Go paperless for Earth Day: Save 60,000 trees for the greater green of Canada

TELUS supports the Nature Conservancy of Canada to save priority land and promote paperless billing

TORONTO, April 22 /CNW/ - This Earth Day, TELUS and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), the country's leading land conservation organization, are encouraging TELUS' wireless clients to help save 60,000 trees this year by going paperless. Each week, from April 26 to September 26, TELUS will give $1,000 to a selected client who makes the switch from paper to online billing.

In this year's campaign, TELUS will also donate an additional $1,000 to NCC in honour of the winning client each week and an additional $2 for every client who goes paperless. Two dollars will allow the NCC to preserve 5 sq. metres of ecologically significant forest, equivalent to the size of an office cubicle.

"We want our environmental future to be friendly and by helping clients to make these environmentally conscious decisions, like opting for paperless billing and leveraging the technology at our finger tips, we can have a positive impact on our ecosystems," said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. "TELUS is thrilled to work with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to give back to the environment on behalf of our clients who make these choices and help save priority natural areas across Canada."

Now more than ever, the impact of paper bills is clear. Last year, if TELUS' paper bills were laid end to end they would circle the world more than two times. When stacked up, one month of paper bills is 14 times the height of the CN Tower. TELUS has been encouraging its customers to move to online billing for several years in order to save trees and reduce their environmental impact, and is implementing this campaign to increase the number of customers making the switch.

"Our biological diversity is being lost at an alarming rate. The conservation challenge is daunting. But Canadians have the power to shape the natural world our children will inherit. By making small changes such as switching to paperless billing we can have a tremendous impact," said John Lounds, President and CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. "Through the generosity of TELUS, our efforts give Canadians the power to make choices that will conserve our most precious natural areas and the species that depend upon them."

Clients who win a weekly $1,000 prize will be able to direct the TELUS donation to one of 10 Nature Conservancy of Canada projects across the country, choosing the region most meaningful to them. Each $1,000 preserves 2,500 sq. metres of land, equal to half a football field and supporting an average of 500 trees.

To make the switch to paperless billing and to learn about NCC's conservation projects across Canada visit www.telusmobility.com/gopaperless.

TELUS' commitment to the environment is engrained in its culture as a leading corporate citizen in responsibility and sustainability. Cellphone recycling programs, TELUS Green Teams, environmental volunteerism and environmentally sustainable buildings across Canada highlight TELUS' efforts to walk to the green talk. To learn more about TELUS' commitment to the environment and sustainability, please visit our CSR report at TELUS.com/csr.

About Nature Conservancy of Canada

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation's leading land conservation organization, working to protect our valuable natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.

Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares), coast to coast. By investing in conservation we are ensuring that our natural world remains a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation and a vital resource that cleans the air we breathe and the water we drink. Through strong partnerships NCC works to safeguard our natural areas so that our children and grandchildren will have the chance to enjoy them.

To learn more visit: www.natureconservancy.ca

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 12 million customer connections including 6.5 million wireless subscribers, 4 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and 170,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 3 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company ever to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact Jane Gilbert, Chief Communications Officer, NCC, [phone], [email protected]; Megan Fielding, TELUS, Media Relations, [phone], [email protected]