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SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It takes a certain amount of courage to share one’s messes in public. For all those who posted images of workspace chaos in Green Plug’s just-concluded “What’s Under Your Desk?” Photo Sweepstakes, that’s courage and (green) consciousness in equal measure.

But for three contributors in particular, sharing proved more than just good for the soul.

Taking home first prize in the sweepstakes is John Trosko of Los Angeles. Trosko, a professional organizer/lifestyle expert/contributing author, will do lunch in Beverly Hills with “green advocates” Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry, co-hosts of the VH-1 reality show, “My Fair Brady.” Second prize winner Chris Johnston, an entrepreneur and real estate specialist from Metairie, Louisiana, will receive a $500 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. And for third prize winner Michael Arnold, a webmaster from Oak Lawn, Illinois, Green Plug will make a $250 contribution to Columbus Manor Elementary School in Oak Lawn, to educate children on conservation, recycling and alternative energy sources.

The environmentally ugly status quo inspired Green Plug (www.greenplug.us) to unveil its “What’s Under Your Desk?” photo sweepstakes in April. The company asked consumers to literally shine a light on the mess of cables that lurks under virtually every desk and capture the scene digitally. The sweepstakes highlights the need for a single, universal power architecture for electronic devices. Such a standard could prevent hundreds of millions of power supplies every year from being tossed into landfills – maximizing resources, minimizing solid waste, and conserving energy. The Green Plug “What’s Under Your Desk?” photo posting blog will be live through calendar 2008 at http://greenplugcontest.typepad.com.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as the first prize winner of the ‘What’s Under Your Desk?’ photo sweepstakes!” said Trosko, president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. “As a professional organizer and small business owner, the mass (and mess) of cables and cords under my desk were quietly driving me to distraction and disaster.”

For second prize winner Johnston, the ungainly skein of cables and cords was the clincher. "It's just a mess of wires behind my computer desk -- it's always been like that,” he said. “I never found a way to organize any of that." With his Wal-Mart gift certificate, Johnston – whose son was born on April 15 – plans to buy some baby goods and a stand for a new HDTV, purchased last Christmas. (Power cords not included.)

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

To third prize winner Michael Arnold, the sweepstakes’ green message cuts across generational lines. “I believe that educating our children is key to saving our planet,” he said. “I have seen firsthand how teaching children gets the message back home to the parents, who wouldn't have thought twice about the subject.” Last year, Columbus Manor’s Rangers Ecology Club began a highly successful, district-wide paper recycling program. “Parents have told me about how their kids have come home and explained to them why we need to think more ‘green’ and made them start recycling and saving energy,” Arnold said. “I would like the donation to help keep alive the Rangers program, and others like it, so we can keep educating our children, and subsequently parents, on how to keep our planet green!”

“We’re delighted to honor John, Chris and Michael, and pleased that they and so many others took time to share their power cord horror stories digitally,” said Green Plug CEO Frank Paniagua, Jr. “We believe the power model is broken, but also that it’s fixable, and it’s gratifying to see that so many people understand that at a gut level. The problem may be at our feet, but the solution – a common sense, universal standard that serves consumers and protects the environment – is clearly in our hands.”

As part of the awareness campaign, Green Plug has asked consumers to share their sentiments with lawmakers in Washington, via an online petition calling for a green power standard, at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Green_Plug/. The company is also urging consumers to support the Alliance for Universal Power Supplies

http://www.allianceforuniversalpower.org/home.php, a non-profit organization dedicated to setting industry-wide standards for the development and adoption of universal power supplies. AUPS has scheduled an organizational meeting for June 13 in San Francisco.

“In my blog, organizingla.com, I posted about the Green Plug contest and about our entry,” said top prize winner Trosko. “Readers from all over wrote in shared their universal wire containment stories, from Austin, Atlanta, Portland, Washington D.C. and even New Zealand. I felt like I had struck a ‘cord’ in our readers. So I humbly accept this honor with gratitude and gaffer’s tape.

“I am a huge fan of Christopher and Adrianne’s careers,” he added. “I admire their work for the environment and the ways they use their celebrity to introduce people to a more socially-conscious lifestyle. Both Christopher and Adrianne are popular eco-advocates and I am a professional organizer. We all have a common mission to better the environment, whether it’s the earth or inside your very own home or office.”

About Green Plug

Green Plug is the first developer of digital technology enabling real-time collaboration between electronic devices and their power sources. The company’s innovative green power components enable manufacturers to offer multiport, standardized DC power hubs instead of a new power adapter or battery charger bundled with each device, thus greatly reducing environmental waste. Consumer electronics, residential and commercial builders, power tools and power supply manufacturers license Green Plug’s embeddable power supply technology to provide universal and safe connections, promote environmentally friendly reuse, make their products more affordable, and generate customer loyalty. Green Plug, headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., is privately held.

Edge Communications, Inc.
Ken Greenberg, 818-990-5001
ken@edgecommunicationsinc.com