Nebraska City, Neb. (March 18, 2010) – The Arbor Day Foundation today announced it will team up with AT&T to plant up to 1 million trees in U.S. forests. AT&T* will make a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant one tree for each customer who opts for paperless billing in 2010.
Customers of AT&T residential home phone, AT&T U-Verse TV, and wireless customers nationwide can go to www.att.com/paperfree, select paperless billing and get a tree planted in their honor. After enrolling in the program, the customer can choose to have the tree planted where there is the greatest need or they can select different regions of the country that have various needs for reforestation.
"AT&T's commitment to planting trees is a shining example of how corporations can make a positive impact on our environment," said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. "The trees planted by AT&T will help clean the air and drinking water for millions of Americans, restore habitat for wildlife and restore our nation's forests for future generations to enjoy."
Encouraging customers to choose paperless billing is one way AT&T is working to support the environment. AT&T accepts wireless devices for recycling in all 2,000-plus of its retail locations. Working with customers and other channels, AT&T estimates it will collect roughly 14 million wireless devices for recycling by the end of 2011, which is the equivalent of keeping more than 920 tons of primary materials and more than 13 tons of toxic waste out of landfills.
"At AT&T, we encourage all of our customers to make the switch to paperless billing with us this year," said Philip Bienert, vice president, ATT.com. "Whether they care about conserving natural resources, supporting reforestation, enjoying the convenience of reducing the amount of mail they receive each month – or all these things – we're offering them a simple way to make a difference with just a few clicks of the mouse or taps of the smartphone."
The Arbor Day Foundation has worked with the U.S. Forest Service since 1990 to plant trees in our nation's forests that have been damaged by wild fire, insects and disease. The Foundation, its partners and members have planted more than 19 million trees in forests throughout the U.S.
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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 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 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verseSM and AT&T ¦DIRECTVSM 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's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
*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.