March 25, 2009—Sustainability coalition Ceres recently announced that three new companies—Gap, eBay, and Symantec—have joined a new business coalition, Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP). The coalition is calling for strong U.S. climate and energy policies in 2009 to spur clean energy and reduce global warming pollution.
Founding members of the four-month-old coalition include Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Sun Microsystems, Starbucks, and The Timberland Co. BICEP members believe that climate change impacts will ripple across all sectors of the economy and that various new business perspectives are needed to provide a full spectrum of viewpoints for tackling the country’s climate and energy challenges.
The coalition’s goal is to work directly with key allies in the business community and members of Congress to pass meaningful energy and climate change legislation consistent with its eight core principles. These principles include stimulating renewable energy, promoting energy efficiency and green jobs, requiring 100 percent auction of carbon allowances, and limiting new coal-fired power plants to those that capture and store carbon emissions.
Details on all eight principles can be found on the BICEP Web site.
