Canadians Register 145,000 Acts of Green

TORONTO, October 30, 2008 - One Million Acts of Green (OMAoG), a unique collaboration between CBC and Cisco, has blown past its first major milestone. In just over a week, Canadians across the country have registered over 145,000 acts committed, equaling a reduction of 8,841,283 kg of greenhouse gas - which is equivalent to taking more than 1,900 cars off the road for a year. With an average of 12 acts submitted per minute, the OMAoG website is quickly becoming the most comprehensive social networking site in Canada focused on the environment. In addition, more than 2,500 people have joined a OMAoG Facebook group.

Since launch of the campaign on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos on October 21, Canadians from all walks of life have embraced this grassroots national movement. For example, Delta Secondary School in Hamilton, ON is encouraging students and staff to go green. The school's group currently has 128 members who have collectively logged 1,715 acts. Next Wednesday, November 5, kids, parents and teachers from Moraine Hills Public School in Richmond Hill, ON will join the "Walking School Bus", a coordinated team walk to school, and log their efforts.

This weekend, November 1 and 2, one of OMAoG's environmental partners, Clean Air Foundation will begin its (seasonal LED light exchange) "SLED" campaign at 180 Home Depot stores across Canada. LED lights are 95 per cent more energy efficient than incandescent, and Canadians can exchange their old lights for a discount on LED lights. All participating stores will be giving out info OMAoG info cards (printed on recycled paper stock with enviro-friendly ink) around the SLED campaign. The projected reach is 120,000 people. Each exchange is an act of green and it will be the featured act for the weekend at www.onemillionactsofgreen.com.

The most popular Acts of Green are the simplest. The OMAoG 145,000 acts logged to date include:

Turn Lights Off When Not In Use - logged 4,445 times Do Laundry In Cold Water - logged 4,414 times Drink Tap Water Instead of Bottled Water - logged 3,805 times Replace an Incandescent Light Bulb With a Compact Fluorescent - logged 3,307 times Replace Plastic Bags With Reusable Bags - logged 3,122 times

"One Million Acts of Green is already the most comprehensive program of its kind in Canada, from a green perspective," said Peter Corbyn of GreenNexxus, the OMAoG chief calculator architect. "Canada has clearly embraced this concept and this program, demonstrating the power of social networking to empower individuals to collectively effect change."

One Million Acts of Green. One act at a time.

About Cisco - Cisco is changing the way people work, live, play and learn in new and more sustainable ways. Through our technology, we enable people to make powerful connections whether in business, education, philanthropy or creativity. Our technology forms the foundation of the Internet and the Internet isn't a network of computers, it's a network of people. We call this "The Human Network" - a network of people with the power to change the world we live and work in. We believe change is a good thing, and that technology can and should improve life. Because of Cisco's solutions, people can come together in ways never before imagined. It doesn't matter whether walls, borders, mountains, or oceans stand in the way, over the network, people can come together and transform business, communities, governments, schools, and lives. Together, we are more powerful than we ever could be apart. When the human network sets out to solve a problem, the result is a Human Network Effect. www.cisco.com/ca

About CBC- CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. With 28 services offered on Radio, Television, the Internet, satellite radio, digital audio, as well as through its record and music distribution service and wireless WAP and SMS messaging services, CBC/Radio-Canada is available how, where, and when Canadians want it. www.cbc.ca/thehour & www.onemillionactsofgreen.com

For further information, on OMAoG, and The Hour please contact:
Julie Booth - Publicity
The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
&
One Million Acts of Green
julie.booth@cbc.ca
416 205 3769 Contact Information: Press Contact(s) Karin Scott Cisco Systems, Inc. +1 416 306 7164 kariscot@cisco.com