New Card Empowers Consumers to Reduce Their Impact on Climate ChangeBank of America today announced at the Good and Green Marketing Conference in Chicago that it has teamed with Brighter Planet™ to offer a credit card that helps customers reduce their contribution to climate change and invest in the development of clean, renewable energy projects.

The Brighter Planet™ Visa® credit card enables customers to earn one EarthSmart™ point for every $1 spent in purchases. The points earned are used to help build community-based renewable energy projects across the United States.

“Brighter Planet is working with Bank of America to help Americans make a direct impact on climate change,” said Patti Prairie, chief executive officer of Brighter Planet. “With a majority of Americans wanting to do something about the environment, the Brighter Planet Visa credit card offers a practical and effective way for individuals to take personal steps to build a clean energy future. Consumers should conserve what they can, then use the card to offset what they cannot.”

How the Brighter Planet Visa Card Works

Points earned with the Brighter Planet Visa credit card are automatically redeemed each month to support renewable energy projects. Each 1,000 points earned is projected to offset one ton of carbon dioxide. Eliminating one ton of carbon dioxide has the same global warming impact as taking an average car off the road for two months.

  The rewards program features are:

- Spend $1 in retail purchases and earn one EarthSmart™ point (1,000

points equal one estimated ton of carbon offsets).

- For every two base points earned through December 2008, Bank of America

will make a matching contribution of one additional point.

- Earn 1,000 bonus points after the first card use, which should more

than offset the impact of the creation and delivery of the new card.

- Earn an additional 1,000 bonus points after signing up for paperless

credit card statements.

- Through Brighter Planet's website http://www.brighterplanet.com/, cardholders

can calculate their carbon footprint, learn ways to reduce their own

environmental impact, participate in an online community to get more

involved in the green movement, monitor clean energy projects funded

from their card use and track their footprint reduction progress from

the use of the card.

“The Brighter Planet Visa credit card — in combination with other steps consumers take to change their day-to-day energy consumption — provides consumers with an added opportunity to help counteract global climate change and invest in the environment,” said Michael Rhodes, Bank of America senior vice president of Business Development for North America Card Services. “Our partnership with Brighter Planet is the latest example of Bank of America’s commitment to protecting the environment and growing environmentally sustainable business practices across the globe.”

Brighter Planet’s partnership with premium carbon offset provider NativeEnergy will ensure that only projects resulting in emission reductions beyond business-as-usual activities and that have community social value will be included in their program. In addition, all projects will be reviewed by Brighter Planet’s highly regarded Project Selection Committee run by leading environmentalists. Initial undertakings include wind and methane capture projects with new projects and technologies to be added over time.

“This credit card doesn’t only buy goods — it buys the world time in the fight against global warming,” said Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres, a leading U.S. coalition of investors and environment groups who serves on the Brighter Planet Project Selection Committee. “By paying for projects that reduce greenhouse gases, the credit card educates consumers and allows them to do something more with their rewards than purchasing airline tickets and hotel stays.”

Consumers can learn more about or apply for the Brighter Planet Visa credit card by calling 1.800.511.1472 or visiting http://www.newcardonline.com/ and using priority code FABZDN. The card will be available at Bank of America banking centers in early 2008.

In addition to the Brighter Planet Visa credit card, Bank of America and Brighter Planet are offering the ability for millions of current Bank of America® WorldPoints® cardholders to redeem points to offset greenhouse gas emissions. The two companies are also planning to launch new deposits products in early 2008 that will help Brighter Planet further support the construction of renewable-energy projects.

A Corporate Leader in Environmental Sustainability

The Brighter Planet Visa credit card is part of Bank of America’s $20 billion commitment announced in March of this year to support the growth of environmentally sustainable business activity to address global climate change. This 10-year initiative encourages development of environmentally sustainable business practices through lending, investing, philanthropy and the creation of new products and services.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 57 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, more than 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 23 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Brighter Planet

Brighter Planet is an independent company that provides innovative products and services to help build a clean energy future. It has partnered with leading environmentalists, the renewable energy company NativeEnergy, and Bank of America. Brighter Planet created a proprietary technology platform that empowers consumers to make a difference on a daily basis. Using http://www.brighterplanet.com/, cardholders can calculate their carbon footprint, learn ways to reduce their environmental impact, track their rewards and progress towards carbon neutrality, monitor renewable energy projects, and see the positive impact they are making.

SOURCE: Bank of America

Related susty stuff:
Maggie Gyllenhaal Wants Your Video on Climate Change – Win $3000!
Brighter Schools Program Raises Money and Environmental Awareness
Brighter Planet Website Screencast VIDEO
Brighter Planet and 350.org Challenge Bloggers to Offset Carbon Emissions With Onsite Badge
Credit Cardholders Reduce Carbon Footprint with Purchases on Brighter Planet Visa Card
Bank of America Launches Brighter Planet Credit Card
Brighter Planet
1Sky PSA: America is Ready for Bold Climate Action! VIDEO
All Susty posts tagged with Brighter Planet

350 Campaign, carbon emissions and Bill McKibben »
Bill McKibben and the Magic Number 350
Nasa Scientist James Hansen Warns the World Must Urgently Make Huge CO2 Reductions
SustyHack: 350.org
Bill McKibben Biography: Author, Environmental Activist