AT&T: Empowering Consumers Through Sustainability

DALLAS, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- American consumers are in the midst of a communications revolution, and AT&T's technology has the power to help our world operate more sustainably. In the 2011 AT&T Sustainability Report, launched today, the company demonstrates how it is committed to improving our world and empowering consumers to do the same. The report emphasizes the ways in which AT&T's employees, networks and customers are working toward creating a more sustainable future. Key report highlights include:

• Forty-two million dollars in annualized energy savings through more than 4,500 energy efficiency projects.
• A fulfilled $100 million commitment to AT&T's Aspire education initiative, with the groundwork laid for an expanded $250 million commitment planned over five years, announced in 2012.
• Beginning the transition of AT&T-branded accessory packaging to a plastic comprised of up to 30 percent plant-based materials.

As a testament to AT&T's commitment to connecting customers and communities through sustainability, the company launched a first-of-its-kind interactive report that empowers consumers to engage, share, and at the same time, generate a donation to a community-improving nonprofit of their choice. 

The report, which is hosted entirely online at www.att.com/sustainabilityreport, enables visitors to explore an interactive "city" that is populated by narratives showcasing the ways people are using AT&T products and services to operate more sustainably, as well as the inspiring work the company is doing to improve communities across the world.

To watch a preview of the report, please click here.

At certain points along their interactive journey, viewers are prompted to answer questions about the report and are rewarded with the option of directing an AT&T-funded donation to nonprofits dedicated to improving our communities through the AT&T Causes.com Connect For Good community.

"By putting consumers in the driver's seat of this year's sustainability report, we're doing more than just sharing with them the significant results we've seen from our multi-year investments. We're empowering them to live more sustainable lives, encouraging them to share this knowledge and enabling them to support nonprofits though Causes.com," said Charlene Lake, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President-Public Affairs.

Highlights from the 2011 AT&T Sustainability Report include:

People and Communities: AT&T is committed to strengthening communities through advancing education and by encouraging employees and retirees to donate their time to volunteer activities. 2011 community highlights include:

• AT&T met its four-year $100 million commitment to AT&T Aspire, the largest education initiative in the company's history. The program is specifically focused on high school retention and workforce readiness. It supported more than 1,000 national and community organizations, impacted more than one million students and established the groundwork for an expanded $250 million commitment planned over five years, announced in 2012.
• AT&T employees and retirees donated more than six million hours of time to community outreach activities, worth more than $133 million.

Environment: In 2011, AT&T built upon its ongoing efforts to better manage energy, invest in alternative fuel sources and encourage the use of renewable resources. Progress included: 

• Implementation of 4,500 energy efficiency projects that resulted in $42 million in annualized energy savings.
• Reaching deployment of 3,469 alternative-fuel vehicles through which AT&T will avoid the purchase of more than 2.5 million gallons of unleaded gasoline in 2012 and each subsequent year they are on the road.
• Beginning the transition of AT&T-branded accessory packaging to a new plastic that is comprised of up to 30 percent plant-based materials.

Technology: AT&T is powering technologies that empower others. In 2011, the company worked with customers to engineer innovative solutions that also help address economic, environmental and social challenge by:

• Engaging hundreds of companies in a "fast pitch" atmosphere to hear from developers and entrepreneurs with great ideas and taking the best of those and helping to make them a reality.
• Through AT&T's own use of technology, logging more than 2.9 million Telepresence minutes, realizing almost $13.9 million in travel dollars saved and more than 8,261 metric tons of CO2 emissions averted.

Connect For Good Community: In 2011, AT&T launched the first-ever corporate Causes.com community, Connect For Good. Through this platform, which uses Facebook Connect, AT&T is empowering customers to join the company's sustainability efforts and share its passion for social good. In honor of the launch of the 2011 Sustainability Report, viewers of the report are able to donate to a nonprofit via the AT&T Connect For Good community. Since its launch, the AT&T Connect For Good Community has:

• Donated more than $239,000 for charities.
• Inspired more than 101,500 actions by its member consumers.
• Empowered consumers to: learn about the dangers of texting while driving, dispose of old cell phones responsibly, and support efforts to achieve an end to the high school dropout crisis.

AT&T aligned this report with the Global Reporting Initiative's GRI G3 Guidelines and AT&T self-declared the report to application level C. The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines provide a framework for organizations to report on their social, environmental and economic performance. AT&T also details in the report a set of goals to help guide and measure its progress. A complete list of AT&T's citizenship and sustainability goals is available at www.att.com/csr.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives, AT&T has a long history of supporting projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2011, more than $115 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNEWS.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.