Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee Names Exelon Official Zero-Carbon Energy Provider for Democratic National Convention

The Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National
Convention and Exelon Corporation today announced that Exelon will be
the official zero-carbon energy provider for the 2016 Democratic
National Convention. Exelon joins Proterra, SEPTA, PECO, the Democratic
National Convention Committee, Three Squares Inc., and other local
partners in the Host Committee sustainability efforts focused on four
categories: Energy, Waste Reduction and Diversion, Events and Community
Engagement, and Transportation.

"The Host Committee is thrilled to partner with Exelon to make this
Convention sustainability-forward and work towards neutralizing its
carbon footprint," said former Governor Ed Rendell, Chair of the
Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee. "We are grateful to all of our
supporters for their focus on the environment and encourage Convention
guests to get involved to make this event as sustainable as possible."

“Philadelphia continues to be a national leader on sustainability issues
in part due to partnerships like Indego Bike Share and Food Connect, so
it's no coincidence that the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the
Democratic National Convention has put together an expansive
sustainability program with some of Philadelphia's most effective
partners," said Michael DiBerardinis, Managing Director for the City of
Philadelphia. "Working together with the Host Committee, these efforts
will leave a lasting positive contribution after the Convention comes to
a close at the end of next week."

Energy

As the nation’s largest producer of zero-carbon energy from a
combination of nuclear, hydro, solar and wind generation sources, Exelon
is uniquely positioned to meet the Host Committee’s goal to offset
carbon dioxide emissions from all convention-related venues, offices and
events for the week. The company will procure a combination of Renewable
Energy Certificates and Emission-Free Energy Certificates from nuclear,
solar, wind and hydro generation sources to counterbalance the
convention’s carbon footprint. Purchase of the certificates supports
existing zero-carbon generation and helps incentivize the development of
new projects.

“Exelon is proud to support the Host Committee’s sustainability goals
for the 2016 Democratic National Convention,” said William A. Von Hoene
Jr., senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer for
Exelon. “We believe that building a next-generation energy grid and
meeting our nation’s climate goals will require a sustained commitment,
and the carbon offsets we will procure as part of this agreement will
support new and existing zero-carbon nuclear, solar, wind, hydro and
other clean energy sources.”

As part of the energy reduction efforts, PECO, an electric and natural
gas utility subsidiary of Exelon, worked with the City of Philadelphia
to install energy-saving smart street lights along Independence Mall.
The LED lights use about 40 percent less energy than conventional
lights, and can be brightened, flashed or dimmed along the route to
support public safety.

Waste Reduction and Diversion

Waste reduction and waste diversion are a key focus of the Host
Committee’s sustainability effort and the Host Committee and the City of
Philadelphia have facilitated programs with the following organizations:
a group of anti-hunger advocate applications; Habitat for Humanity; the
DNCC; Three Squares Inc., a sustainability consulting firm hired by the
DNCC; and a dedicated group of Green Volunteers.

To combat food waste, the Host Committee is facilitating and amplifying
the efforts of local anti-hunger advocates Food Connect, The Coalition
Against Hunger, Philabundance, and SHARE Food Program. Together, these
organizations launched DNC Operation Food Rescue under
FoodConnectGroup.com and the Food Connect app, which connects excess
food from large Convention events to area food banks, pantries and
emergency meal providers. The Food Connect app helps divert food waste
while simultaneously providing safe and dignified meals to food insecure
residents. The process is safe, easy and convenient for the donor – all
communication can be done via the website and the app, which can be
downloaded on iPhone or Android.

“As hunger in Philadelphia is almost twice the national average, we saw
the Democratic National Convention as an opportunity for the city's top
hunger relief organizations to came together to combine resources and
tackle the issue of redistributing surplus food to the organizations
that need them,” said Megha Kulshreshtha, Founder of Food Connect. “With
an expected 50,000 visitors coming into the city for the DNC, the influx
will likely add to the chances of more fresh food going to waste. That's
where the Food Connect app comes in. The app provides donors an easy way
to schedule a pickup. In the background, all of the hunger relief
organizations have mobilized to ensure resources for the food rescue
effort are efficient and safe.”

“We have families that are coming in every day that are trying to find a
way to put food on their table that night. It would be a shame to see
food go to waste, that could otherwise meet that need,” said Pastor
Tricia Neale of Feast of Justice, one of the recipients of Food Connect.

In an effort that will positively impact Philadelphia well-beyond
Convention Week, the Host Committee facilitated a relationship between
the DNCC and Habitat for Humanity. The DNCC will donate materials to
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia’s ReStore. Proceeds from the sale of
these donated materials will advance local development efforts,
contributing to 21 units in development in North Philadelphia and
repairs of 100 units in Sharswood and Mantua. Materials that cannot be
used by Habitat for Humanity will be donated to The Workshop School, a
project-based Citywide Admission school of the School District of
Philadelphia, where students will make use of the materials in the
upcoming school year.

Stationed at the Wells Fargo Center and Pennsylvania Convention Center,
the two main venues for the DNC, will be a group of dedicated Green
Volunteers who will work hand-in-hand with Three Squares Inc. to
encourage and facilitate recycling, composting and waste diversion at
designated receptacles placed around the venues.

Events and Community Outreach

With a commitment to sustainability, the Host Committee has encouraged
event producers, venues and caterers involved with Host Committee events
to incorporate locally-sourced food, to make use of recyclable
materials, and to participate in waste reduction and diversion efforts.
There will also be water stations throughout events at Citizens Bank
Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to encourage venue guests to
refill their water glasses, rather than using new glasses for additional
drinks of water.

“STARR Catering Group is committed to thoughtfully sourced ingredients,
sustainable proteins and simply responsible culinary development in
everything we do,” said Simon Powles, Founder and CEO, STARR Catering
Group.” The Welcome Party for the DNC at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
is no exception, our menu for this monumental event consists of
beautiful local produce from Lancaster and New Jersey including hothouse
cucumber, charred corn and jersey tomatoes, locally hearth-baked Amoroso
rolls for our house made cheesesteaks and sustainably sourced chicken
and responsibly fished snapper.”

To empower the community, the Host Committee has promoted My Milkcrate,
a mobile app developed by local sustainability organization Milkcrate,
that connects consumers with over 1,800 sustainable businesses in the
Greater Philadelphia area, including coffee shops, bars and
farm-to-table restaurants.

In an effort to engage with residents and visitors on the topic of
Philadelphia’s existing sustainability efforts, Host Committee
volunteers will go through a sustainability session during the course of
their training.

Transportation

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Proterra
and PECO have teamed up to provide test rides on an American-made
electric bus, the Proterra Catalyst. Convention delegates and visitors
to SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market Street may tour and ride the
battery-electric bus on July 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on July 28
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PECO has worked closely with SEPTA and Proterra to
provide EV bus charging infrastructure during the convention.

"We look forward to demonstrating our shared commitment to sustainable
transit by providing test rides on an American-made emission-free
electric bus," said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra. "This demonstration
represents a path forward for our nation to democratize and decarbonize
transit, as well as be a key enabler of prosperity, job security and
improved air quality."

Separately, the Host Committee has worked with SEPTA to offset the fleet
of 400 delegate buses with 125 hybrid buses, which are 30% more
efficient than a standard diesel bus. With the hybrid buses, SEPTA
reduces regional transportation GHG emissions by more than 3:1.

To encourage alternate modes of transportation, the Host Committee is
promoting GoPhillyGo, a project of the Clean Air Council and a locally
developed multimodal mapping technology that builds custom
point-to-point maps for a user’s preferred mode of travel. GoPhillyGo
can combine biking, walking and public transportation in one trip in
order to go anywhere in the greater Philadelphia region without the use
of a car. Custom GoPhillyGo walking maps of Philadelphia are included in
the delegate welcome bags.

The Host Committee also supports the use of Indego, Philadelphia’s bike
share program, on its website and social channels as a sustainable and
enjoyable way to explore the city. Anticipating the increase in
riders, Indego is providing on-street customer support for stations
located around the Pennsylvania Convention Center and offering reduced
rate 30 minute trips at $3 (when you use promo code 1776).

The Democratic National Convention will take place July 25-28, 2016 in
Philadelphia.

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