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

SEATTLE, Aug. 12, 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 Washington state. 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.

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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, such as Washington's Oak Creek Wildlife Area.

Funds generated from AT&T donations will be used to support The Nature Conservancy's work. For example, The Nature Conservancy is working in Washington with partners in the Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative to manage and restore the Oak Creek Wildlife Area to enhance wildlife habitat, salmon habitat, clean water, and recreational and economic values.

Carefully designed plans for thinning and controlled burns by The Nature Conservancy and our partners ensure that these forests mature as resistant to destructive megafires, while also continuing to allow communities, businesses, wildlife, and people to benefit from the region's rich resources. Restoration thinning has already begun on 1,200 acres west of Yakima as part of plans to restore land along lakes, rivers and streams that provide clean drinking water.   

"The Nature Conservancy is dedicated to finding ways for nature and people to thrive and to protecting the great places to live, work and play that make Washington so special," said Mike Stevens, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Washington. "We are excited to be part of AT&T's efforts to provide its customers with sustainable choices."

"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 Bob Bass, President AT&T Washington. "The skip the bag initiative joins our other environmentally focused retail efforts, like our eco-devices and device recycling programs that help AT&T and our customers to minimize impacts 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 Washington state.

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

For more information on The Nature Conservancy in Washington, visit: http://nature.org/washington

*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.

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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.