GBTA Foundation Congratulates Project ICARUS Sustainability Gold Medal Award Winners

Awards Program Recognizes Travel Industry Leaders Spearheading Green Efforts

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), warmly congratulates the five winners of the Project ICARUS Gold Medal award: IHG, Symantec Corporation, Sabre Holdings, Enterprise Holdings and PwC. Gold Medals are given to travel buyers and suppliers actively integrating sustainability efforts into their travel programs.

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The Project ICARUS Gold Medal program recognizes organizations that are taking action in the drive for greater sustainability within the travel profession. Project ICARUS is the first global travel management sustainability body, with representatives from buyers, suppliers, academics and subject matter experts from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand and Latin America providing expertise, leadership and guidance on sustainability.     

"Companies worldwide are building sustainability into their business travel programs and we are thrilled to recognize these change-agents that are actively driving and improving best practices on this key business travel issue," said Bernard Harrop, head of sustainability Project ICARUS.

The following companies were also recognized as "Committed" companies: Dominion, The Carbon Accounting Company, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, United Airlines, Barclays PLC, Portman Travel, Microsoft and Carlson Wagonlit. These are companies who have committed to the introduction of long term sustainable practices in support of the procurement of business travel and meetings products and services and working towards attaining a Project ICARUS Gold Medal.

For more information on Project ICARUS, including links to research, involvement opportunities and the recognition and awards programs, visit the newly designed website gbta.org/icarus.

About the GBTA Foundation
The GBTA Foundation is the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's premier business travel and corporate meetings organization.  Collectively, GBTA's 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 21,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. The foundation was established in 1997 to support GBTA's members and the industry as a whole. As the leading education and research foundation in the business travel industry, the GBTA Foundation seeks to fund initiatives to advance the business travel profession. The GBTA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, see gbta.org and gbta.org/foundation.

SOURCE Global Business Travel Association