Verizon Supports Earth Hour to Raise Awareness of Energy-Efficient Opportunities Around the World

NEW YORK, March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon employees across the globe will team up to participate with millions of people in more than 128 countries and territories to support Earth Hour on Saturday (March 26).

From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, Verizon will darken millions of square feet in more than 500 company locations to help raise awareness of energy-efficiency opportunities. As a result of turning off nonessential lighting, Verizon expects to conserve more than 45,000 kilowatt hours of energy.  

Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is an event in which millions of people will turn off their lights at businesses and homes for one hour to support action on climate change and on creating a cleaner, safer and more secure future. As part of the Earth Hour event, now in its fifth year, major lights will be dimmed on global icons including the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Buckingham Palace in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Taiwan's 101 Financial Center in Taipei and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

(NOTE: A video prepared by the World Wildlife Fund provides more information about Earth Hour.)

In addition to darkening numerous floors in Verizon office buildings and technical sites, Verizon also will dim lights and signs outside its major office sites from the Pearl Street building in Manhattan; to the twin office complex in Irving, Texas; to an entire campus in Irvine, California; to Dortmund, Germany; and on to Reading in the United Kingdom.

Verizon offers numerous wireline and wireless services that help the company's consumer, small and medium business, enterprise and government customers to go green.

"Our ultra-fast broadband, global IP and wireless networks are playing increasingly important roles in helping our customers cut their carbon footprints," said James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon. "The technology and tools we offer today can be used by all of us to help benefit the environment, including in the communities where we work and where we live."

Verizon's Initiatives to Help the Environment

Verizon operates the largest fuel cell site of its kind in the nation. Using seven fuel cells, the company's Energy Star Award-winning facility in Garden City, N.Y., can generate enough electrical power per hour to meet the energy needs of 400 single-family homes.

Another of Verizon's Energy Star-rated facilities, its  operations center in Basking Ridge, N.J., has earned the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Silver certification for the center's environmentally friendly design and energy efficiency.  The company operates 70 Energy Star-rated facilities, including many retail stores across the country.

Other Verizon initiatives include: 

• Creating an industry standard -- Verizon was the first communications company to require that the network equipment it purchases be 20 percent more energy efficient than the previous equivalent equipment.
• During the past 14 years, Verizon Wireless has kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills via its HopeLine program.
• Electronically delivering more than 100 million bills to customers.
• Alternating hot and cold aisles of equipment and real-time smart-building sensing to ensure cooling systems are running as efficiently as possible in data centers.
• Using Telepresence next-generation virtual meeting services for internal business meetings around the world.

Employee, Customers and Vendor Involvement for Earth Hour

Verizon also is asking its employees, customers and vendors to get involved in Earth Hour by switching off nonessential office lights before leaving their building; turning off nonessential lights for the one-hour event when at home Saturday night; and using the technology provided by Verizon to connect with others and encourage them to participate in Earth Hour. Verizon has more than 2,600 employees who are members of the company's Green Team, which is a group dedicated to supporting environmental and green interests.

For more information on Verizon's commitment to the environment, visit the company's Green Press Kit at Verizon | Green Press Kit.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 94.1 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 194,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon