Press Release
January 30, 2013
Contact Amy Morsch, morscha@c2es.org, 703-516-0630
Fan Wins Super Bowl Trip Playing Geaux Green Game
WASHINGTON – NFL fan Mark Karolkiewicz’s decision to play the Geaux Green game and commit to save energy around the house got him more than a lower power bill. He also won a free trip for two to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
“I have wanted to go to the Super Bowl for as long as I can remember and now it’s happening,’’ said Karolkiewicz, of Salem, N.H. “I can’t wait.”
Karolkiewicz, 51, a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 13 years, will be going to the game with his son, Eric, 24.
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) developed the Geaux Green website and contest in partnership with Entergy Corporation and the 2013 New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee as part of the effort to make the festivities in the Big Easy as environmentally friendly as possible.
Geaux (pronounced Go) Green participants could select from a menu of everyday actions to reduce their carbon footprint. After playing the game in December, Karolkiewicz installed timers on his family’s outdoor Christmas lights and several indoor lights to save energy.
“We’re on crazy schedules sometimes, so the timers help us make sure we aren’t leaving lights on all the time,” he said.
As of Jan. 11, Karolkiewicz and other participants had pledged to take actions that will keep more than 21 million pounds of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. That’s equivalent to removing 1,984 cars from the road for one year.
Entergy is matching those pledged reductions by investing in carbon offset projects, including a landfill gas collection project in Denton, Texas, and a forest conservation initiative in California’s redwood region.
“Never before has a single sporting event been the focus of such an intensive and wide-ranging program of pro-environment activities,” said Katie Mandes, vice president for community engagement with C2ES.
Fans traveling to the game can also use the Geaux Green website to calculate the carbon emissions associated with their trip. Then, they can select how much of their travel they want to offset (starting at $5) and choose a carbon-reducing project to receive their offset dollars. All fan offset purchases will be matched by Entergy.
Other environmental initiatives for this year’s Super Bowl include efforts to promote recycling and bike sharing in New Orleans and investments in carbon-reducing projects to offset Super Bowl-related greenhouse gas emissions from such activities as team travel and powering the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“Hosting the Super Bowl in your hometown is an honor, and Entergy wants to make the most of this opportunity to showcase practical solutions for protecting the environment,” said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility for Entergy Corporation and the environmental initiatives chair for the New Orleans Host Committee.
Mark Karolkiewicz said he and Eric, who works as a prison guard in Massachusetts, are sorry they won’t be seeing their New England Patriots in the big game. But he said he knows “it’s going to be a great time. There’s nothing bigger than the Super Bowl.”
For more information:
Twitter: Follow @tweetanimpact and #geauxgreen
Facebook: Like us at www.facebook.com/geauxgreen.mai.
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization promoting strong policy and action to address the challenges of energy and climate change. Launched in November 2011, C2ES is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions has partnered with Entergy to bring the Make an Impact program to Entergy communities. Make an Impact is a community-focused project aimed at raising awareness and mobilizing action on climate change. It provides tools and resources for Entergy employees, customers, their families and the local community to understand and manage their individual carbon footprint.
Entergy Corporation, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.