LOS ANGELES – ESPN X Games will continue a longstanding commitment to environmental responsibility by expanding efforts this summer at X Games 12 in Los Angeles, August 3-6, 2006. The X Games Environmentality™ program focuses on preventing pollution, purchasing sustainable materials, and reducing waste. In addition, many initiatives to deliver environmental education and to increase awareness amongst staff and spectators will again be implemented through unique interactivities.

X Games Environmentality is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the responsible use of natural resources. Wind power credits provide a source of renewable energy and will allow the X Games to offset emissions produced by the event, thereby making X Games 12 carbon-neutral. Through local X Games promotions, spectators are encouraged to rideshare by using mass transit to arrive at the venues. To honor participating athletes, X Games Environmentality will also be planting 700 trees in support of preventing pollution.

Environmentally sensitive, sustainable materials will be used throughout the X Games venues whenever possible. The skateboard and BMX ramps will be built using wood grown in sustainable forests or will be built using reclaimed wood from last year’s event. More than 360 truckloads of dirt used to build the Moto X competition course will be reused in future action sports events. Office supplies purchased for use during the event have a high percentage of recycled fiber, and the event media guide is printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper with recycled plastic bindings. In the staff catering area, utensils, plates and cups made from biodegradable materials, such as corn, sugarcane, and paper are being provided, further exemplifying the commitment to use sustainable materials that are also fully recyclable.

Waste minimization initiatives include an innovative three-stream waste sorting program to separate recyclables and biodegradable materials from trash. Behind the scenes, additional landfill diversion measures are in place to recycle paper, cardboard, electronics, construction material, and plastic shrink wrap. In an effort to ensure maximum recovery of recycled materials, recyclables will be processed at a specialized facility. The success of the recycling program at Winter X Games 10 in Aspen, Colo. last January resulted in more than 43 percent of waste being diverted from the landfill.

X Games Environmentality will host the TRASHed Recycling Store in the X Fest spectator area at The Home Depot Center. Spectators are encouraged to Get Caught Recycling by placing their discards in the appropriate recycle or compost bin for which they will receive tokens redeemable for unique and eco-friendly prizes. Tokens can also be earned through the Eco-X Challenge trivia quiz, another progressive X Games Environmentality activity planned for X Games 12.

"The ESPN X Games attracts a young demographic, and that puts us in a terrific position to lead by example in increasing environmental education and awareness for future generations," said Chris Stiepock, X Games General Manager. "Our sports depend on a healthy environment, and we're proud of our efforts to preserve natural resources in any way we can.”

X GAMES INFORMATION
The annual X Games is the premier action sports event in the world and showcases more than 150 of the world’s top athletes competing in BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and the newest sport added to X Games, Rally Car Racing. For 2006, the Home Depot Center in Carson will host an increased number of X Games competitions, while other events will return to STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles. The event is scheduled for August 3-6, 2006 with the surfing competition to be held July 3-4, 2006 in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. All competitions at STAPLES Center and The Home Depot Center are ticketed events, which can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and the box offices at STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center and Team LA at Universal CityWalk.

ESPN and ABC will provide 14 hours of original LIVE X Games 12 programming from August 3-6. ESPN will also present four late-night highlight programs starting August 4, resulting in a total of 18 hours of original programming for X Games 12. SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship daily news program, will report LIVE from X Games 12 from August 3-6. Each of those nights, the 11 p.m. ET SportsCenter will contain event coverage from X Games 12.

ESPN, The Worldwide Leader in Action Sports, first developed its X Games franchise in 1995. Today the X Games and Winter X Games are the biggest action sports events in the world. As part of the ESPN Original Entertainment division, X Games, Winter X Games and All Access are just some of the original action sports programming currently shown on ESPN and ESPN2. The brand has also grown to include international X Games events, EXPN.com, EXPN Radio, the large format film ESPN's Ultimate X, and various X Games-branded retail products. Last year at X Games 11, competing athletes represented 12 countries.

X Games will remain in Los Angeles through 2009.

Disney’s Environmentality™
Disney's Environmentality is the attitude and commitment to preserve our environment through proactive actions. The concept of Environmentality was established as a fundamental ethic at The Walt Disney Company in 1990 to balance environmental stewardship with corporate goals and operations worldwide. Our long-term commitment to this philosophy helps us attain strategic objectives while demonstrating that environmental stewardship compliments bottom line profitability. Today, employees and communities around the world support environmental initiatives that conserve natural resources and provide financial benefits to our bottom line.