their training, Climate Change Ambassadors
will be exposed to leading experts on climate
change research and campaigning through a
series of lectures and workshops culminating
in an educational visit to the Arctic. After
completing their time at the college, they
will be assisted in setting up meetings, speaking
engagements, and campaign plans designed to
start affecting real change in their own countries.
“We need to move to cleaner fuels – wind,
sun, crops – and we need to get a lot smarter
with the way we use energy," said Andrew
Lee, WWF-UK’s Campaign Director. "Our
Ambassadors will help us to transform the
world’s biggest climate polluter into a clean
efficient industry.”
NOTES:
• Ben & Jerry’s climate change management
plans include continuously improving plant
efficiencies, acting on new technology options,
and taking advantage of emission offsets.
The ice cream maker uses non-polluting green
energy (CO2 neutral renewable energy sourced
from wind, sun, water, or biomass) to power
its manufacturing operations.
• The company is committed to reduce manufacturing
related CO2 emissions by 10 per cent over
2002 levels by the year 2007. The company
has also taken an active interest in promising
research developments in thermoacoustic refrigeration,
a cooling technology that uses sound waves
instead of greenhouse gas emitting refrigerants.
