VTEL 'GREEN' POLICY FUNDS TREE PLANTING IN PITTSFORD

The Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks & Recreation and Fish & Wildlife Planted 350 Softwood Seedlings at Pittsford’s Pomainville Wildlife Management Area. The Project was Funded by the Vermont Telephone Co. as Part of Its Ongoing Commitment to Reduce its Carbon Footprint.

(Springfield, VT) – June 2, 2011 – Vermont Telephone Company, Inc. (VTel) has announced that it recently sponsored a tree planting of more than 350 trees in the Pomainville Wildlife Management Area, in Pittsford, Vermont. The planting was conducted by the Vermont Departments of Forests, Parks & Recreation and Fish & Wildlife District 2 Staff on Wednesday May 18th.

The project location is part of the Pomainville Wildlife Management Area, which includes riparian habitat along the Otter Creek.  “These trees will provide an important travel corridor for animals from a deer wintering area east of Rte 7 to the Otter Creek”, said John Lones, Forester at the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation.  “I am impressed with VTel’s commitment to make a significant and positive impact on the local environment, and happy that we were able to facilitate the project.”

The cost of all materials, including shipping of the trees, was underwritten by VTel, while five members of the forestry and wildlife staff planted the more than 350 cedar, spruce, and pine trees on a parcel of open land in Pittsford.

“We’re thrilled to have found this project that was important to the area’s wildlife, as well as helping us to exceed our tree-planting goal,” said Justin Robinson, President of Vermont Telephone Co. Robinson was referring to a policy at VTel in which the company has pledged to plant the equivalent number of trees that it calculates it uses in paper-based mailings and other materials each year.  “This policy is an important part of our commitment to improve the quality of life in Vermont.”

VTel used the Mohawk Environmental Calculator to estimate that the company used 8.7 tons of paper in 2010. Additionally, the company relied on information from Conservatree, a non-profit organization that works to make paper environmentally sustainable.  Conservatree has estimated that it takes 24 trees to make a fresh ton of paper.  Therefore, VTel’s goal in partnering with the Vermont Department of Forestry on the Pittsford riparian project was to plant more than the 208 trees it would take to produce new paper to replace the amount the company consumed last year.

VTel has an ongoing policy of significantly reducing its carbon footprint. In addition to the tree-planting policy, VTel’s other green initiatives include being one of the first companies in Vermont to drive hybrid vehicles and printing VTel telephone bills on chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer-waste paper, manufactured using only wind-power and hydroelectric power.