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Bright Lights Bring Energy Savings for Quad/Graphics

Press release from the issuing company

January 7, 2003 -- (Quad/Graphics) -- Quad/Graphics' latest environmental effort will remove three megawatts of power off the electrical grid When it comes to industrial lighting fixtures, Quad/Graphics has the very brightest idea. Currently, our company is in the process of retrofitting 14,000 industrial light fixtures with a new fluorescent lamp fixture that produces 50 percent more light with half the electrical consumption. As a result, our corporate-wide effort will remove three megawatts of power from the nation's electrical grid, which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is enough electricity to power 3,750 homes or a community of more than 16,800 people. "Quad/Graphics has long believed that what’s good for business is good for the environment, and this project is proof positive,” said Tom Quadracci, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics. “Our employees are benefiting from better-quality light, and the community is benefiting from a reduction in electrical use and its associated impacts. As a good environmental steward, we will continue on this type of journey, applying new technology, as it becomes available, to protect the environment.” Specifically, our lighting project, will decrease air pollution by the following amounts: * Carbon dioxide: 607,320 tons * Sulfur dioxide: 2,231 tons * Nitrous oxide: 5,177 tons * Mercury: 94 pounds In other terms, the effort equates to removing 114,697 cars from the road or saving 73.6 million gallons of gasoline or 1.8 million barrels of oil. Energy efficiency is especially important in Southeastern Wisconsin, which the EPA has deemed a severe non-attainment zone (i.e., a geographic area with levels of ozone that exceed EPA standards). Given that Quad/Graphics operates six manufacturing plants in Southeastern Wisconsin, this large act of mitigation on electrical consumption could serve as a blueprint for other companies and possibly mitigate the need for future power plants in Southeastern Wisconsin. Currently, Quad/Graphics is in the process of retrofitting lighting fixtures in all our production facilities, including our QTI headquarters in Sussex, Wisconsin, as well as several Parcel Direct expediting centers.