TIBCO goes green

Team TIBCO Women's Cycling Team has joined the effort to curb climate change, launching a four-part environmental initiative to reduce the team's ecological footprint. The Team TIBCO Blue Planet Campaign targets four areas for action: reducing the team's carbon emissions by more than 80 percent in 2008; supporting community emissions reductions in California's greater Bay Area where the team is based; increasing health and environmental awareness; and reducing equipment waste through recycling and reuse.

Part of Team TIBCO's mission is to make a positive impact on community health, and its approach recognizes the close relationship between health of the community and health of local ecosystems.

"We want to see people benefit from good health, by being active and getting outside to enjoy local environments," said TIBCO rider Amber Rais. "We can all make positive changes in our communities, and those steps translate to broader benefits in terms of global climate. It's all connected and of vital importance."

In addition to actively reducing emissions in team operations, the team will offset carbon emissions from travel throughout the season. "Reducing emissions is a priority as we're planning team travel, but there is only so much we can realistically cut back," said Assistant Director Liza Rachetto. "From there, we'll purchase carbon credits in an effort to minimize our impact during the season."

To reduce climate impact, TIBCO racers and staff will donate prize money to offset the team's CO2 emissions during the season.