Palm Desert Names Ted Flanigan as Senior Energy Policy Advisor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Virginia Nicols, Corporate & Community Relations, EcoMotion

(949) 450-7153, vnicols@ecomotion.us

Irvine, CA July 2, 2008

Ted Flanigan Signs as Senior Energy Policy Advisor to Palm Desert

EcoMotion Takes on Larger Role in Helping Palm Desert Reach Sustainability Goals

The City of Palm Desert, in a unanimous decision by City Council on June 26, 2008, approved a contract to engage Ted Flanigan, President of EcoMotion, as Senior Energy Policy Advisor to the City. The contract is to run for two years.

Under Flanigan’s direction, EcoMotion will develop the blueprint for Palm Desert to become a Sustainable City. The plan will include recommended actions for both city government and community leadership in areas such as pollution prevention and public health protection, transportation, community and economic development, and resource conservation.

In addition, Flanigan and EcoMotion will help the City prepare to administer a new financing mechanism for residential solar installations. New state-wide legislation, pushed strongly by Councilmember Jim Ferguson, will allow Palm Desert to provide residents and small business owners with low-interest loans for energy-efficient home improvements – like solar panels or high-efficiency air conditioners – with a long-term payback linked to property tax payments.

EcoMotion is no stranger to Palm Desert. In 2006, EcoMotion developed a design for the City’s 30:30 Program, designed to cut city-wide electricity and natural gas use by 30% in five years. EcoMotion provided baseline values, analyzed current uptake levels of utility and state programs, and presented specific approaches to achieve the project’s goals.

In 2007, EcoMotion worked with the City to add the Palm Desert Solar Strategic Plan. The plan sets specific funding requirements as well as specific performance goals so that solar can help the City achieve its 30:30 goals.

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Based in Irvine, CA, EcoMotion’s mission is to promote positive change for a healthy, sustainable future. To accomplish its mission, it applies the power of positive example and the power of the increment (many small actions building on other small actions) in the energy-related programs it designs and implements for organizations, cities and utilities.