Environment

The EKOCYCLE Brand Takes Sustainable Living and Recycling to the Next Level; Anchor Partners Include Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era® ATLANTA - Global musical artist and producer will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company are collaborating with other iconic brands to inspire a global movement with the launch of EKOCYCLE™ -- a stand-alone brand initiative dedicated to helping encourage recycling behavior and sustainability among consumers through aspirational, yet attainable lifestyle products made in part from recycled material. The EKOCYCLE brand initiative was developed to educate consumers about everyday recycling choices and empower their purchasing decisions as part of a social change movement. The initiative supports recycling by helping consumers recognize that items they consider waste today may be a part of a lifestyle product they can use tomorrow. With a dedication to supporting a more sustainable environment, the EKOCYCLE brand initiative will identify products, such as assorted plastic bottles and aluminum cans that can be repurposed into recycled content for fashionable and valuable lifestyle products. It will also encourage demand and use of recycled materials, and reinforce the importance of recycling finished products. "With the EKOCYCLE brand, I'm on a mission to educate and inspire consumers around the globe to seek out more sustainable lifestyle choices that will ultimately play a part in the movement toward a world with zero waste," said global musical artist and producer, will.i.am. "By making products that contain recycled materials more attractive to both businesses and consumers, everyone can do their part to keep the cycle going to turn discarded waste into cool, new items. The Coca-Cola Company shares this vision and together working with local communities worldwide we will showcase the greater value of recycling, as well as selecting products that feature recycled materials." Beats by Dr. Dre® and New Era® are the first brand partners to join the EKOCYCLE brand initiative in its mission to inspire and educate individuals and communities to live a more sustainable lifestyle. As a part of the partnership, these collaborative efforts will produce on-trend products made partially from recycled materials. Additional EKOCYCLE brand collaborations will be announced later this year. "The EKOCYCLE brand initiative is a platform that aligns with our vision of zero waste and our focus on sustainability," said Bea Perez, vice president and chief sustainability officer, The Coca-Cola Company. "Together with will.i.am, we will promote recycling in a unique way with other well-known brands to create lifestyle products that consumers worldwide desire. Today's generation of young consumers represents an active force and the EKOCYCLE brand aims to be a driver in rallying their support and efforts around a global sustainability movement." The Coca-Cola Company will donate its portion of licensing profits from the EKOCYCLE brand initiative to support additional recycling and community improvement organizations. The Coca-Cola Company will make a minimum $1 million financial commitment over the next five years. This donation is in addition to, and separate from, the charitable commitments of 1 percent of operating profits made through The Coca-Cola Foundation. Earth911®, host of the largest recycling directory in the U.S. with more than 1.5 million ways to recycle, will provide an interactive and searchable recycling directory for consumers accessible at EKOCYCLE.com. "Recycling is one of the easiest sustainable actions consumers can take, but without real-time access to local options, people are often left confused and frustrated," said Raquel Fagan, vice president of media for Earth911. "The EKOCYCLE brand initiative takes a forward-thinking approach and demonstrates how companies can play a role in eliminating this confusion and empowering consumers." On August 1, the EKOCYCLE brand will premiere its first :60 television commercial that will air in the U.S. market during the telecast of the Summer Olympic Games. A full-scale marketing, advertising and online campaign will follow. Consumers can purchase Beats by Dr. Dre® headphones beginning fall of 2012. Other EKOCYCLE products, including New Era® hats, will be available early 2013. To learn more about the EKOCYCLE brand initiative visit EKOCYCLE.com. Note to Editors: Visuals and footage of EKOCYCLE products and will.i.am can be viewed here. Download press kit About will.i.am A multi-faceted entertainer, creative innovator and philanthropist, will.i.am is best known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, who have sold 31 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide. will.i.am recently released two songs from his upcoming solo cd, #willpower on Interscope Records. The first two singles from the cd released in 2012 are: "T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)," featuring Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez, and number one hit song in the UK, "This is Love" featuring Eva Simons. As a producer, will.i.am has also worked with some of the music industry's biggest names including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, David Guetta, and film composer Hans Zimmer. Recognized and honored by numerous industry organizations, will.i.am is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, the BMI President's Award and a 2008 Webby Award. will.i.am's i.am angel foundation (www.iamangelfoundation.org) supports young people through programs focused on education, after-school tutoring and activities that build STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and financial literacy skills. About The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.coca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo. About Beats by Dr. Dre® Established in 2008 as the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr. Dre and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records Jimmy Iovine, Beats Electronics is the parent company of the Beats by Dr. Dre® line of high-quality headphones, BeatsAudio™ HD-sound systems, and the MOG digital music service. The company's mission is to build quality music experiences for all elements of the digital music ecosystem -- including headphones, devices and services -- so that fans can hear music the way artists intended it to sound in the studio. This includes partnerships with computer manufacturer HP, automotive manufacturer Chrysler Group and mobile phone manufacturer HTC Mobile. Led by CEO Jimmy lovine and President & COO Luke Wood, Beats Electronics is based in Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit http://beatsbydre.com. About New Era® New Era is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. The brand is best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the official cap for the National Football League. New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collections, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era encourages people to "FLY YOUR OWN FLAG®" -- to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com. About Earth911® Earth911 gathers, distributes and analyzes localized recycling information to assist manufacturers, organizations and consumers with product end-of-life solutions. Working to increase the recycling and disposal of consumer goods since 1991, Earth911's services enhance and support companies' responsible waste initiatives. The Earth911 Recycling Directory is the largest and most accurate in the nation, with more than 1.5 million ways to recycle more than 300 types of materials. Follow @Earth911 and like Earth911 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/earth911, or visit earth911.com to learn more.

will.i.am and Coca-Cola partnership launches new pilot program with non-profit Sustainable South Bronx to help local residents recycle New York City, May 15, 2013 – EKOCYCLE, will.i.am and Coca-Cola have a message for South Bronx residents:  Let’s recycle together!  To help reach that goal, earlier today EKOCYCLE, represented by global music artist will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company’s Chief Sustainability Officer Bea Perez, presented a $200,000 grant to Sustainable South Bronx. The funding will be used to set up a pilot program that will help local residents recycle their household waste. Within New York’s five boroughs, the South Bronx neighborhood has the lowest recycling rate in New York City. Through EKOCYCLE’s grant to Sustainable South Bronx the new pilot program, which launches May 20, aims to help reverse that trend. As recycling rates continue to climb nationwide, pockets of the country still face major challenges. Recycling levels in New York City are less than half the national average (15 percent vs. 34 percent).  For many neighborhood residents, recycling is complicated by multi-family dwellings or apartment buildings that do not proactively promote the practice. “New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world, and can become an even better place to live by making it easier for residents to recycle,” said will.i.am. “By teaming up with Sustainable South Bronx and Highbridge area residents, EKOCYCLE’s mission is to help kick off this pilot recycling program and encourage residents do their part to contribute to a more sustainable city.” EKOCYCLE – a partnership between will.i.am and Coca-Cola -- envisions a world with zero-waste.  To achieve this goal, EKOCYCLE believes in making an impact beyond the lifestyle products it creates from recycled materials.  Partnering with organizations that share values around recycling and recycling education is an important step in reaching that broader objective. Sustainable South Bronx will use this funding to initiate a recycling pilot project. Through a combination of education, infrastructure and other activities, Sustainable South Bronx hopes to demonstrate how recycling can be dramatically increased in apartment buildings throughout the South Bronx. Sustainable South Bronx will work closely with the Highbridge Community Development Corporation, the non-profit organization located in the Highbridge section of the South Bronx, whose buildings will be the project’s focus. “Residents of the South Bronx who live in large apartment buildings face numerous obstacles that make it difficult to recycle on a regular basis,” said Michael Brotchner, Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx.  “This donation from EKOCYCLE to Sustainable South Bronx will help us kick-start recycling in a set of buildings that is representative of buildings throughout the community. We think that the residents of Highbridge will be very excited to participate in this pilot project, which aims to produce concrete findings on how recycling can best be promoted in the South Bronx.” About EKOCYCLEWith a shared interest in making a positive impact on our world, The Coca-Cola Company and will.i.am have come together to create EKOCYCLE. By educating people about the role of recycling in their lives, EKOCYCLE hopes to inspire a global social movement around recycling and making more sustainable purchasing choices. EKOCYCLE repurposes items such as plastic bottles for use as recycled content in fashion-forward lifestyle products through the help of today’s biggest trendsetters and brands. To further reinforce The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to promoting recycling, the Coke® brand name – spelled backwards, “EKOC” – is embedded into the EKOCYCLE moniker. “EKOCYCLE brings together strong brands and a cultural icon to engage people in an important sustainability initiative,” said Bea Perez, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Coca-Cola Company. “EKOCYCLE encourages recycling by innovatively transforming recycled materials into attractive products. It’s a journey that presents a win-win proposition.” EKOCYCLE offers a full line of apparel and lifestyle items promoting environmental responsibility.  Among the products available are limited edition Levi’s 501® Waste<Less™ jeans, Beats Studio® headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre® , a selection of caps from New Era®, A limited-edition adidas Feel Good® Tee and boardshorts and T-shirts from RVCA.  To learn more about the EKOCYCLE brand initiative and shop for EKOCYCLE products visit EKOCYCLE.com. EKOCYCLE can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. About Sustainable South BronxFounded in 2001, Sustainable South Bronx is a non-profit organization that works to address economic and environmental issues in the South Bronx — and throughout New York City — through a combination of green job training, community greening programs, and social enterprise. About will.i.amA multi-faceted entertainer, creative innovator and philanthropist, will.i.am is best known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, who have sold 33 million albums and 58 million singles worldwide. will.i.am’s new solo cd, #willpower on Interscope Records, was released in April , 2013. The first two singles include worldwide platinum hit “This is Love” featuring Eva Simons, and “Scream & Shout” featuring Britney Spears, which shot to number one on the iTunes single chart and to top three on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. As a producer, will.i.am has worked with some of the music industry’s biggest names including Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, David Guetta and film composer Hans Zimmer. will.i.am is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, the BMI President’s Award and a 2008 Webby Award. will.i.am's i.am angel foundation (www.iamangelfoundation.org) supports young people through programs focused on education, activities that build STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) skills and college scholarship assistance. The foundation also operates a mortgage relief program and financial literacy workshops. About The Coca-Cola CompanyThe Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.###

Paying attention to hydration while exercising in cold climates is just as important as in hot climates. We all know that the hotter it is, the more you perspire and the more you need to drink. High rates of energy expenditure in winter activities such as snowboarding, ice skating, and skiing and the use of heavy clothing can likewise cause significant fluid loss through sweat. So remember to consume fluids before, during and after these activities. Being high above sea level can affect hydration. Have you ever noticed how hard and frequently you breathe when you are in higher elevation? With every breath you exhale, you are losing fluid. High altitudes also tend to have low humidity, which increases losses through the skin. And research suggests that people tend to drink less at high altitudes, probably due to a decreased sensation of thirst. So the next time you are staying at a higher elevation, remember to drink plenty of fluids. Don’t forget air travel. The air inside airplanes during flight tends to have very low humidity –only about 15%. Low humidity increases dehydrating water losses through the skin, which in turn drives up your need to drink. So the next time you are on a long flight, remember to drink plenty of fluids. For tips on staying hydrated, see our Hydration Checklist.

Coca-Cola has been at the forefront of private sector leadership in recycling for many years. We understand its environmental and economic value and the community's desire to see it continue to expand. Things are moving in the right direction. Under the current industry driven schemes, Australia's packaging recycling rate has increased from 39% in 2003 to 63% in just eight years. Our engagement on the issue means that we do have views about the best way to achieve improvement and that at times we disagree with some proposed solutions.  But let's be clear we share the same objective of doing more. We agree that more needs to be done to address litter and recycling in Australia – and have been working on and funding solutions for decades, along with our industry partners. Coke has a demonstrated track record at leading industry efforts around the world to increase recycling, reduce litter, reduce the amount of packaging used and to help create viable markets for the material recovered.  A container deposit scheme (CDS) is often claimed to be a “simple”, “low cost” solution to increase recycling. Long gone are the days, fondly recalled by some Australians, where the only recycling system was a glass bottle returned to the local corner store that yielded five cents for a mixed bag of lollies. Times have changed. Today, many Australians use our world-class kerbside recycling scheme: more than 90% of homes have access to recycling and approximately two thirds** of cans and bottles are recycled at home. Home recycling isn’t the issue, but bringing in a CDS will place that successful kerbside system in jeopardy by eroding its economic foundation. Removing thousands of tonnes of bottles and cans from kerbside bins would increase the costs to local councils of providing a recycling service to their ratepayers.  This was borne out in a recent study undertaken by the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association. According to Visy, Australia’s largest recycling company, the introduction of a CDS is estimated to impose a cost on its customers in Victoria (ie. local councils) of $4-$6 million a year. That’s a significant cost to local government budgets. WHAT IS A CDS AND WHY DO PEOPLE ADVOCATE FOR IT? A common CDS proposed is a 10 cent refund deposit on eligible recycling containers (usually excludes wine/fresh milk containers >1 litre). Some people argue that it is a supplement to the welfare system by providing income to people who scavenge bottles and cans from bins.  Some say it could help charitable groups with fundraising and provides pocket money for the kids. It promotes more recycling and less litter of bottles and cans and enables a network of drop-off facilities to be established for returning product. Sounds like a no brainer, doesn’t it? BUT LOOKING INTO IT A LITTLE DEEPER … What happens to all the packaging not covered by deposits? How will consumers redeem the deposit? Where will they redeem it and how far will they need to travel to do so? What impact will it have on the economics of Australia’s world-class kerbside recycling system? Who pays for the deposit recycling centres (land, infrastructure, transport and staffing)? How much greater rates of recycling will we see? How much less litter will result? A September 2009 Australian Senate Inquiry noted of this subject: “… how complex this area of policy making can be”. BUT IT SOUNDS SO SIMPLE, YOU PAY 10 CENTS AND YOU GET 10 CENTS BACK, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? The problem is that consumers don’t pay 10 cents, as the Northern Territory experience has shown. Under a CDS they pay up to 20 cents more per drink, because the cost of running the extensive infrastructure needs to be paid for and inevitably is passed on to consumers. We don’t believe Australian families deserve to be slugged with yet another cost of living increase that will push grocery prices up when there are cheaper and equally effective alternatives on the table. It’s worth noting that after 12 months of CDS, Northern Territory recycling rates are well below the Australian average, with only one in every three containers currently being recycled. But it’s not just industry that says a CDS costs money - the Council of Australian Governments found the cost of a national CDS to the economy would be between $1.4 and $1.76 billion. Many CDS proponents say consumers don’t pay more in South Australia – why should we believe that they will elsewhere under a CDS? For many years drink manufacturers spread the cost of the system in South Australia across national pricing – that is, all Australian families paid for the SA system. In recent years, that’s changing. Manufacturers now typically pass on the deposit and running costs to retailers.  Whether that’s always reflected in retail prices is something that retailers decide but the fact is South Australians now pay more for their deposit system. Modeling has shown that a CDS is likely to raise the cost of an average household grocery basket by 1.35% - double government estimates of the inflationary impact of Australia’s carbon price on grocery bills. It is therefore a significant – and permanent – increase in the cost of necessities, coming at a time when many families cannot afford it. BUT WHAT DOES THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY WANT? In August 2009*, research conducted with 1,400 Australians looked at community attitudes toward and support for container recycling, including a CDS and an alternative “out and about” recycling scheme, similar to the one industry proposes. What did the research find? Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed initially supported container deposits, which fell to 75% (still strong) when made aware of cost impacts. However, when offered the alternative of being able to recycle “out and about”, those surveyed eagerly embraced it. Sixty-eight percent supported "out and about" recycling systems, while 26% still preferred a CDS (6% remained unsure). THE SOLUTION Australia’s Environment Ministers are currently considering ten options for lifting Australia’s recycling rates – seven of which are not container deposit schemes. There are a range of views on the best option – the one we and others in the industry have put forward is a $100 million plan that independent consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers say costs 28 times less than container deposits while delivering similar reductions in litter and increases in recycling rates. The National Bin Network (NBN) we propose is a comprehensive industry plan to reduce litter and increase recycling.  It includes the installation of recycling bins in major venues throughout Australia, in airports, rail and bus stations, entertainment venues, convention centres, sporting stadia and clubs, shopping centres, pubs and clubs - venues where people congregate and are likely to consume beverage containers and other packaging.  It also includes the development of new markets for recyclables, major new processing infrastructure such as optical glass sorting facilities, and building on our current efficient and convenient kerbside recycling systems. The NBN also includes significant funding to community groups and local governments to clean up litter hot spots, and, more importantly, to keep them clean into the future. WHAT INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED IN INCREASING RECYCLING IN AUSTRALIA… New away-from-home recycling bin systems supported by our industry already deliver more than 1.3 billion visits annually.  Industry has installed 7,900 new recycling bins, providing recycling availability for 92% of airport passengers, 55% of higher education staff and students, 52% of shopping centre visitors, 42% of train passengers, and 70 major sporting stadia and entertainment venues with over 68 million patron visits annually (including iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House, cricket grounds - the WACA and GABBA, Melbourne Entertainment Centre, Aurora Stadium and Exhibition Park in Canberra). WHAT DOES AUSTRALIA NEED TO DO NOW TO RAISE RECYCLING RATES ….THREE KEY STEPS 1. Significant expansion in away-from-home recycling infrastructure 2. Continued expansion and improvement of the kerbside system 3. Greater investment in litter enforcement by state and territory governments WE ALL AGREE THE OBJECTIVE IS LIFTING RECYCLING RATES… The question isn’t “should we be doing more on recycling and litter reduction?” The question is “what is the most efficient way of lifting recycling rates, that doesn’t in effect apply a cost of living tax on consumers?” Container deposits have consistently been found to be the most expensive and inefficient method of increasing recycling rates.  That’s why they have been repeatedly considered and repeatedly ruled out for decades by Australian governments and why we shouldn’t proceed with a CDS now. Along with other leading beverage industry companies, Coca-Cola stands ready to commit significant funding into proven programs to lift Australia’s recycling rates and to work with all Australians to continue to reduce Australia’s litter. *UMR Research Pty Ltd nationwide survey key public places - August 2009 ** Australian Beverage Packaging Consumption, Recovery and Recycling Quantification Study, 2008Want more? Read our approach to sustainable packaging here. Alec Wagstaff is the Manager of Corporate Affairs at Coca-Cola Amatil, one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the Asia-Pacific region. Coca-Cola Amatil is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.More Sustainability Stories:Solving Childhood Obesity Requires MovementWater in Ghana: Making A Scarcity PlentifulWomen in the Workplace: A Catalyst for Change

As the morning sun’s first rays begin to warm up the villages surrounding Agra, India, a few cases of Coca-Cola inside Preeti Gupta’s shop begin to cool down. A few hours later, the glass bottles are chilled and ready to refresh thirsty customers. Gupta received a solar-powered “eKOCool” cooler from Coca-Cola India, which developed the unit specifically for retailers in rural areas, where an estimated 60 percent of the population lacks electricity (and where those with access to the grid only have power a few hours each day). Rooftop solar panels are linked to the chest-style coolers installed inside the store below. “Coca-Cola has made a huge contribution to us,” says the mother of three, noting that up to one-third of her store’s daily revenue comes from Coca-Cola sales. The sustainable innovation helps shopkeepers like Gupta sell ice-cold drinks – a bit of a novelty in “off-the-grid” communities – without ice or electricity. One Stop Shop The “eKOCool” coolers also feature ports for charging lanterns and mobile phones. “We charge our lantern in the daytime so we can use it at night when we are out of electricity,” says Gupta, who often goes without power for days at a time, usually without warning. “And customers come to our shop when see the light,” she adds. Villagers walk in to charge their phones and, while waiting, end up spending more. Thanks to her solar-power cooler, Gupta can keep her shop open after dark when others have closed, and her children can study at night using the light provided by her fully charged lantern.Paving the Way The “eKOCool” project is part of Coca-Cola’s 5by20 initiative to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs across its global value chain by 2020. Like many women in her village – where dusty roads are filled with children playing, horses pulling bullock carts and motorbikes buzzing by – Gupta was expected to stay at home and care for her family, but she was determined to give her children a chance at a better life. She and her husband borrowed money from relatives and a local bank, and even mortgaged their personal belongings, to open a small store inside their home. In addition to Coca-Cola and other beverages, they sell grains, snacks and other household goods. “The most important moment in my life was when I started my own shop,” says Gupta, who invests her earnings in health care for her family and her kids’ education. From Concept to Cooler The “eKOCool” project was conceived several years ago when Atul Singh, president of Coca-Cola India, discovered that rural outlets in Uttar Pradesh and other remote areas were using conventional ice chests – with very little ice – to stock and sell beverages. The Coca-Cola India Technical team partnered with Mumbai-based Western Refrigeration to develop the prototype before launching a series of pilot tests. Sales at participating retailers have increased significantly since installing the units. More than 1,000 solar coolers have been installed in India, to date, boosting Coke's presence considerably in rural areas. "These coolers are bringing first-time customers who never tasted our beverages before,” says Asim Parekh, vice president, Technical, Coca-Cola India, who notes that markets such as South Africa and Turkey are adapting and testing the units. “The model is helping create a market in areas where Coke has not been present at all." More Sustainability Stories:Going Dark to Spotlight Climate ProtectionA Solid Step Toward Reducing the Effects of Climate ChangeRecycling at the 'Greatest Ever Games'

In one of the prior posts this week, I mentioned that 40% of my household carbon footprint is from driving and flying.  And I’ve commented sufficiently on those this week.  Yesterday, I explained that I had ordered produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.  And that’s a good segue into a discussion of food and diet which, incidentally, makes up 30% (the second highest category) of our household carbon footprint. Please allow me to reference an article from The Guardian on this subject that still resonates almost five years later: UN says eat less meat to curb global warming Dr. Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) had been interviewed by The Guardian, and they reported that “people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change.” I think the main reason this has stayed with me is that Dr. Pachauri addressed a group of executives from our bottling partners later that same month (September 2008) just before we announced our WWF Climate Savers partnership (October 2008).  I am in a very privileged position to be able to seek counsel directly from the leader of the preeminent scientific body on this subject. I admitted in my very first post this week that I very routinely eat meat.  I also mentioned that I made a conscious decision to have a veggie burger wrap on Monday for lunch.  Then on Wednesday, I had a vegetarian lunch by “accident” – after dealing with some urgent e-mails, by the time I joined the lunch ceremony at our Supplier Sustainability Summit, all they had left was vegetarian plates.  Good thing someone was looking out for me so I didn’t “default” to my normal diet. Last night, my family got to participate in this exercise with me.  I made two types of meatless burgers (some black bean burgers and some soy patties).  I’ve now become curious about whether there’s a significant difference in greenhouse gas emissions from cooking on a grill (LP gas) compared to on the stove – because our pipeline natural gas supplier has been introducing recycled landfill gas recently, and I doubt that’s the case with the LP tank on my grill.  Maybe I’m over-thinking this. I grilled! And we paired those “burgers” with some of the produce I picked up from the CSA program: fresh tomatoes, a simple cucumber salad, some baked sweet potato fries and fresh strawberries and blueberries. How was it?  I’d say the black bean burgers were more to my liking than the soy patties.  One of my sons liked the soy better (None of them were “fooled” by the way).  And we proved yet again that “Things Go Better With Coke” like our old ad campaign used to say. I can’t help but wonder whether the stuff from local, smaller farms necessarily has lower carbon footprint.  Perhaps some of you will offer comments below on that.Bryan Jacob is Climate Protection Director at The Coca-Cola Company.More of Bryan's Carbon Diet Series:Living La Vida Low Carbon (Introduction)Carbon Diet: Confessions of Struggles (Day 1)Carbon Diet: The Impact of Commuting (Day 2)Carbon Diet: The Green Commute Battle (Day 3)Carbon Footprint: Are You Willing to Change Your Lifestyle to Make an Impact? (Debate)

Telecommuting is not exactly new for me. I’ve been working from home one day per week for the last two years. (And for the last month, I’ve worked from home more often than I’ve been in my office due to my wife’s shoulder surgery.) But yesterday it felt like good redemption for my epic failures from the day before.The key to successful telecommuting for me has been planning ahead and clustering all of my calls, videoconferences, etc. onto a single day each week. But there are obviously many occasions where face-to-face meetings are critical. Today is another of those occasions for me. Some of our most significant supplier partners are in town for a Supplier Sustainability Summit. I am leading a breakout session on Carbon and Water Efficient Operations. So I did need to come into downtown again today. And I’m pleased to report that I managed to commute into town without using a personal car at all. A colleague of mine, Carlos Pacheco, joined me for the commute which involved first bicycling to the closest MARTA bus terminal and from there via bus to the MARTA rail station. The good news is that the Georgia World Congress Center (where the Supplier Sustainability Summit is being hosted) has its own MARTA stop. I only had to change trains once to reach the destination. Weather permitting, I’ll be reversing the process on the way home this evening. I’ve spent a lot of time in this week’s blog focusing on my commute. That’s because it is indeed one of the most significant contributions to my personal (and my household) carbon footprint.  There are various carbon footprint calculator tools out there, but one I’ve used is from the Nature Conservancy:  http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm From that assessment, driving and flying combine to represent 40% of my household carbon footprint – the largest single contribution. And I offset emissions from my flights. We have a program within the Company called Red Tag which recognizes exceptional performance. Employees accrue Red Tag points which can be redeemed for various products or services.  One of the offerings in that catalog is carbon offsets offered through www.carbonfund.org. So at the end of last year, I cashed in 168 points to offset the 12 trips I took during 2012. Of course that doesn’t contribute to Active, Healthy Living the way my bike journey did. I’ll probably have more to say about that tomorrow – if I’m not too sore to get out of bed.Bryan Jacob is Climate Protection Director at The Coca-Cola Company.More of Bryan's Carbon Diet Series:Living La Vida Low Carbon (Introduction)Carbon Diet: Confessions of Struggles (Day 1)Carbon Diet: The Green Commute Battle (Day 3)Carbon Diet: A Meat-Lover Goes Meatless (Day 4) Carbon Footprint: Are You Willing to Change Your Lifestyle to Make an Impact? (Debate)

Bryan began a carbon diet yesterday and will be blogging about his experiences all week. I don’t even play golf, but I think I should call a mulligan. I know that doesn’t follow official PGA rules, but work with me here. mul·li·gan  (ml-gn): NOUN: A golf shot not tallied against the score, granted in informal play after a poor shot especially from the tee. Day 1 was complicated. A good friend and colleague of mine, Ben Jordan, who runs our Supplier Sustainability Program, also teaches a Green Business course at Emory University, which is based in the East side of Atlanta. I had agreed to serve as a guest lecturer last night. I joined two other panelists and we had a lively discussion on topics ranging from hydraulic fracturing to U.N. climate policy – you had to be there to appreciate it. The key learning for me is that low-carbon commutes require advance planning. Getting to/from Emory proved more challenging than I anticipated. I should have planned earlier; but on Sunday night, when I started figuring out how I was going to get there, I found myself both unfamiliar with the MARTA bus routes (Atlanta’s public transit system) around Emory and reluctant to add additional bus transfers to get from Emory to the MARTA train station. After all, the class wasn’t scheduled to end until 9 p.m. and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get home with the multi-segment commute since I live about 20 miles North of the city. Then I had almost figured out how I could pick up a Zipcar near one of the rail stations to use to/from Emory and still be able to use public transport for most of the journey. That plan collapsed when I realized my Zipcar account had expired.  Net, net, I ended up driving both to my office and to Emory for the class. And, full-disclosure, I even had to drive my wife’s car (an SUV sized to transport our full family) instead of my smaller, fuel-efficient Sonata Hybrid. Please let me explain. My wife had shoulder surgery four weeks ago. She’s out of the brace and undergoing physical therapy. And she’s perfectly capable of driving (with her left arm) – but she hasn’t rebuilt enough strength in her right arm to turn the key to start her car. My hybrid has push button start, so I needed to leave it home for her.  Not only was I unable to adapt to public transport. My emissions were around 50% higher than “usual” because of these unique circumstances. Life seems to be getting in the way of my plans. Just to salvage a shred of credibility from Day 1, I will report that I had a conscious pause in our cafeteria and chose the Veggie Burger wrap for lunch. I haven’t compared the carbon footprint of that variety to the fried chicken variety I probably would have chosen otherwise, but I am confident it was lower. That lunch choice is certainly not going to prevent “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” – especially if I can’t find better commute options. But the point of this exercise is to make conscious choices. And I guess the “guilt” that I’m feeling from some of yesterday’s choices may be a step in the right direction. By the way, I should note that today is already starting better. I walked my youngest son (and our dog) to the bus stop this morning. It’s only a quarter mile (400 meters) but it is rather routine for me to drive him up there (school is too far away to walk to it or we would have). And I am working from home today with no commute at all. I’ll report on this and my other activities today in tomorrow’s post, but things are already looking up.Bryan Jacob is Climate Protection Director at The Coca-Cola Company.More of Bryan's Carbon Diet Series:Living La Vida Low Carbon (Introduction)Carbon Diet: The Impact of Commuting (Day 2)Carbon Diet: The Green Commute Battle (Day 3)Carbon Diet: A Meat-Lover Goes Meatless (Day 4)Carbon Footprint: Are You Willing to Change Your Lifestyle to Make an Impact? (Debate)

will.i.am is #winning these days. The music producer dropped the hit single “Scream and Shout” with Britney Spears late last year, snagged a coveted track on Jay-Z’s Great Gatsby soundtrack, and created a forward-thinking new lifestyle brand in EKOCYCLE which turns recycled plastic bottles into everything from Beats headphones to MCM bags. Our editor Sian-Pierre sat down with will.i.am on EKOCYCLE day, just before the Clippers beat the Lakers at the Staples Center, to talk Jay-Z (they “text” about Great Gatsby), Louis Armstrong (his new song “Bang Bang” sounds like Louis A.),  his new album #willpower (Miley Cyrus is on it), and his #NBAEKOCYCLE team up (it’s dope). Watch the exclusive Swagger videos below for more: On EKOCYCLE’s Team Up with The NBA, And MCM On Working With Jay-Z And Miley Cyrus This was originally posted on Sian-Pierre Regis' blog, Swagger New York. This content was created as a partnership with EKOCYCLE.More will.i.am and EKOCYCLE stories:Coca-Cola and will.i.am's EKOCYCLE Launch Party in New YorkCoke, will.i.am Celebrate New Beginnings at Exclusive NYC Event (blog post)will.i.am, Coke and EKOCYCLE Add Four New Brand PartnersAn End is a Cool, New Start: will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company Recharge Recycling with Launch of Lifestyle Brand EKOCYCLE