Verizon Operations Center Earns Prestigious 'Energy Star' Rating

Verizon's operations center in Basking Ridge, N.J., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's prestigious Energy Star rating, the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection.

To qualify, the 1.4 million-square-foot facility, which houses about 3,000 employees, had to place among the top 25 percent of the most energy-efficient facilities in the U.S.  Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star rating use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical buildings and release 35 percent less CO2. Verizon operates 46 Energy Star-rated facilities, including many retail stores across the country.

Situated in northern New Jersey's Somerset County, the operations center serves as home to the leadership teams of Verizon's three business groups. To make the facility more energy efficient, the company uses temperature sensors and energy-management systems to monitor heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; controls lighting schedules; tracks maintenance and service requirements; uses air handlers with variable frequency drives for energy-efficient heating and cooling; and has installed energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) and fluorescent T-5 lights. 

"We're proud to have earned this honor," said Tanya Penny, vice president of real estate for Verizon. "Management of this facility is an extension of Verizon's commitment to the environment, but it's also an example of sensible business practices and our long-standing dedication to reducing energy consumption." 

In 2007, Verizon was inducted into the EPA's WasteWise Hall of Fame. The company also earned the Governor's Environmental Excellence Award for a project that is improving about 25 acres of grass and wetland habitats at the company's Basking Ridge facility. As a result of the collaboration between Verizon, the New Jersey Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about 60 species of wildlife have been seen in the improved acreage, some of them for the first time.

(Note: A video of a resurgence of wildlife at the facility is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siEUjc7wr-s.)

Verizon and the Environment

Overall, Verizon's "carbon intensity" is approximately nine times below the U.S. average, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Verizon's rate of 64 metric tons of CO2 emissions per million dollars in revenue represents a year-over-year improvement of 3 percent.

In 2008, Verizon's conservation efforts in reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 303,000 metric tons, the equivalent of taking more than 55,500 cars off the road.

The company remains committed to finding practical and innovative ways to increase energy efficiency and bolster conservation efforts. For example, Verizon operates the largest fuel cell site of its kind in the nation. Using seven fuel cells, the company's Energy Star Award-winning facility in Garden City, N.Y., can generate enough electrical power per hour to meet the energy needs of 400 single-family homes.

In 2008, Verizon also:

• Became the first telecommunications company to require that the network equipment it purchases be 20 percent more energy efficient.

• Launched an initiative to limit engine idling, which cut fuel consumption by more than 1 million gallons (equivalent to taking some 1,600 cars off the road for a year).
• Electronically delivered approximately 100 million bills to customers.
• Collected more than 1.1 million cell phones, an increase of 6 percent from 2007, through HopeLine®, a Verizon Wireless program that collects, refurbishes and sells used phones to benefit domestic violence prevention programs.

For more information on Verizon's commitment to the environment, visit the company's Green Press Kit at http://newscenter2.verizon.com/kit/green-press-kit/.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 87 million customers nationwide.  Verizon's Wireline operations provide converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network.  Wireline also includes Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

####