Verizon Business Helps Customers Put Communications, Information Technology to Work for Earth Day and Every Day

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Large businesses and government agencies can rely on Verizon Business to employ advanced communications and information technology to help them conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions.

(To listen to a podcast about how Verizon Business can help customers conduct eco-friendly business, click here.)

According to a report presented last month at the World Economic Forum, the convergence of global networking and computing can significantly reduce global carbon emissions. The report noted: "The Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry is responsible for approximately 2% of global CO2 emissions. ICT solutions have the potential to be an enabler to reduce a significant part of the remaining 98% of total CO2 emitted by non-ICT industries and the public."¹ 

Verizon Business offers a wide range of products, services and solutions that can play a significant role in helping customers reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact.  These include:

• Global IP-based networks that facilitate e-commerce.

• Mobility solutions that enable teleworking by providing secure, reliable connections to corporate resources.
• Collaboration solutions that enable virtual meetings and distance learning through audio, Web and video conferencing.
• Electronic billing options that can reduce significant amounts of paper while increasing the usefulness of the bills Verizon Business customers receive in a paperless, electronic environment. 

"The solutions we offer, first and foremost, help our customers do business better," said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Business.  "Better business efficiency can also translate into energy efficiencies, and we're helping our multinational customers to realize the full benefits of information communications technology throughout their extended enterprise operations."

Engineering a Greener Network

Verizon Business' commitment does not stop with eco-friendly products and services.  Verizon Business is also engineering energy efficiency into its network and technical facilities.

For example, by employing energy-efficient ultra long haul (ULH) technology, Verizon Business has increased the capacity of its fiber-optic networks by five times.  Since ULH allows Verizon Business to extend the reach of light-beam signals beyond 1,200 miles without the need for regeneration, it also will enable the company in the future to decommission one-third of its electrical-powered regeneration shelters where ULH is deployed.

In addition, Verizon Business has successfully tested the use of fuel cells in a network facility in Forney, Texas, and plans to implement fuel cells at two additional sites this year in Missouri.  Fuel cell technology promises to help Verizon Business maintain reliable backup power resources and avoid having to install additional conventional batteries, which would require the allocation of more space - and additional heating and cooling.  

Verizon Business has also taken steps to improve cooling efficiency and reduce energy consumption at premium data centers where the company hosts and manages servers for its premium business customers.  Verizon Business plans to implement these new procedures at all of its technical facilities nationwide. 

"We're excited about how the advances within our own business operations can reduce Verizon Business' environmental impact as well as help our customers meet their energy efficiency goals," said Jeannie Diefenderfer, vice president of global network operations for Verizon Business.  "We're bringing state-of-the-art technology and new business practices to bear on the design and execution of our world class network operations."

Information about Verizon Business' green initiatives are included in "The Sustainable Enterprise Report: Turning Awareness into Action," published by Kyoto Planet (www.kyotoplanet.com).  The report seeks to promote environmental best practices for more than 32,000 North American businesses. 

For more information about how Verizon Business can put information technology to work for businesses, visit www.verizonbusiness.com/about/environment.

Verizon Communications' Green Initiatives

Verizon Communications Inc., the parent company of Verizon Business, has also taken steps to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, which include one of the largest vehicle fleets in the U.S. and millions of square feet of real estate. In 2007, Verizon focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing recycling rates and deploying new, energy-saving technologies in its operations.

Also in 2007, Verizon:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 76,000 metric tons.

• Maintained the company's "carbon intensity" at nearly eight times below the U.S. average.
• Spent nearly 28 percent of the company's $11.6 million budget for office supplies on products with recycled content.
• Received about 100 million customer bill payments online, conserving some 400 tons of paper.

This year, Verizon is rolling out 100 new hybrid sedans in metropolitan areas across the country, which will annually reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by an estimated 263 metric tons and conserve nearly 30,000 gallons of fuel. 

For information about environmental initiatives at Verizon Communications Inc., visit http://www22.verizon.com/pages/environment/.

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global IP leader and network-based partner for delivering integrated communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large-business and government customers worldwide.  Combining unsurpassed reach with managed services, security, mobility, collaboration and professional services capabilities, Verizon Business delivers global solutions that power innovation and enable its customers to do business better.  For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.

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¹"The Contribution of ICT to Climate Change Mitigation," (March 2008)/Source: Gartner/HP/McKinsey/WWF