Verizon encourages and fosters a green workforce, and the week of June 8 marked a milestone for these efforts: The 20,000th Verizon employee joined the company’s Green Team -- a global force for good located in 28 countries around the world.
Now the Green Team has a new goal: growing to 30,000 members by 2018 so that Verizon can do even more to continue serving the communities in which our employees live and work.
As an environmental employee-volunteer group, the Green Team is passionate about the environment. Members are provided with timely green news and information about events and volunteering opportunities. Since the team's inception in 2009, Verizon has accomplished the following:
- $140 million invested in green energy in the past two years.
- 40 percent reduction in Verizon’s carbon intensity.
- 2 million pounds of electronic waste recycled from 67 recycling rallies.
- 540,000 holiday cards recycled.
- 92,000 trees planted.
- 31,000 Earth Hour pledges from employees who volunteered to turn off lights in their homes for an hour. Lights were also turned off in 500 Verizon buildings in 37 countries.
- 540 community-volunteering events completed.
- 175 ENERGY STAR-certified stores and being named ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for three years in a row.
- 850 tons of mobile devices kept out of landfills through our Device Recycling Program.
- 110 awards for sustainability efforts.
- 40,000 gallons of fuel saved through our Bike to Work program.
- 20,000 pounds of CO2 saved through the Green Eating program.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the tremendous efforts from the green-minded employees across Verizon.
To honor each employee who joins the Green Team, Verizon plants a tree in the employee’s name. Thus far, 15,000 such trees have been planted in national forests and wildlife refuges of the Philippines, India, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, California and Texas. Verizon is celebrating its 20,000 Green Team-member milestone by planting 5,000 trees in Mexico and Arizona.
Learn more about Verizon's green efforts by following us on twitter @VerizonGreen.
