Team Clif Bar Midwest, a new cycling squad based out of Chicago, Ill., is proud to announce that it will operate as a climate-neutral program during its inaugural season. The team will ally with Clif Bar & Co. in supporting Native Energy, a privately-held Native American company focused on renewable energy.

The athletes and affiliates of Team Clif Bar Midwest, including the squad's coach and administrators, will track every mile traveled in a vehicle for races, practices and general team business in 2006. The monitoring will encompass both airline and road miles. Following the season, for every 300 miles traveled, Team Clif Bar Midwest will purchase a two-dollar 'Cool Tag,' benefiting Native Energy's WindBuilders program. This unique initiative assists Native American communities in constructing wind farms that deliver clean, renewable energy without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Each Cool Tag represents a savings of 300-pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which is roughly the amount generated by traveling 300 miles in the average car.

Additionally, Clif Bar & Co. has announced that it will match the full financial contributions of Team Clif Bar Midwest, therefore doubling the benefit to the environment. "Racing and training on the bike in an urban setting such as Chicago, I think everyone associated with the team is conscious of the detrimental impact that vehicle emissions have on the environment," said Joel Feinberg, Clif Bar Midwest Field Marketing Manager and a member of Team Clif Bar Midwest. "The nature of the sport means that we occasionally need to log significant miles to reach our events. However, this initiative is a great way for the team to help offset the penalties of that travel. We are hopeful that Team Clif Bar Midwest will be just one of many programs to join in this endeavor, since we all benefit greatly from a cleaner environment."

To learn more about Cool Tags and how to help Clif Bar start "Global Cooling," visit www.clifbar.com and click on the green "Cool Tags" icon. For more information on the WindBuilders program and additional renewable energy options, visit www.nativeenergy.com. Also check out the Team Clif Bar Midwest web site at www.teamclifbarmidwest.com.