Centenary College Receives 200 Blue Spruce Saplings from Verizon Wireless as a Result of Earth Day and Sustainability Initiatives

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives from Verizon Wireless, along with Centenary College students and faculty, planted blue spruce saplings together on the New Jersey-based campus recently.

Centenary College was one of five institutions nationally that was chosen to receive a 200-sapling donation as a result of the College's ongoing initiatives related to Earth Day and sustainability. For four years, Centenary has hosted a daylong Earth Day Celebration filled with family-friendly activities that emphasizes the importance of living an environmentally conscious lifestyle. Centenary has also organized local Earth Day cleanup events in the local community in conjunction with Hackettstown High School. In further supporting the need to be environmentally friendly, for the first time, Centenary College used recyclable graduation gowns for the May Commencement.

Centenary College also will donate a portion of the saplings to the town of Hackettstown.

The tree-planting initiative at the Centenary College campus is part of the Verizon Wireless Tree Donation Program, which was established with the goal of planting 100,000 trees across the United States and 14 other countries by the end of the year. For every customer who enrolls or switches to Paperless billing, Verizon Wireless will plant a tree. The Verizon Wireless initiative supports the United Nations' Billion Tree Campaign, which recognizes that trees play a crucial role in providing breathable air, drinkable water, fertile soils and a stable climate.

"I am so pleased that Verizon Wireless has chosen Centenary to be one of the recipients of this program," says Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, Centenary College President.  "There has been a strong emphasis on this campus to support green initiatives and to be recognized in this manner for our efforts is outstanding."

The Paperless billing option allows Verizon Wireless customers to receive their monthly bill electronically and reduce paper waste while still being able to view detailed account information online. This option not only saves trees, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Paperless billing is one of many green initiatives supported by Verizon Wireless.

"At Verizon Wireless we're dedicated to preserving the environment, reducing the company's carbon footprint and giving back to the community," says Pat Devlin, President of the New York Metro Region for Verizon Wireless. "We are pleased to join Centenary College in this tree-planting initiative and encourage our customers to switch to Paperless billing, a simple but important step in protecting our environment."

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College's academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. Centenary College's main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS) program offers accelerated degree completion programs in Parsippany, with an additional facility in Iselin, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.

Picture, from left to right: David Samburg, Public Relations Manager, New York Metro for Verizon Wireless; Dr. Lauren Bergey, Assistant Professor of Biology at Centenary College; Hollianne Eckerd, Centenary College Student; Dr. Lynn Taylor, Associate Professor of Equine Studies at Centenary College; Morgan Mack, Centenary Student; and Doreen Awuku-Agyeman, Consultant – NEA Marketing Express Services, My Verizon & Verizon Partnership for Verizon Wireless: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2011-Centenary-Verizon-Planting.jpg

Photo credit: Karen deVita/Centenary College

Contact:

Annamaria C. Lalevee
(908) 852-1400, ext. 2238
[email protected]

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SOURCE Centenary College