Contact: Susan Carrier, Outreach Coordinator
(626) 568-8412 scarrier@geltzcomm.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, Calif. – June 4, 2004 : June 4, 2004, Sacramento, CA: Geltz Communications, a Pasadena marketing communications firm, received a national award from ENERGY STAR for Small Business, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. The award recognized the innovative outreach and effectiveness of the Small Business Energy Alliance’s (SBEA) Energy Savers Program, for which Geltz Communications provided marketing and communication support.

Christine Geltz, principal, accepted the award on behalf of her company at a ceremony at the California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Sacramento in May.

Sponsored by the California Public Utilities Commission as a public-goods initiative, the Energy Savers Program helps hard-to-reach small businesses save energy. The program provides education, free energy audits and up to 75 percent funding to upgrade lighting, install programmable thermostats or tune up refrigeration and air conditioning systems.

In 2003, SBEA’s efforts helped to reduce energy usage in California by nearly 19 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) and saved businesses $2.3 million. These energy saving measures prevented more than 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide from polluting the atmosphere.

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ENERGY STAR began in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based approach to reduce air pollution through energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR helps businesses, state and local governments, congregations, and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Reduction of energy waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants associated with fossil fuel-based electrical generation.

Geltz Communications (www.geltzcomm.com), a certified, woman-owned California business, was founded in 1990 and specializes in the energy, water and environmental industries.