The Climate Project and Athgo International Join Forces

03/06/09

Nashville, Tennessee, March 6, 2009 -- The Climate Project (TCP), a non-profit founded by former Vice President Al Gore with a mission to increase public awareness of the climate crisis worldwide, today announced a partnership with Athgo International, a global non-profit which engages young people in social entrepreneurship to promote environmental sustainability. As part of the collaboration, TCP and Athgo will work on initiatives designed to mobilize global youth support to protect the environment and to develop solutions that promote a more efficient use of our natural resources.

Athgo's 6th annual Global Clean Technology Forum is currently underway on the University of California, Los Angeles campus. The event provides a platform for 200 young people selected from across the world to learn and advance their causes toward achieving environmental sustainability in the context of the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7. It also brings together influential government representatives, scientists, diplomats, experts and corporate executives into an arena with promising young people to showcase their successful sustainability practices and highlight innovations and new ground-breaking business models and financing methods that effectively address the development of renewable energy sources. A TCP representative will now be present for the duration of Athgo's Environment/Global Clean Technology Forums.

"The Climate Project provides the necessary information conduit for our young Social Entrepreneurs in their developing ventures that propose social, environmental, and economic impact. Receiving first rate information about climate realities from an organization started by the most recognized and trusted source in the industry, Mr. Al Gore himself, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, bolsters the scaling process of these solutions," said Dr. Armen Orujyan, Chairman of Athgo International.

Jenny Clad, Executive Director of The Climate Project, added, "Future generations will be affected most by climate change and therefore it is vital for us to educate young people on these important issues. Our partnership with Athgo will help us to develop youth networks and to expand training opportunities for youth from developing countries to help raise awareness of clean technology solutions."

TCP was started by Gore in 2006 as a modest effort to train a few individuals to deliver a slide show based on his Academy Award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. It has since grown a base of 2,600 volunteer presenters who travel the country and the world talking to community groups about the harmful effects of climate change facing the planet and what can be done to prevent more damage.

A long-term goal will be to integrate TCP's presentation and expertise into Athgo's second Innovation and Capacity Building Center (ICBC), which is currently under plans in Los Angeles and scheduled to be opened in 2010. Athgo launched its first ICBC in Yerevan, Armenia in 2009 as a study center to support young people's scholarly and professional activities.

About The Climate Project

The Climate Project (TCP) is a nonprofit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, which began operations in June 2006 with the mission of increasing public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level in the United States and abroad. It consists of a professional staff and diverse group of more than 2,600 volunteers throughout the world who have been trained by Al Gore himself to present a version of the slide show featured in the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. In 2009, TCP expanded its mission with a new commitment to advocacy and activism to combat the climate crisis.

For more information about The Climate Project, please visit http://www.theclimateproject.org or call (615) 327-7577.

About Athgo International

Athgo International is incorporated in Los Angeles as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit NGO with consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and UN Department of Public Information. Athgo engages young people in social entrepreneurship to promote environmental sustainability and economic development. For additional information visit www.athgo.org.

Media Contacts:

Carrie Criado
Communications Director
The Climate Project
2100 West End Avenue, Suite 620
Nashville, TN 37203
(832) 576-6207
http://www.theclimateproject.org

Aniela Kuzon
Athgo International                 
13636 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 222
Los Angeles, CA 91423
(818) 345-6734
http://www.athgo.org

The Climate Project is Al Gore's climate change leadership program and is a part of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. TCP's mission is to educate the public about the harmful effects of climate change and to work toward solutions at a grassroots level worldwide. TCP supports more than 3,500 diverse and dedicated volunteers worldwide. TCP Presenters have delivered 70,000 presentations and have reached a combined global audience of 7.3 million people. Your donation will allow us to engage even more people directly in our mission and empower every individual to play a part in solving the climate crisis.  Donations for The Climate Project are accepted through the Alliance for Climate Protection. Please specify that your gift should be allocated to The Climate Project fund. Contributions or gifts to The Alliance for Climate Protection are deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes. No goods or services of any value were or will be transferred to you in connection with this donation. Unless otherwise indicated, donations are considered unrestricted and will be used by the Alliance to fulfill its overall mission and goals.

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