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Washington, D.C. - May 23, 2008 - The Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet exhibit, featuring more than 30 larger-than-life globes that depict simple solutions to global warming, opened today at the United States Botanic Garden (USBG). The globes, designed by local, national and international artists, will be on display May 23 - October 13, 2008 as part of the USBG's "One Planet-Ours!" exhibition on sustainability.

Cool Globes was inspired by Chicago-area environmental activist and mother of four Wendy Abrams who wanted to do something to showcase what people can do to help combat global warming.

"To most of us, the problem of global warming is overwhelming. We feel helpless and are not convinced that the small efforts we make to address climate change could really have an impact," said Cool Globes Founder Wendy Abrams. "However, there are solutions and simple actions we all can take in our daily lives to help reduce climate change. Cool Globes is a product of my determination to find a way to help people see that the situation is not hopeless. We all have the power to do something and together we can have an impact."

The "One Planet-Ours!" exhibition focuses on sustainability - not only how it applies to gardens and the landscape, but also how each of us and our communities can live for tomorrow, as well as for today.

"The United States Botanic Garden is proud to host Cool Globes as the featured exhibit in our "One Planet-Ours! exhibition," said Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden Holly Shimizu. "Cool Globes' success in Chicago is evident by the millions who visited the exhibit. The U.S. Botanic Garden is excited to provide many more an opportunity to see this engaging and educational exhibit."

In addition to the larger globes displayed at the USBG, 60 miniature Cool Globes will be on display at the Kennedy Center. A series of 30 mini-globes, titled "Voices," highlights prominent individuals, including New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, actor/director Robert Redford, Republican presidential candidate John McCain, television celebrity Oprah, environmental activist Bobby Kennedy and President Bill Clinton, who have lent their voice to the project and are committed to fight climate change.

In October, select globes (full-size and miniature) from the Cool Globes exhibits at the USBG and Kennedy Center will be auctioned, with the proceeds benefiting Earth Day Network's efforts to green local Washington, D.C. schools.

"Earth Day Network is proud to be a part of Cool Globes. This beneficial public art project will do triple duty - educate people about the solutions to global warming, dramatically improve the learning environment for millions of our students, and help create sustainable schools for the new green generation," said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.

The Cool Globes exhibitions in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco have been underwritten through the generous support of Toyota.

"At Toyota, our commitment to the environment goes beyond our products and our plants," said Pat Pineda, group vice president of Toyota Motor North America. "We also support organizations that promote environmental education and those that develop sustainable solutions to improve our communities. We're proud to support Cool Globes and its efforts to raise awareness about the critical issue of climate change and what can be done to combat it."

Cool Globes premiered last summer in Chicago, where the exhibit became a "must see" destination for millions of visitors to the city's Museum Campus along the lakefront. In addition to Washington, D.C., the exhibit will also travel to San Francisco (August 5 - October 2008), San Diego (Fall 2008) and London (Spring 2009).
For more information, visit www.coolglobes.org.