AT&T is celebrating the 40th anniversary
of Earth Day through 40% discounts on the AT&T
ZERO Charger, Earth
Day Network's Earth Week sponsorship; the AT&T's "One Million Eco Challenge, encouraging recycling, planting trees, and reducing waste.
AT&T announced the
AT&T ZERO Charger in March. The charger does not waste power when
left plugged in, and it improves charging efficiency when powering a
device. The award-winning AT&T ZERO Charger will be available for a 40 percent discount to any
customer who brings in a wireless device for recycling in AT&T
stores.
Once the charger is available in AT&T stores this May, the
discount will be available on one charger per customer. A standard charger left plugged into a wall wastes electricity -
enough to power 24,000 homes for a year, or brew three to four million
cups of coffee each day. The AT&T ZERO Charger will be
available, exclusively, in AT&T stores by May
2010.
Also in honor of Earth Day, AT&T is
launching its "One
Million Mobile Eco Challenge" as the exclusive wireless sponsor of Earth Day Network's Earth
Day events at the National Mall in Washington
D.C. through April 25. AT&T's exhibit at the event includes a
solar-powered charging station for wireless phones, showcasing free
carbon footprint apps available on selected AT&T devices and
eco-focused gaming.
Today, AT&T
continues to offer wireless customers of any carrier the ability to drop
off old cell phones at any of AT&T's 2,000-plus retail locations
across the U.S. In 2009, it collected 24 percent more wireless phones and
accessories through stores and att.com/recycle versus the previous year.
In
2009, AT&T collected more than 4.2 million cell phones and almost
1.8 million pounds of batteries and accessories, overall. AT&T
estimates it will collect roughly 14 million wireless devices for
recycling by the end of 2011, which is the environmental equivalent of
keeping more than 920 tons of primary materials out of landfills.****
In March, AT&T
announced its transition to smaller packaging for the wireless device
chargers, cases, batteries and data cables it sells. AT&T estimates
this will help avoid more than 200 tons of wasted plastic and paper in
2010, avoiding more than 1,100 cubic yards of landfill space -- enough to
house nearly 10 school buses -- by the end of 2010. ***
In 2009, AT&T
announced plans to invest up to $565 million
as part of a long-term strategy to deploy more than 15,000
alternative-fuel vehicles over a 10-year period. AT&T also works to
enhance energy performance and reduce energy consumption and has begun
to use alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power.