NEW YORK, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday
(March 28), almost 300 Verizon
employees in New York will
participate in Earth Hour. Starting at 8:30 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. local time, 77 Verizon buildings will
participate in Earth Hour by turning off building lights and
Verizon illuminated signs. Verizon's Earth Hour involvement helps
the World Wildlife Fund promote sustainable living, raise energy
efficiency awareness and encourage people around the world to take
a stand against climate change.
View an infographic of tips for encouraging Earth Hour
participation.
View a video of Verizon's participation in Earth Hour.
The World Wildlife Fund developed Earth Hour, a global program
that unites millions of people to show their concern for the
environment by turning off their lights for an hour in a collective
display of their commitment to create a better future for the
planet.
Worldwide, Verizon will turn off lights at nearly 500 Verizon
buildings across 37 countries. In all, Verizon will darken 25
million square feet (more than 2.3 million square meters) of
building space around the world – the equivalent of nearly 12
Empire State Buildings. In addition, thousands of Verizon
employees worldwide have pledged to participate in Earth Hour from
their homes in 25 countries.
"Earth Hour is a great example of how something small – like
turning off a light – can turn into something global," said
Leecia Eve, Verizon vice president
for government affairs in New
York. "With the help of our employees and the communities we
serve, Verizon's Earth Hour activities help build awareness about
smarter energy consumption and management. And we hope our
commitment to Earth Hour and the environment can serve as an
example for others in New York to
spread environmental awareness, energy efficiency, and innovative
solutions worldwide."
To honor employees participating in New York, Verizon will plant a tree, make a
contribution to help an endangered animal, or give the
participating employee a free energy-saving kit. The choice is
theirs. Since joining the Earth Hour movement, Verizon has planted
6,000 trees to honor its employees who have participated in Earth
Hour around the world.
This year, Verizon will help spread global environmental
awareness by dimming lights and illuminated signs at Verizon
buildings located in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China,
Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru,
Philippines, Portugal, Puerto
Rico, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom,
United States and Venezuela.
View a Verizon Earth Hour map.
Verizon's Commitment to the Environment and
Sustainability
Verizon has long focused on energy efficiency and instituting
sustainable real estate practices. Since 2009, Verizon has invested
$160 million in green energy by
building on-site fuel cell and solar energy generating systems at
25 of its facilities across the United
States. 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.
In 2009, Verizon began certifying Verizon Wireless retail stores
in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design). LEED certification means that a
building is designed, constructed and operated to ensure energy
savings, emissions reductions and improved environmental quality.
By the end of 2014, 230 of the company's retail stores had earned
LEED certification. In addition, Verizon also seeks ENERGY STAR
status certification for all eligible retail stores that meet the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standards for energy
efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. By the end of
2014, ENERGY STAR certification had been received for 177 Verizon
retail stores.
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 more than 108 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
worldwide. A Dow 30 company with more than $127 billion in 2014 revenues, Verizon employs a
diverse workforce of 177,300. For more information, visit
www.verizon.com/news/.
VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive
speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are
available at Verizon's online News Center at
www.verizon.com/news/. The news releases are
available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit
www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
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SOURCE Verizon