prAna Receives 2006 Green Power Leadership Award

(Vista, CA) – prAna is proud to announce the receipt of a 2006 Green Power Leadership award from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) for its exceptional dedication to natural power initiatives and stewardship. The annual awards recognize leading national green power purchasers and suppliers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s green power market.

The Green Power Partner Award was presented to prAna at an awards event, Monday evening, December 4, in conjunction with the Eleventh National Renewable Marketing Conference taking place in San Francisco.

“Every year more energy suppliers are providing their customers the option of buying green power. We are proud to recognize the efforts of the suppliers that are leading the way in promoting the use of renewable energy,” said Andy Karsner, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Green power is a subset of renewable energy, and includes such resources as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Unlike other renewable energy resources, green power resources provide a higher level of environmental benefit, such as lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. Green power purchases help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.

PrAna, a designer, marketer and wholesaler of climbing, yoga and outdoor/active lifestyle apparel and accessories, is an emerging leader in the natural power movement. In the Fall of 2005, prAna launched its Natural Power initiative, offsetting the power of 250 of its retail locations nationwide, 100 percent of its headquarters and all of the homes of its full-time employees.

In 2006, prAna’s Natural Power initiative offset 17,589 electrical megawatt hours, preventing the emission of 23,252,658 pounds of greenhouse gases – the equivalent of removing 2,283 cars off the road or planting 8,789 acres of trees, or converting 1,614 average U.S homes to green energy for one year.

The EPA and DOE presented awards for green power purchasing to 22 organizations that have demonstrated leadership by voluntarily purchasing green power or creating innovative supply options for consumers.

“EPA is pleased to recognize prAna with a Green Power Purchaser Award for its distinguished commitment to buy green power and reduce the environmental impacts associated with its electricity use,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. “This commitment demonstrates that an organization can make a real environmental difference by purchasing green power.”

This year a panel of judges reviewed nearly 100 nominations based on criteria ranging from the amount of green power purchased or generated to each organization’s strategy for incorporating green power into its operations and communications

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award from the EPA and DOE for our commitment to wind-generated power,” said Beaver Theodosakis, founder of prAna. “Our goal is to raise awareness among consumers, partners and industry peers regarding the benefits of renewable energy. We hope to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and influencers to take stock in the environment through both work and play.”

Additional information about the Green Power Partnership and the Green Power Leadership Awards is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/winners/index.htm.

PrAna is passionately committed to its initiative and, in 2007, plans to increase the number of retailers participating plus offset a portion of its contracted U.S.-based manufacturing. The company’s longer-term goal is to lead more of the apparel industry toward the environmental benefits of wind-generated power.

About prAna
With deep roots in rock climbing and yoga, prAna manufactures and markets performance and active lifestyle apparel for men and women. PrAna’s design signature blends contemporary style with technical features and detailing and is grounded in ideals of sustainability. www.prana.com.
prAna – Born from the Experience

About the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership
EPA’s Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Green Power Partnership currently has hundreds of Partners voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, trade associations, as well as colleges and universities. For a full listing of EPA’s Green Power Partners and information about buying green power, visit the Partnership’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/

About the U.S. Department of Energy Green Power Network
The Green Power Network is the nation’s premier Web site providing green power market information. The Network’s Web site provides up-to-date information on green power providers, product offerings, consumer protection issues, and policies affecting green power markets. It also includes a reference library of relevant papers, articles and reports. The Green Power Network is operated and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional information is available at http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower.

Contact:
Kari Kiel
PrAna Marketing Manager
760-566-1070
kari@prana.com

Kirby Prawdzik
Mullen
973-943-5371
kirby.prawdzik@mullen.com


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