BGC Environmental Brokerage Services
Press Release - Emissions Marketing Association and Cantor Fitzgerald’s Environmental Units Announce Emissions Neutral Annual Fall Meeting and International Conference

Toronto, 16 September 2002 - The Emissions Marketing Association (EMA) puts the principles of emissions trading into practice and agrees for the first time to make the EMA Annual Fall Meeting and International Conference, 29 September – 1 October 2002 in Toronto, Canada emissions neutral. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with the conference will be offset by the purchase of emission reductions donated by greenhouse gas brokerage CO2e.com (CO2e), and Cantor’s Environmental Brokerage Services (EBS), both part of the Cantor Fitzgerald Environmental group.
This initiative illustrates how organisations can practically utilise emissions trading as a tool to effect environmental change. Matthew Most, Chair of the EMA Board of Directors, whose mission is to promote market-based trading solutions for environmental management, noted: "Cantor Fitzgerald's initiative to make the EMA 6th Annual Fall Meeting and International Conference climate neutral illustrates the immense power of emissions trading as a policy tool."
Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the conference venue, delegates travel and accommodation will be calculated and neutralised through the purchase of emission offsets from projects that actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Corinne Boone, Managing Director of CO2e, commented that ”CO2e and EBS are pleased to be involved in making the upcoming conference greenhouse gas emissions neutral. The EMA has taken a leadership role in demonstrating how emissions associated with its activities can be offset to contribute to global environmental solutions.”
Josh Margolis, Managing Director of EBS said, “The offsetting of these travel-related greenhouse gas emissions allows EMA members to not only gather to confer on emissions trading but to do so while also showing their commitment to environmental management by matching their words with actions.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Feldner Executive Director, EMA Ph: +1 414 276 3819 E-mail: dfeldner@emissions.org
Josh Margolis Managing Director, Cantor Fitzgerald EBS Ph: +1 800 228 2955 E-mail: jmargolis@cantor.com
Corinne Boone Managing Director, CO2e Ph: +1 416 350 2177 E-mail: cboone@CO2e.com
ABOUT THE EMA The Emissions Marketing Association (www.emissions.org) has been established to promote market-based trading solutions for environmental management through the following objectives:
-
Promote the advancement and application of policy and regulation relevant to market-based emission trading systems.
-
Encourage and facilitate information exchange among members, and other professional and technical groups, and the public.
-
Provide programmes in education and training to improve knowledge and skills of members and the understanding and acceptance by the public.
ABOUT CO2e CO2e.com, LLC (CO2e) delivers market-based solutions to help companies manage the opportunities and risks of climate change:
-
Environmental brokerage
-
-
Trading and risk management tools
-
Advice and market information
CO2e (www.CO2e.com), launched in November 2000, is part of the Cantor Fitzgerald group created in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers and powered by eSpeedsm. In Europe CO2e operates as a division of Cantor Fitzgerald International and globally, it has offices in London, New York and Toronto.
ABOUT CANTOR’S ENVIRONMENTAL BROKERAGE SERVICES Cantor Fitzgerald Environmental Brokerage Services' (www.emissionstrading.com) mission is to provide a marketplace where industry, government, and the public can take full advantage of environmental credit trading opportunities. Services include:
-
Environmental brokerage
-
Continuous clean air auction
-
Trade clearing services
-
Custodial accounts
-
Emissions trading seminars and consulting services
Established in 1992, Cantor Fitzgerald EBS is the oldest environmental brokerage in the United States. Staff have more than 60 years of emissions trading experience. This business unit of Cantor Fitzgerald has five regional offices, is active in more than 32 markets, and has brokered billions in environmental credits.
NOTES TO EDITOR: What is Emissions Neutral?
Greenhouse gases (which are said to contribute to global climate change) are emitted by a range of everyday activities like electricity production and transport, largely related to the consumption of fossil fuels. When running a conference, it is difficult to avoid greenhouse gas emissions. However, the impact of these emissions on climate change can be neutralised through the purchase of emission offsets.
One tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) has the same impact on climate change wherever in the world it is emitted - or saved. An organisation can now neutralise the impact of their conference on climate change by calculating the greenhouse gas emissions released as a consequence of their event and paying someone else to reduce an equivalent amount of emissions. That is, purchase emission offsets. In this case, CO2e and EBS will purchase emission offsets equal to the volume expected to be released as a result of the EMA Fall conference in Toronto and donate them to the EMA. The purchased offsets will be 'retired' and taken out of circulation. These offsets are sourced from projects that actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Such projects create emission offsets in various ways, for example, through improved energy efficiency, renewable energy generation or the planting of trees, which absorb CO2 out of the air.
# # #
|