Global Businessman Launches New Campaign to Help Establish Polar Bears as Face of Global Warming

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- April 18, 2007 -- Ewire -- Howard Ruby, founder and chairman of Oakwood Worldwide, is launching a new public campaign around Earth Day to help bring a recognizable face -- the polar bear -- to the global warming debate. The new campaign will kick off with several public photographic and educational programs during the South Coast Earth Day Festival in Santa Barbara.

A life-long outdoor photographer with more than 60 years of experience, Ruby will premiere his powerful photos, which show polar bears in their natural Arctic environment, in one of the largest global warming exhibits ever displayed in the world. The exhibit will spotlight 70 prints, extending 600 feet or almost two football fields, in downtown Santa Barbara. His dramatic images will also appear on 125 banners lining the city's State Street from Wednesday, April 18 through Sunday, April 22.

The wildlife imagery marks the inauguration of the polar bear as an important symbol of the drastic impacts of climate change on the Arctic, one of Earth's most environmentally-sensitive regions. Ruby has traveled to the Arctic numerous times and taken hundreds of pictures of the bears. One of his images depicts a lone bear searching for food on nearly melted sea ice. The photos capture diminishing ice flows, which are critical to the mating and hunting practices, and the continued survival of polar bears.

"After witnessing first-hand the impending loss of the polar bears' habitat and food source, I realized I could make a difference in two unique ways, through my images and through my company. Scientific and technical data can illustrate the impact of global warming, but are difficult for people to relate to. Through my photography, I hope to breathe life into this important issue by representing the plight of these beautiful, endearing creatures. The polar bear is really the canary in the coal mine for global warming. If we don't take steps now to reduce greenhouse gases and slow down the warming trend, we will lose them," said Ruby. "And as chairman of a global company, I recognized that Oakwood Worldwide could also make a difference by implementing far-reaching green practices."

As a leading global businessman, Ruby has guided Oakwood through its 47-year evolution to become the world's largest provider of temporary furnished apartments throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Asia. His personal commitment to this cause has inspired the company to launch the Oakwood Worldwide Green Initiative through three parallel programs:

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Contact Information: Press Contacts: Suzy Quinn Oakwood Worldwide Ph: 424-208-9333 Cell: 310-465-9893 Email Contact Christie Ly Burson-Marsteller Ph: 310-309-6611 Cell: 917-617-2437 Email Contact