Bank of America Launches Brighter Planet™ Credit Card

Posted on November 29, 2007
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Bank of America today announced at the Good and Green Marketing Conference in Chicago that it has teamed with Brighter Planet™ to offer a credit card that helps customers reduce theircontribution to climate change and invest in the development of clean,renewable energy projects.

The Brighter Planet™ Visa® credit card enables customers to earn oneEarthSmart™ point for every $1 spent in purchases. The points earned areused to help build community-based renewable energy projects across the UnitedStates.

Brighter Planet is working with Bank of America to help Americans make adirect impact on climate change,” said Patti Prairie, chief executive officerof Brighter Planet. “With a majority of Americans wanting to do somethingabout the environment, the Brighter Planet Visa credit card offers a practicaland effective way for individuals to take personal steps to build a cleanenergy future. Consumers should conserve what they can, then use the card tooffset what they cannot.”

How the Brighter Planet Visa Card Works

Points earned with the Brighter Planet Visa credit card are automaticallyredeemed each month to support renewable energy projects. Each 1,000 pointsearned is projected to offset one ton of carbon dioxide. Eliminating one tonof carbon dioxide has the same global warming impact as taking an average caroff the road for two months. The rewards program features are:

Through Brighter Planet’s website www.brighterplanet.com, cardholders can calculate their carbon footprint, learn ways to reduce their own environmental impact, participate in an online community to get more involved in the green movement, monitor clean energy projects funded from their card use and track their footprint reduction progress from the use of the card.

The Brighter Planet Visa credit card — in combination with other stepsconsumers take to change their day-to-day energy consumption — providesconsumers with an added opportunity to help counteract global climate changeand invest in the environment,” said Michael Rhodes, Bank of America seniorvice president of Business Development for North America Card Services. “Ourpartnership with Brighter Planet is the latest example of Bank of America’scommitment to protecting the environment and growing environmentallysustainable business practices across the globe.”

Brighter Planet’s partnership with premium carbon offset provider NativeEnergy will ensure that only projects resulting in emission reductionsbeyond business-as-usual activities and that have community social value willbe included in their program. In addition, all projects will be reviewed byBrighter Planet’s highly regarded Project Selection Committee run by leadingenvironmentalists. Initial undertakings include wind and methane captureprojects with new projects and technologies to be added over time.

“This credit card doesn’t only buy goods — it buys the world time in thefight against global warming,” said Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres, aleading U.S. coalition of investors and environment groups who serves on the Brighter Planet Project Selection Committee. “By paying for projects thatreduce greenhouse gases, the credit card educates consumers and allows them todo something more with their rewards than purchasing airline tickets and hotelstays.”

Consumers can learn more about or apply for the Brighter Planet Visa credit card by calling 1.800.511.1472 or visiting www.newcardonline.com andusing priority code FABZDN. The card will be available at Bank of Americabanking centers in early 2008.

In addition to the Brighter Planet Visa credit card, Bank of America andBrighter Planet are offering the ability for millions of current Bank ofAmerica® WorldPoints® cardholders to redeem points to offset greenhousegas emissions. The two companies are also planning to launch new depositsproducts in early 2008 that will help Brighter Planet further support theconstruction of renewable-energy projects.

A Corporate Leader in Environmental Sustainability

The Brighter Planet Visa credit card is part of Bank of America’s $20billion commitment announced in March of this year to support the growth ofenvironmentally sustainable business activity to address global climatechange. This 10-year initiative encourages development of environmentallysustainable business practices through lending, investing, philanthropy andthe creation of new products and services.

Reuters

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