NYSE Euronext (NYX) announced today that it has achieved carbon-neutral
status for the second year in a row, again making it the only global
exchange operator to do so. NYSE Euronext earned the distinction through
company-wide energy efficiency measures as well as the purchase of
renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon offsets (COs).
"Achieving carbon-neutral status for a second year means we are
delivering on our commitment to run our business as efficiently as
possible and protect the global environment in which we operate," said
Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext. "These programs to mitigate
our carbon impact and reduce our energy usage are a key component of our
responsibility to our worldwide community."
Contributing to NYSE Euronext's carbon-neutral status in 2011 were such
initiatives as the consolidation of its global data centers and its
continued energy-efficiency evaluation and upgrade program, which
included the installation of energy-efficient lighting fixtures and
motion sensors.
This year's REC and CO purchases also helped make NYSE Euronext
carbon-neutral for 2011. The company was also carbon neutral in 2010.
The RECs, which are Green-e certified, and COs, which are Climate Action
Reserve (CAR) Verified, are purchased retroactively; so that the company
can measure how much energy was used and purchase the appropriate amount
of certificates and offsets to match it.
National energy-efficiency and sustainability consulting firm CodeGreen
Solutions brokered NYSE Euronext's REC and CO purchases. The RECs,
purchased from Green Mountain Energy Company (a wholly owned subsidiary
of NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)), match the company's electricity usage during
2011. Each REC represents the generation of one megawatt-hour of
electricity from 100-percent U.S. wind power. The carbon offsets,
purchased from 3Degrees, a recognized leader in the field, represent one
metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions reduced
or avoided and match the carbon emissions resulting from NYSE Euronext
fuel consumption, fugitive emissions, and corporate travel.
NYSE Euronext's green-power and carbon-balancing commitment help avoid
an estimated 79,250 metric tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. Using
calculations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse
Gas Equivalencies Calculator, this amount is equivalent to the CO2
emissions generated from burning 184,302 barrels of oil, or the
emissions from the use of electricity at 9,882 average homes, or the
carbon absorbed annually by 16,898 acres of pine or fir forests, or the
annual greenhouse gas emissions of 15,539 passenger vehicles.
In September 2011, NYSE Euronext was named for a second consecutive year
to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Carbon Disclosure
Project's S&P 500 Leadership Index. The company's scores in both indexes
improved year-over-year, as detailed in this press
release. In addition, this
video describes NYSE Euronext's various environmental-sustainability
programs.
About NYSE Euronext
NYSE Euronext (NYX) is a leading global operator of financial markets
and provider of innovative trading technologies. The company's exchanges
in Europe and the United States trade equities, futures, options,
fixed-income and exchange-traded products. With approximately 8,000
listed issues (excluding European Structured Products), NYSE Euronext's
equities markets - the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, NYSE MKT,
NYSE Alternext and NYSE Arca - represent one-third of the world's
equities trading, the most liquidity of any global exchange group. NYSE
Euronext also operates NYSE Liffe, one of the leading European
derivatives businesses and the world's second-largest derivatives
business by value of trading. The company offers comprehensive
commercial technology, connectivity and market data products and
services through NYSE Technologies. NYSE Euronext is in the S&P 500
index. For more information, please visit: http://www.nyx.com.

NYSE Euronext
Paola Hernandez, 212-656-2420
phernandez@nyx.com