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American Greetings Earns the ENERGY STAR ® for Superior Energy EfficiencyCleveland, Ohio (February 2009) - The world headquarters location of American Greetings Corp (NYSE: AM) has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection. America’s commercial buildings and industrial plants that rate in the top 25 percent of similar facilities for energy efficiency may qualify for the ENERGY STAR. Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. American Greetings improved its energy performance by making efficient management decisions and cost-effective improvements to its building. "We are very pleased to accept this distinction in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said American Greetings CEO, Zev Weiss. " We believe that sustainability is not simply an initiative, but a core principle guiding how we do business, and this work to improve the efficiency of our world headquarters location is one step in our long term plan.” Some of the notable efforts taken by the greeting card company to earn this recognition include:
EPA’s national energy performance rating system provides a 1-100 scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the ENERGY STAR. Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, and warehouses. ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles. For more information about ENERGY STAR visit www.energystar.gov. About American Greetings Corporation For more than 100 years American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a manufacturer and retailer of innovative social expressions products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships. The Company’s major greeting card brands are American Greetings, Carlton Cards and Gibson, and other paper product offerings include, DesignWare party goods, American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards and Date Works calendars. American Greetings also has the largest collection of electronic greetings on the Web, including cards available at AmericanGreetings.com, through AG Interactive, Inc., the company’s online division. AG Interactive also offers digital photo sharing and personal publishing at PhotoWorks.com and Webshots.com, and a one-stop source for online graphics, animations, emoticons, text generators, and more at Kiwee.com. In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.8 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets domestically and worldwide, including company owned American Greetings and Carlton Cards stores. For more information on the company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com. |
