The Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus Encourages Corporate Responsibility for Conservation

The Nature Conservancy’s Annual Breakfast Recognizes Corporate Role in the Conservation of Georgia’s Natural Heritage

Atlanta— May 24, 2007— Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot and visionary of the Georgia Aquarium, will encourage Atlanta’s business community to take an active role in supporting conservation during The Nature Conservancy’s annual Nature of Business breakfast. The event will be held at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on June 6, 2007 at 8 a.m.

“The health of businesses, communities and our natural resources are all connected,” said Tavia McCuean, vice president and state director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia. “Our business leaders have the ability to drive the thinking behind sustainability and conservation. By working together, conservationists and business will help to ensure that the natural resources people and nature need will exist for generations to come.”

Through his work with the Georgia Aquarium, Marcus has supported marine and freshwater conservation in Georgia and around the world.

“The Georgia Aquarium brings the treasures of our rivers, seas and oceans to the people of Georgia, particularly the children, instilling in them a tradition of stewardship for generations to come,” said Bernie Marcus. “The Aquarium’s 4-R program, focusing on research, rehabilitation, relocation and rescue, are in complete alignment with the efforts of The Nature Conservancy. I applaud The Nature Conservancy for working to support land and water conservation efforts throughout our state.”

Deloitte and Touche, an international leader in financial services, is sponsoring the event.
“Supporting conservation is good business,” said Dwight Mathews, board chair of the Nature Conservancy in Georgia and a partner at Deloitte in Atlanta. “Deloitte is sponsoring this event because we have a responsibility to do our part, and we believe The Nature Conservancy is doing effective work on many fronts to improve our environment – work from which we will all benefit.”

In addition, a number of key Atlanta business leaders are represented on the Host Committee to encourage support for The Nature Conservancy’s Corporate Council for the Environment, including:

• Neville Isdell, President and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
• Tim Hughes, Sr. Vice President Administration, Cox Enterprises
• Willard Lariscy, Regional Director, Perkins + Will, Atlanta
• Dwight Mathews, Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Joe W. Moeller, Chairman and CEO, Georgia-Pacific Corporation
• Mike Owens, Vice President for Environmental Affairs, UPS
• John Sherrill, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
• John W. Somerhalder II, President and CEO, AGL Resources
• Charley Tarver, President, Forest Investment Associates
• Alex Taylor, Vice President and Business Manager, The Atlanta Journal Constitution
• Chris Womack, Executive Vice President External Affairs, Georgia Power Company

Previous speakers at the Nature of Business breakfast include Neville Isdell, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, and John Morgridge, chairman of Cisco Systems.

Event Information
The Nature of Business breakfast is open to the business community, but reservations must be made in advance to attend. For information about joining or attending this year’s Nature of Business breakfast, please contact Mimi Bittick at (404) 253-7208 or mbittick@tnc.org or visit nature.org/georgia.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.