Willoughby, OH – (June 10, 2010) – Judy Pezdir and Jill Palermo, the mother/daughter team that co-founded WE ADD UP, announced today two new additions to their environmental t-shirt line.  Ten dollars from the sale of the “Clean It Up” t-shirt will be donated to the Gulf Restoration Network, who since the first days of BP’s oil drilling disaster has provided independent monitoring and advocacy focused on holding BP accountable and ensuring an effective and transparent response to the crisis.  And, ten dollars from the sale of the “Hair To The Rescue” t-shirt will be donated to Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that is coordinating the international movement of hair dressers, pet groomers, and others who are donating hair to make hair booms.  Hair, a natural fiber, is stuffed into nylons, creating booms that are very effective at soaking up oil.

On the 52nd day of approximately 40,000 barrels of oil per day spilling into the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mexico waters, BP is currently attempting to drill relief wells to stop the flow.  This effort will take months and the most optimistic reports claim the gusher will be stemmed in August.  Clean up efforts will take years, according to experts.  “When we, my mother and I, first heard about the BP oil drilling disaster, we knew it was going to be huge,” says Jill Palermo.  “Like many people, we said, ‘We HAVE to do something. This is too important not to be a part of and help in some way.”

WE ADD UP, with over 16,000 participating members, is a global campaign printed on organic cotton t-shirts that literally “counts you in” for your green commitments.  Every shirt is printed by hand with a unique number on the front. Your number represents your position in the sequential global count of people who are taking steps to help solve the climate crisis. As the count grows, we demonstrate to the world that “WE ADD UP.”  On the back of each shirt is a word or phrase that describes an action almost anyone can take to reduce their carbon footprint, the contribution their lifestyle makes to greenhouse gas emissions, such as, Unplug, Lights Off, Hybrid, Bike, Buy Local, and 25 others. Consumers choose which action they are committed to and receive their number.

“The mission of the campaign is to spread the message that each of our efforts do matter, because collectively, we add up,” said Jill Palermo.  “This is a global issue, and our goal is to get millions of people worldwide counted in and committed to taking action to stop climate change now. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

Products are available online starting today at www.weaddup.com and include:
- “Clean It Up” Organic cotton adult t-shirts available in Unisex style. Sizes: S, M, L, XL, and 2X: $28 each
- “Hair To The Rescue” Organic cotton adult t-shirts available in Unisex style. Sizes: S, M, L, XL, and 2X: $28 each

Adult t-shirt global warming action messages (30 total) include the following phrases with a graphic icon for each: Clean It Up, Hair To The Rescue, Switch, Recycle, Plant Trees, Vegan, Garden, Green Jobs, Line Dry, Eat Less Meat, Wind, Hybrid, Buy Local, Organic, Demand Change, Solar, Shower Together, Unplug, Drink Tap, Mass Transit, Bike, Lights Off, and Compost. There is also a shirt in each color with all 24 icons on the back.

Organic Cotton Manufacturing Practices
WE ADD UP t-shirts are made with 100 percent certified organic cotton that is grown and manufactured under strict fair labor practices. While organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or herbicides, non-organic cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop on earth. Although cotton is grown on only about three percent of the farmland in the world, 25 percent of the world’s pesticides are used on cotton fields. National Academy of Sciences researchers have classified more than 80 percent of the most commonly used pesticides as potentially carcinogenic. Each t-shirt helps prevent about one-third of a pound of pesticides from getting into topsoil and groundwater and helps farm workers avoid dangerous chemical exposure. Organic agriculture also helps create fertile soil that is more resistant to degradation from droughts and floods, thus limiting some of the long-term effects of global warming. All in all, choosing organic cotton has a positive impact on the planet.

About WE ADD UP
Launched in 2007, We Add Up is a Green America Approved company for People and the Planet and is committed to operating a “green” business. Please visit http://www.weaddup.com for more information.

WE ADD UP works with CarbonFund.org to offer a carbon-free shipping option that offsets the carbon emissions it takes to ship the product to the customer.

WE ADD UP also offers its products as a fundraiser for high schools, colleges, community and non-profit groups. Groups receive 15 percent of sales and are eligible to win prizes. Currently, over 100 schools have enrolled in the program.

Driven by a personal desire to spread a message of hope and to inspire action to stop global warming, the mother/daughter team created WE ADD UP. The Web site, www.weaddup.com, is hosted by DreamHost, which runs all of its servers on renewable energy. WE ADD UP fundraising catalogs are printed on 100 percent recycled paper with soy inks, and the manufacturing is offset by wind energy credits. Please visit www.weaddup.com for more information.

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