4/23/08

NEWS RELEASE

Mission of People For Puget Sound mirrors message of environmental responsibility becoming more prevalent in travel industry

 
The Puget Sound Business Travel Association (PSBTA) has announced the selection of People For Puget Sound, a citizen action group dedicated to environmental preservation, as its 2008 charitable giving partner.
 
For years PSBTA, the voice of business travel in the northwest, has chosen a local non-profit organization to support. With an emphasis on “green friendly” initiatives taking center stage in the travel industry, PSBTA was looking for a partner whose work stressed environmental responsibility. It was also important to the leaders and members of PSBTA that they were able to do more than simply write a check.
 
“As residents of the Puget Sound area, we all share an appreciation for what makes our locale so beautiful and unique,” said Bob Jacobsen, president of PSBTA. “As we vetted potential partners, we found our organizations shared many of the same core values; including a commitment to education, to be deeply involved in the local community, to partner with others, and to have fun doing so. We are really pleased to be able to offset a portion of the carbon emissions generated through the travel business.”
 
Funds raised by the PSBTA on behalf of People for Puget Sound will be earmarked to support the restoration efforts of Codiga Park on the Duwamish River. This riverfront site is located in north Tukwila on South 129th Street, east of the Tukwila Community Center.
 
Codiga Park is a roughly 4-acre property originally used for agriculture until the owners, the Codiga family, donated part of the original farm to the City of Tukwila in 2000. A project to build resting and feeding habitat for salmon by excavating a side channel was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2005. Now the extensive shoreline of the site needs to be restored to remove invasive plants and create a forested plant community that will provide important shading and food sources for salmon.
 
“We’re happy and excited to be working with the members of PSBTA,” said People For Puget Sound executive director Kathy Fletcher. “The work we are doing at Codiga Park is an excellent example of the steps necessary to restore the Sound site-by-site to health. Clearly, a healthy Puget Sound and a healthy Puget Sound business travel environment go hand in hand, and we’re looking forward to this partnership.”
 
In addition to awarding money from fundraising efforts—including the organization’s annual gala event scheduled for September 26—PSBTA members will be getting their hands dirty for environmental change.
 
“The Codiga Farm project will be a great way for our members to work together in our own backyard. Next spring, we will have our own work party, which will be a great way to bond with each other while giving back to the community,” said Jacobsen.  “And, in the future, every time we are on final approach to Sea-Tac, we will be able to look out the window and see Codiga Park and remember how we each made a difference.”
 
ABOUT PSBTA:           

The Puget Sound Business Travel Association, the northwest chapter of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), is the voice of business travel management. For 31 years, PSBTA has provided a network of travel service providers and business travel bookers.  The goal of the organization is to make available savings opportunities, education, and provide a chance for industry members to network. 

 
The Puget Sound Business Travel Association is comprised of business travel managers and travel service providers.  To join the organization or to obtain a membership application, contact Tiffany Hart at (253) 529-0200 ext. 633 for more information. 
 
Affiliates of PSBTA include Amazon.com and Expedia.com.  To help contribute to the organization, please purchase products from either company through the affiliate’s page to have a portion of the proceeds donated to the PSBTA.
 
ABOUT PEOPLE FOR PUGET SOUND:
Established in 1991 by Kathy Fletcher, People For Puget Sound is a citizen action nonprofit organization that works Sound-wide to educate and engage the people of the Puget Sound region in protecting, restoring and cleaning the Sound and the Northwest Straits.
 
The group’s members, partners and volunteers are located throughout the Puget Sound basin. The organization’s staff works from offices in Seattle, Olympia, and Mount Vernon and its board of directors represent the communities they work in.
 
More information about People for Puget Sound can be found here.
 
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Contact: Ginger Vaughan Quinn/Brein Public Relations, 206-842-8922