Esurance Digs In and Plants Trees for Earth Month

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the direct-to-consumer auto insurance company, celebrated Earth Month by helping plant thousands of trees across the nation. Through its sponsorship of numerous green orgs and initiatives, Esurance helped recruit volunteers and associates to roll up their sleeves and start planting trees.

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Darren Howard, Vice President of Marketing at Esurance, said, "As the first auto insurance company in the U.S. to launch a nearly paperless customer experience, we began an urban reforestation campaign to take the initiative a step further and offset the paper used in our offices. Also, recent studies indicating that trees enhance traffic safety in urban areas have further strengthened our commitment to planting trees in the communities where our associates and customers live and work."

Esurance focused their Earth Month efforts in several states throughout the country.

Ohio: Esurance, in partnership with HSG, the leading property & casualty insurance claims management company, launched a unique program to plant one tree for every windshield claim that resulted in repair instead of replacement. The Save a Windshield, Plant a Tree initiative began in September 2009, and within 3 months, more than 5,500 customers had opted to have their windshields repaired instead of replaced. In early April of this year, Esurance and HSG planted the 5,500 trees in Madison County, Ohio. Three-year-old red oak, sycamore, white oak, and swamp oak were planted in an effort to restore lost prairie habitat with native Ohio trees.

Michigan: As a sponsor of numerous Greening of Detroit events since 2007, Esurance helped them celebrate their 20th anniversary as a sponsor of Planting Palooza. This season-long initiative attracted over 1,768 volunteers and planted 1,740 trees to date. Planting Palooza will continue into June with plantings scheduled every Saturday.

Washington: Earth Month, an ongoing EarthCorps initiative, was presented by Esurance for the fourth year in a row. More than 3,600 volunteers donated time to 24 projects in 10 cities throughout the state of Washington — a large increase over last year. Efforts included restoration, wetland preservation, and the planting of 10,000 emergent plants to improve the local salmon habitat.  

Colorado: Esurance presented Denver Digs Trees in association with long-time eco-partner, The Park People. More than 300 volunteers participated in the subsidized tree sale to ensure that 1,310 trees found a suitable home. Of those, 628 were donated to underserved and low-tree canopy neighborhoods.

Texas: Led by Esurance Claims Manager, Mark Grant, Esurance associates in Dallas joined 300 volunteers to help kick off Tree the Town, an initiative to plant 50,000 trees in the city of Richardson, Texas. As a relative newcomer to Richardson, with an office opening there in July 2009, Esurance literally laid down roots and pledged to plant 100 trees in May.

Through these efforts Esurance joined eco-advocates nationwide in celebrating Earth Month. And with a nearly paperless customer experience, carbon offsets for its offices, and a hybrid claims fleet, Esurance continues to do its part each and every month. Find out more about Esurance's eco-friendly practices at www.esurance.com/environment.

About Esurance®

Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), provides personal car insurance direct to consumers online and through select agents, including sister company Answer Financial. Because of Esurance's virtually paperless online customer experience, Esurance car insurance customers have saved thousands of trees since the company's inception. As of the end of first quarter 2010, Esurance has also helped plant and maintain over 85,000 trees by supporting a variety of urban reforestation programs. Esurance is also committed to safeguarding the environment through its own operational practices, including a fleet of hybrid claims vehicles and investment in renewable energy sources to offset the electricity used in each of its permanent office locations.

Over the years, Esurance's environmental initiatives have earned the company awards and recognition. For the past two years, Esurance has earned a position within U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Leadership Club for its purchase of renewable energy credits to offset 100% of its electricity use. For more information about Esurance's green initiatives, visit www.esurance.com/environment.

Answer Financial, also a subsidiary of White Mountains, is one of the largest personal insurance agencies in the country. Answer Financial offers comparison quotes and provides auto and property insurance from more than a dozen top-rated insurance companies through its Web site, www.answerfinancial.com, and over the phone.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or referenced in this release which address activities, events or developments which we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  The words "will," "believe," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict" and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements with respect to White Mountains':

• changes in adjusted book value per share or return on equity;
• business strategy;
• financial and operating targets or plans;
• incurred losses and the adequacy of its loss and loss adjustment expense reserves and related reinsurance;
• projections of revenues, income (or loss), earnings (or loss) per share, dividends, market share or other financial forecasts;
• expansion and growth of our business and operations; and
• future capital expenditures.

These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by White Mountains in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors believed to be appropriate in the circumstances.  However, whether actual results and developments will conform to our expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including:

• the risks associated with Item 1A of White Mountains' 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K;
• claims arising from catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or terrorist attacks;
• the continued availability of capital and financing;
• general economic, market or business conditions;
• business opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to it and pursued;
• competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers;
• changes in domestic or foreign laws or regulations, or their interpretation, applicable to White Mountains, its competitors or its clients;
• an economic downturn or other economic conditions adversely affecting its financial position;
• recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have been inadequate;
• action taken by rating agencies from time to time, such as financial strength or credit ratings downgrades or placing ratings on negative watch;
• other factors, most of which are beyond White Mountains' control.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by White Mountains will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, White Mountains or its business or operations. White Mountains assumes no obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Esurance

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