Comcast and Arbor Day Foundation Partner With Girl Scouts to 'Go Green'

FISHERS, Ind., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast and the Arbor Day Foundation today announced that they will be partnering with Girl Scouts of Central Indiana to plant trees on behalf of every Indiana customer who adopts paperless billing from today through August 10, 2010.  Donating one dollar for every customer switching to Comcast's "EcoBill," the company expects to raise $50,000 over three months for the Arbor Day Foundation.  Each dollar will be used to provide trees to the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana for a tree planting campaign during 2011.

EcoBill is part of Comcast's overall effort to give customers consumer-friendly choices while making it easier to do business with Comcast.  Customers can choose whether or not to enroll in EcoBill, which does not require any additional charge, and can sign up by visiting www.comcast.com/ecobill.  Currently, approximately 20 percent of Comcast customers nationwide have chosen the paperless option.

"We're excited to launch this green initiative in Indiana, and see a real opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of paper that is consumed through the billing process," said Scott Tenney, Senior Vice President for Comcast in Indiana.  "We're also very proud to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation and the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana to 'green' some of our state's public areas through the planting of trees."

"The trees that will be planted and the paper that will be saved by Comcast customers switching to electronic billing will greatly benefit the people and wildlife of the region," said Kevin Sander, Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Arbor Day Foundation.  "By helping to plant trees in our communities, Comcast is making a positive impact on the environment."  

According to the PayItGreen * calculator, 50,000 customers who go paperless can have an annual impact of nearly 17,000 pounds of paper saved; more than 160,000 gallons of wastewater prevented from discharging into lakes, streams and rivers; nearly 5,500 gallons of gasoline not used; more than 290,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions avoided; and more than 50,000 square feet of forest preserved.

*PayItGreen is a partnership between financial institutions, related financial industry service providers, and businesses of all sizes. The mission of PayItGreen is to combine the sustainability efforts of these stakeholders to educate the country about the positive environmental impact of getting paid and paying bills electronically, and opting for electronic statements and eBills.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.  With 23.5 million cable customers, 16.3 million high-speed Internet customers and 7.9 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net).  Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of more than one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

About Girl Scouts of Central Indiana

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana serves more than 44,000 girls in 45 counties across central Indiana. Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with three million girl and adult members. Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girl Scouts of the USA also serves American girls and their classmates attending American or international schools overseas in 90 countries. If you'd like to join, volunteer, or donate to Girl Scouts, visit www.girlscoutsindiana.org.

SOURCE Comcast Cable