Coca-Cola Announces Its First Environmental Torchbearer Team As A Call To Action To Support Earth Hour

• Mississauga Braves Hockey Association first Environmental Olympic Torchbearer team nominated by Coca-Cola
  
  
• 72% of Ontarians (77% B.C./63% Alberta/ 63% Quebec/84% Atlantic) plan to be in the dark for Earth Hour
  

Coca-Cola encourages Canadians to live more environmentally sustainable lives with its sponsorship of WWF-Canada’s Earth Hour and its first Environmental Olympic Torchbearer team announcement. Representatives of the Mississauga Braves Hockey Association have been nominated by Coca-Cola, as one of the teams recommended by WWF-Canada, as the first team of environmental Olympic Torchbearers.

“Through our support of Earth Hour and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay we hope to inspire people of all ages to take steps to reduce their environmental impact,” says Dave Moran, Director, Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola Canada. “We hope the Mississauga Braves serve as an example, to all Canadians of how simple it is to carry the Olympic Flame and live more environmentally sustainable lives.”

The Mississauga Braves are being rewarded for their efforts in reducing their environmental footprint through the promotion of environmentally friendly practices with its members (executives, coaches and players) including: car pooling, washing uniforms in cold water and hanging to dry, and donating outgrown equipment. The Toronto-area Association of ten hockey teams is using these everyday actions to save 105,366 kgs of greenhouse gases from being produced each year.

“We are committed to environmental responsibility,” said Barry Carroll, President, Mississauga Braves Hockey Association. “We are thrilled that our actions have been rewarded and that we have the chance to carry the Olympic Flame. We hope our efforts help inspire other Canadians to do their part when it comes to energy conservation.”

“The Mississauga Braves are a great example of how ordinary community groups living their everyday lives can make simple, small changes to slow climate change,” says Gerry Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada. “We are delighted to work with Coca-Cola to raise awareness of the need for all Canadians to protect our environment.”

Coca-Cola, as a sponsor of Earth Hour and the Olympic Games, asked Canadians this year about their thoughts on the two events. Here’s what the Ipsos Reid survey, conducted in March 2009, found…

• 70 per cent of Canadians are planning to turn off their lights for Earth Hour this year
  
  
• Thirty-three per cent of those who are not participating say that it is because they have not heard of Earth Hour and 17 per cent said it’s inconvenient
  
  
• When asked to choose from a list of five past Canadian Olympian(s), which past Olympian(s) they would like to spend Earth Hour with, 34 per cent of Canadians stated they would like to spend Earth Hour with Jamie Sale and David Pelletier - the gold medal winners in pairs figure skating who were at the centre of vote trading scandal when they were originally awarded silver in Salt Lake in 2002
  
  
• Nineteen per cent of Canadians would like to spend the hour with skier Nancy “Tiger” Greene who won gold and silver medals at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games
  
  
• Quebecers like to hang out with their local Olympians! 32 per cent of Quebecers (vs. 19 per cent of Canadians) would like to spend it with speed skating gold medallist Marc Gagnon who, to this day, holds the record in the 500 m speed skate
  
  
• From a list of five Olympic sports, the most popular to try out in the dark is skeleton (face-first luge - racing a sled down an icy track face-first) --29 per cent chose it as the best Olympic sport to do without any light followed by ice dancing (23%), bobsled (21%), luge (18%) and pairs figure skating (8%), but 33 per cent recommend against ski jumping in the dark (the number one choice of five options, ice hockey (28%), pairs figure skating (15%), freestyle skiing (15%) and speed skating (9%)
  
  
• 78 per cent of Canadians believe that it’s important to ensure that Olympic sporting equipment is made in a sustainable manner or from sustainable/recycled material
  
  
• If given the choice, Canadians think the polar bear (59 per cent) would be the best Canadian animal to become the mascot for the Canadian Olympic Team, but they’re not too keen on the wolverine (8 per cent)

This sponsorship further supports the Coca-Cola Olympic Games Sustainability Program which includes a zero waste and zero carbon strategy. The program was created in consultation with WWF-Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation. To view the webcast of this announcement, please visit: http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=139542&s=1&k=1810DD046DBC72C354E25AC90D4E6E57.

Through the sponsorship of Earth Hour and the environmental focus of its Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay program Coca-Cola hopes to motivate Canadians from coast to coast to use the Olympic Spirit as inspiration for environmental action.

How Every Canadian Can Get Involved

• Individual Torchbearers
  To inspire everyday Canadians to take steps to support environmental sustainability in communities across Canada, Coca-Cola has developed a unique torchbearer program for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. Canadians who have worked to reduce their environmental footprint, or have supported the work of environmental organizations to affect positive change in their communities, are invited to visit www.icoke.ca and nominate themselves to be Olympic Torchbearers. Following their nomination, Coca-Cola will invite selected nominees to submit a written story about how they Live Positively. WWF–Canada will make recommendations to Coca-Cola on environmental candidates for nomination to become an Olympic Torchbearer.
  
  
• Team Torchbearers
  In addition to individual environmental torchbearers, Coca-Cola will also award 20 teams of up to 20 individuals each who have demonstrated environmental leadership the opportunity to carry the Olympic Flame and profile how they are making a difference in Canadian communities. More information on our team torchbearer spots will be announced soon.

Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement

The Coca-Cola Company has been associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 and is the longest continuous corporate supporter of the Olympic Movement. Through the Olympic Games, Coca-Cola encourages people to create their own path of "positivity" in everyday life by believing that anything is possible. The Company's sponsorship supports National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through 2020.

Coca-Cola in Canada

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. In Canada, the Company is represented by its subsidiary, Coca-Cola Ltd. (Coca-Cola in Canada). Coca-Cola is Canada's largest beverage company. Coca-Cola in Canada markets three of Canada's top nonalcoholic sparkling beverage brands, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Sprite, and the leading ready-to-drink tea: Nestea. In addition, our subsidiary is the largest juice and juice drinks company with Minute Maid, Five Alive and Fruitopia. The Company also markets DASANI, PowerAde and other hot and cold beverages.

For more information about Coca-Cola in Canada, please visit our website at www.cocacola.ca or our parent company's website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

About the Survey

These are the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of Coca-Cola from March 16th to 19th, 2009. This online survey of 1,033 Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of these polls are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had the entire adult population of Canada been polled.

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country’s leading provider of publicopinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid’s Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada—including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country—all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca.

Media inquiries:
Lena Beyer
Hill & Knowlton Canada
416-413-4759
lena.beyer@hillandknowlton.ca