AT&T And The Nature Conservancy Team Up To Help Hawaii Customers Skip The Bag

HONOLULU, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to empower AT&T customers with sustainable choices, increase efficiency and minimize impact on the environment, AT&T is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy to encourage AT&T customers to skip the bag when purchasing items from its retail stores in Hawaii. With this program, which runs now through January 31, 2014, AT&T will donate 10 cents to The Nature Conservancy for each check out bag its customers choose to forego.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO)

AT&T's Skip the Bag campaign is in support of The Nature Conservancy's efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy takes innovative action to invest in the planet's environmental and economic future, including Hawaii's fresh water and coral reefs.

Funds generated from AT&T donations will be used to support The Nature Conservancy's work. For example, in Hawaii the most isolated populated land area on the planet, the islands' forested mountains capture water in the form of mist, fog and rain, absorbing and releasing it into streams and underground aquifers, providing fresh water for the state's 1.3 million residents and 7 million visitors annually. Without healthy, functioning forests, Hawaii's supply of clean, fresh water would be at risk. The top priority for protecting Hawaii's forests is to control the devastating damage caused by introduced invasive weeds and non-native animals.

The Nature Conservancy and its partners in Hawaii are leading innovators in conservation technology to adapt and implement cutting-edge techniques in forest conservation. The Conservancy is expanding the conservation toolbox by developing, field testing, and piloting the most promising technologies and then quickly implementing them on the ground.

"To protect fresh water sources and coral reefs in Hawaii, we have to innovate beyond traditional 'boots on the ground' conservation. We must find – or develop – technologies that improve effectiveness while cutting costs," said Suzanne Case, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii. "With the support of partners like AT&T, we can fund innovations that dramatically improve the scope, pace and efficiency of our work."  

"As we work to make our own operations at AT&T more sustainable, we also want to empower our customers to live more sustainably," said Dan Youmans, AT&T Hawaii President. "The skip the bag initiative joins our other environmentally focused retail efforts, like our eco-devices and device recycling programs, which help AT&T and our customers to minimize our impact on the environment, today and well into the future."

Throughout the duration of this campaign, customers will also have the opportunity to donate additional funds to The Nature Conservancy at AT&T stores in Hawaii.

To learn more about AT&T's sustainability efforts, please visit www.att.com/sustainability.

For more information on The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii, visit: www.nature.org/hawaii

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is the largest conservation organization in the world dedicated to protecting and restoring the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives, AT&T has a long history of supporting projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2011, more than $115 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.