Verizon, in Support of Earth Hour, Will Turn Off Lights at More Than 3,500 Locations Across 40 Countries

NEW YORK, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday (March 29), more than 3,000 Verizon employees around the globe will join the Earth Hour movement. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Verizon and its employees have pledged to turn off lights for one hour at approximately 550 Verizon buildings and 3,000 Verizon employee homes across roughly 40 countries, helping to raise energy-efficiency awareness and promote sustainable living.

To see Verizon's participation in Earth Hour, visit: http://vz.to/PMMy25.

Earth Hour, which began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, has grown into a global event with millions of participants in over 150 countries. Supporters participate by switching off non-essential lights for one hour as a symbolic show of concern for the environment.

"Earth Hour is an annual display of how our imagination can inspire and engage hundreds of millions to focus on the one thing that unites us – our planet," said Keya Chatterjee, director of renewable energy and footprint outreach for the World Wildlife Fund. "Joining together for Earth Hour with the Verizon family, and other businesses, communities and cities around the world, we are setting the stage for a brighter tomorrow."

James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon, said: "Earth Hour provides each of us with a chance to not only act as greener citizens, but to also share and influence others to live greener lives. With Verizon Green Team members located across the globe, we are motivated and mobilizing for fifth straight year to work green and live green in honor of Earth Hour."

Verizon is encouraging its employees to participate in Earth Hour. When Verizon employees pledge to participate from home, they are given a choice of voting via the World Wildlife Fund to symbolically adopt one of several endangered animals. For every 100 votes cast, Verizon will symbolically adopt one of those animals through a donation to the WWF.

Last year, Verizon planted 5,000 trees to honor its employees who participated in Earth Hour. Verizon also dimmed lights and signs around the world, including MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and company facilities such as the Pearl Street building in Manhattan, a call center in Pittsburgh, the corporate campus in Basking Ridge, N.J.; and company sites in Dortmund, Germany; and Reading in the United Kingdom.

Sustainability Legacy

Verizon has long been focused on energy efficiency and instituting sustainable real estate practices. Last year, Verizon invested $100 million in fuel cell and solar panels to help power nearly 20 Verizon facilities across six states. As an early adopter of fuel cell technologies, Verizon currently operates one of the largest fuel cell sites of its kind that helps power an environmentally friendly call-switching center and office building in Garden City, N.Y.  Verizon also uses 26 solar-assisted cell sites in remote areas in the western United States to help power a portion of the nation's largest and most reliable wireless network serving those areas. 

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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 103 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 176,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon