AT&T Investments in Sustainability Yield Results in 2010

DALLAS, June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* today announced the release of its 2010 Sustainability Report, which highlights how AT&T is working on its own and in conjunction with others to have a positive impact on the community, minimize its impact on the environment and strengthen its operations.  The report features personal stories about how AT&T is working with others to inspire a better tomorrow. One story details work with the National Organization for the advancement of Haitians and Water Transit Solutions to develop and implement innovative new technology to track and manage critical water shipments destined for Haiti earthquake victims.

"In 2010 we began seeing tangible value to our world and our company from the multi-year investments we've been making. We'll continue to build upon this momentum and seek more shared value opportunities for business and society," said Charlene Lake, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president-public affairs at AT&T.

Highlights from the 2010 AT&T Sustainability Report include:

People and Communities: AT&T and the AT&T Foundation are committed to strengthening communities through advancing education.  In 2008, the company launched AT&T Aspire, a $100 million initiative to address the high school dropout crisis and help ensure students graduate prepared for the future challenges of continuing education and the workforce. Volunteerism is a key component of AT&T Aspire and through the AT&T/Junior Achievement Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative employees have dedicated more than 200,000 volunteer hours from fall 2008 through 2010. In addition, more than 65,000 students have already benefited from the program, which provides them with the opportunity to team up with employees to learn more about career options and what it takes to be successful in today's workforce. Employees also donate their time through AT&T Cares, the company's volunteer initiative. In 2010, through AT&T Cares, AT&T employees and retirees, including the AT&T Pioneers, donated 9 million hours of time to community outreach activities, valued at more than $192 million.(1)

Environment: In 2010 AT&T built on its ongoing effort to better manage energy use, reduce the amount of energy needed to carry data over its network and invest in alternative energy. Progress in 2010 included:  

• Realizing $44 million in annualized energy savings from implementing 4,200 energy- savings projects
• Reducing the electricity intensity of our operations by 16.6%.   Building on the electricity intensity metric established in 2008, we reduced the electricity associated with a terabyte of data from 498 kWh/terabyte of data in 2009 to 418 kWh/terabyte of data in 2010
• By year end 2010, reaching total deployment of  3,487 alternative-fuel vehicles in 538 cities as part of AT&T's 2009 plan to roll out approximately 15,000 alternative fuel vehicles through 2018
• Avoiding the purchase of more than 1 million gallons of traditional petroleum fuel because of its use of compressed natural gas vehicles in its corporate fleet
• Working with students at Vanderbilt University to conduct an assessment of AT&T's water usage and publish the company's first ever water footprint
• Participating in the Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) Climate Corps program, an initiative to help companies identify large-scale energy efficiency opportunities. AT&T and EDF identified a potential savings of 80% in lighting-related electricity usage across more than 100 million square feet of AT&T space 

Technology: AT&T is powering technologies that empower others. The company is working with customers to engineer innovative solutions to help address environmental and social challenges. In 2010 AT&T teamed with clean energy technology company Petra Solar to provide communications and information technology support for nearly 200,000 solar power generating stations atop utility poles throughout New Jersey. The units – which communicate with the power grid using AT&T's wireless network – are expected to generate 40 Megawatts of solar-driven power to communities. In addition, AT&T works closely with health information technology providers to develop medical technologies for the future to improve the quality of patient care and help manage costs.

External Acknowledgements: AT&T was added to the 2010 Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI) and included in the Carbon Disclosure Project's 2010 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. The company was also added on the Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 12th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List, and was again included in the Diversity Inc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity for 2010. To view a complete list of the company's awards and honors, visit AT&T's sustainability website.

AT&T aligned this report with the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) G3 Guidelines, and AT&T self-declared the report to application level C. The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines provide a framework for organizations to report on their social, environmental and economic performance and was used to develop AT&T's report. AT&T also details in the report a set of goals to help guide and measure its progress. A complete list of AT&T's citizenship and sustainability goals is available at www.att.com/csr.

*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.

(1) The financial equivalent is determined by using $21.36/per volunteer hour, which is based on the 2010 industry standard from Independent Sector, a leading nonprofit organization that determines the financial equivalent for a variety of volunteer initiatives.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. 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 fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, 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. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. 

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.