Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile Goes Green

Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile Goes Green

Two-Day Music Event Incorporates Highest Standards of Sustainability to Reduce Impact on Environment and Help Attendees "Green It Like They Mean It"

Virgin Mobile USA Partners with Virgin USA, I.M.P., Daryl Hannah and Spitfire

NEW YORK, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile will be more than just a two-day extravaganza of music and excitement. The event is also aiming high in its quest to minimize harm to the environment - while educating Virgin Festival-goers on the simple but important steps both public events and individuals can take to be more eco- friendly.

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This year, Virgin Mobile USA, Virgin USA and concert producer I.M.P. will encourage and enable Virgin Festival attendees to "green it like they mean it," as they enjoy the weekend's packed slate of A-list musical talent including The Police and the Smashing Pumpkins, engaging exhibitions, deejays and more at the historic Pimlico Race Course(R) on August 4-5, 2007 in Baltimore, MD.

To reach the goal of 'Near Zero Waste,' Virgin Festival partners are working with actress/activist Daryl Hannah and her Green Event specialists, the Spitfire Agency, to ensure that the event is as green as possible. "It is so wonderful to see Virgin Mobile taking its impact on the environment seriously," reports Hannah. "By supporting the many solutions available, Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile is taking care of nature while also serving as a model for other event producers. Living Green isn't nearly as hard as it might seem, and it's actually a lot of fun once you get going! My hope is that attendees at the Festival will be empowered by what they see and adopt some of these practices into their daily lives."

"Being conscious of our impact on the environment is a crucial mission of the company and its employees, and that applies to every step of our festival planning process as well," said Dan Schulman, chief executive officer of Virgin Mobile USA. "The Festival is providing us with a rich opportunity to experiment with and learn from various practices, and we're committed to making Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile both experientially and environmentally friendly."

In addition to the efforts here, I.M.P. has been at the forefront of blending environmental awareness with large scale events. Recently recognized for deploying solar energy to power another popular East Coast concert venue, I.M.P. shares the commitment to create an incredible entertainment experience while protecting the Earth for tomorrow.

A team of 150 "Green Angels" will be onsite throughout the Festival to monitor waste diversion efforts and provide consumer information, courtesy of the Spitfire Agency and its partner CleanVibes. Some of the many Green initiatives planned at Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile include:

-- Best efforts to eliminate trash: Items that usually become trash at
concerts are being replaced with compostable products made from
renewable sources. Examples include plates made of sugarcane (called
Bagasse), cups made of corn (called Bioplastic), trash bags made from
corn, utensils made of wheat and potato, and straws made from plants
instead of petroleum.
-- Food and food service items composted locally: The Virgin Festival team
is partnering with local experts and a nearby facility for the handling
and transport of compost.
-- Waste Reclamation Stations: Fifty such stations will be located
throughout the event grounds. All food and food service waste will
have a second life, and all recycling will be collected "single stream"
(that is, one waste can takes all). Every station will be staffed by
a Green Angel volunteer.
-- Recycled paper: Nearly all paper items are being replaced with 100%
recycled paper products including posters, toilet paper and more.
-- Clean energy: Where possible, clean energy such as biodiesel and solar
power is being used. All on-site power, generators and light towers
will run on B99 biodiesel [B99 is 99% biodiesel, 1% diesel; the 1%
diesel eliminates a tax on the fuel].
-- Green power for plug-ins: Recharging stations for mobile phones and
other devices will be powered by biodiesel energy.
-- Carbon-offsetting: Where clean energy cannot be supported (production
flights, etc), Virgin Festival will seek to offset its carbon footprint
by donating clean energy (solar, wind power, etc.) to the local
Baltimore community.
-- Eco-friendly materials: Virgin Festival props and buildings will be
constructed from sustainable materials wherever possible, including
bamboo, FSC-certified lumber, organic cotton, and recycled materials.
Nearly all materials will be reused, recycled, or donated to the local
community.
-- Traveling green: Virgin Festival is highlighting on its website the
benefits of using public transportation -- like saving on parking fees,
for example -- and carpooling.
-- Education: Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile will also host a number of
unique art installations offering interactive eco-educational
experiences for all attendees.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said, "The environmentally safe efforts being made for Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile are phenomenal. Certainly, the City of Baltimore will look at this tremendous Green operation as a goal-setting model for its own festival and event productions. It goes to show that you can present a first-class event while still being responsible to the natural surroundings. Kudos to Mr. Branson, Virgin Mobile and the entire Virgin Festival team."

Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile partners are grateful to the following organizations for their support and cooperation:

-- Chesterfield Farms Organic
-- Eco Products
-- Natural Value
-- Sustainable Options
-- Taylor Oil Company
-- United Biofuels
-- Waste Management

Tickets for Virgin Festival by Virgin Mobile are on sale through Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or 1-800-551-SEAT). More information on the Festival and the many other Green initiatives being implemented can be found at http://www.virginfestival.com/.

About Virgin Mobile USA, LLC

The nation's leading wireless youth network, Virgin Mobile USA provides more than 4.8 million customers with control, flexibility and choice in wireless service, rich data content and innovative products without annual contracts. Voice pricing plans range from monthly options with unlimited nights and weekends to by-the-minute offers, allowing consumers to adjust how and what they pay according to their needs. Virgin Mobile's full slate of smart, stylish and affordable handsets, including the popular Switch_Back and Slice, are available at top retailers in more than 35,000 locations nationwide and online at http://www.virginmobileusa.com/, with Top-Up cards available at more than 130,000 locations.

Virgin Mobile USA's national coverage is powered by the Sprint National Network, and the company, which launched in 2002, is a joint venture between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Virgin Mobile highest in customer satisfaction among wireless prepaid services, and its own customers report a 94% satisfaction rate. Virgin Mobile contributes 5% of profits from downloadable content to The RE*Generation, its pro-social initiative to help homeless teens, through donations to charitable partners or funding of programs that support and raise awareness for young people in need; and provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new package for customers to recycle old phones.

About Virgin USA

Virgin, a leading branded venture capital organization, is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands. Virgin USA oversees and is responsible for the expansion of the Virgin brand in North America, blasting into markets where the customer is underserved, offering value for money, good quality, innovation, exceptional customer service, fun and a sense of competitive challenge. Existing businesses like Virgin Atlantic Airways, the award-winning transatlantic airline; Virgin Mobile USA, the leading wireless youth network; Virgin Megastores, the groundbreaking music stores; and Virgin Comics, an entertainment and media company creating original stories and epic myths for worldwide audiences, have already laid a powerful footprint in North America. Building upon the success of these businesses, Virgin USA continues to look for opportunities in North America where it can offer something better, fresher and more valuable to consumers.

About I.M.P.

Formed in 1980, I.M.P. is a Bethesda, Md.-based concert promoter and event production company. In addition to launching Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile in the U.S., the principals at I.M.P. own Washington D.C.'s legendary 9:30 Club, renowned as the premier place to see and hear cutting-edge live music of all varieties. I.M.P. also programs and operates Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md. Over the last 27 years, I.M.P. and the 9:30 Club have put on nearly 10,000 events, hosting millions of music fans.

About The Spitfire Agency

The Spitfire Agency is a full service production, promotion and marketing agency dedicated to responsible businesses, non profits, and other cause related ventures. The Spitfire Agency produced the first ever 'zero waste' concert in 2003, called "We the Planet". The event was for Julia Butterfly Hill's non profit Circle of Life and included Alanis Morissette, Cake, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Woody Harrelson, De La Soul, and members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This 8 hour concert festival in Golden Gate Park produced just 3 cubic yards of trash. For more information please visit http://www.spitfireagency.com/.

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Photo:

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Source: Virgin Mobile USA, LLC

CONTACT: Jayne Wallace of Virgin Mobile USA, +1-908-607-4235,
Jayne.wallace@virginmobileusa.com; or Melissa Connerton of CooperKatz,
+1-212-455-8001, mconnerton@cooperkatz.com

Web site:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
http://www.virginfestival.com/
http://www.spitfireagency.com/

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