Sunday is Earth Day.

We occasionally talk green on this blog, but we try to make every day Earth Day at Verizon. That may sound corny and marketing-ish, but hear me out.

And as we’ve introduced FiOS TVin various markets over the last six (yes, it’s been that long), it’s been interesting to see the evolution of our service, the competition we’ve introduced, and how our services is becoming greener--for lack of a better term.

This is just one example of how we’re delivering not just better TV, but it’s also how we’re delivering it smarter and more energy efficiently.

And if you’re interested in convenient green apps, check out these five apps: http://fios1news.com/longisland/node/12290

Happy Earth Day!

NOTE: TO view a full size version of this infographic, visit our page on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34800970@N05/7097000995/in/photostream  

50% off!

It sounds great when you’re standing online waiting to pay. It sounded good to us, too.

Earlier this week we announced our goal to cut in half our carbon intensity – the amount of energy needed to move data across Verizon’s networks -- by 2020. We’re using our 2009 carbon intensity level as the benchmark and the starting point for our goal.

This is important for our shareholders and the communities we serve but it has broader implications as well. According to a recent report by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, carbon emissions fell along with the recession and industrial output but that changed in 2010 carbon intensity across the globe climbed. (Get the full report online.)

Hybrids are hardly new, but plug-in electric vehicles, well… That’s a different story!

In this blog, we announce a new partnership to develop plug-in work vans and pickup trucks. This could be disruptive, definitely innovative, and potentially beneficial not just to Verizon but to hundreds of companies with large fleets.  The long-range, plug-in work van and pickup could be an incredibly valuable option.

If you’re still wondering what the big deal is?

• ·         The vehicle is charged overnight from an ordinary household 110V or 220V outlet or can be charged at any charging station when available for as little as $1 a day in some states. And...

E-Waste is a dirty word!

Consumers and businesses discarded some 2.25 million tons of e-waste in 2007, according to EPA, with the majority of it disposed of primarily in landfills where the precious metals cannot be recovered and hazardous substances can leach into the ground and contaminate soil and water.

To help make it a little easier for employees and people who live in many of the communities we serve, Verizon kicked-off a series of 13 recycling rallies in Temple Terrace, FL, last week. "We collected 19 pallets of e-waste," reported John Dorn, a project manager who cris-crossed the country to organize recycling rallies for Verizon.

Verizon's Chief Sustainability Officer James Gowen blogged about it here. Visit http://bit.ly/xgwfLV to read his full post.

We're partnering with American Forests to plant 5,000 trees.

Why are we doing this? 

As our chief sustainability officer reported in a recent blog, the Verizon green team -- a group of employees spread across 48 states in the U.S. and 20 countries -- hit a milestone of 5,000 members. We decided to celebrate by planting a tree in honor of every member.

So where are we planting all these trees?