TELUS supports Earth Hour 2012

TELUS urges Canadians to go beyond the hour and champion environmental sustainability year-round

VANCOUVER, March 27, 2012 /CNW/ - On Saturday night, TELUS and its team members will support Earth Hour 2012 by turning out the lights for 60 minutes, urging Canadians to take part and continue to discover new ways of protecting our environment.

On March 31 TELUS will turn off all non-essential lights at 8:30 p.m. local time at 27 of its major buildings across Canada in response to Earth Hour 2012's global call to action to address climate change.

"By participating in Earth Hour, we are joining the global village in raising awareness of the need for us to work as one to support our environment," said Josh Blair, executive vice-president, TELUS Human Resources. "Earth Hour is yet another way for the TELUS team to stand and be counted as we continue to do our part each and every day to contribute to environmental sustainability."

TELUS is also inviting its 40,000 team members to get involved and turn out the lights and other electricity-consuming devices in their homes during the same time on Saturday night in support of the cause.

Last year, hundreds of millions of people in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe participated in Earth Hour. More on Earth Hour can be found online at www.earthhour.org.

Thinking green at TELUS

TELUS has made green initiatives a company priority.

• TELUS is targeting a 25 per-cent reduction in CO₂ emissions and a 10 per cent reduction in energy consumption by 2020, over 2009 levels.
• In 2011, TELUS donated $262,625 to help Tree Canada plant nearly 100,000 trees across the country.
• In 2011, TELUS was recognized by Tree Canada as an Ultimate sponsor for having donated more than $1 million since 2000. TELUS has assisted Tree Canada in planting more than 332,633 trees since the partnership began.
• TELUS recycled and repurposed 236,390 wireless phones and smartphones in 2011.
• This month, TELUS switched its office printing paper to a new variety with 50 per cent post-consumer recycled content.
• TELUS continues to be on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index every year, one of only three telecoms in North America to be listed.
• TELUS is a top 50 Corporate Citizen, according to Corporate Knights.
• By 2015, 70 per cent of TELUS employees will work at home or on a mobile basis at least part-time, reducing the need for commuting in vehicles.
• TELUS continues to cultivate a culture of corporate social responsibility through the TELUS Green Teams - the company's national network of environmentally conscious team members who volunteer their time to promote sustainability at work and at home. There are 15 TELUS Green Teams across Canada.

To learn more about TELUS' commitment to the environment and sustainability, please visit www.telus.com/csr.

TELUS, as we give where we live, also supports a number of environmental organizations in communities throughout Canada.

In 2011, TELUS' 11 Community Boards across Canada donated more than $80,000 to ten grassroots community projects focused on educating youth on the importance of our environment. Projects included the Canadian Organic Growers in Ottawa, who taught youth the value and importance of community gardens bringing fresh vegetables into their own backyards; a park rehabilitation project with the Sandy Hill Community Health Clinic in Ottawa; and the Friends of the Métis Garden in Rimouski, to name a few.

To learn more about TELUS in our communities, please visit www.telus.com/community.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.4 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million customer connections including 7.3 million wireless subscribers, 3.6 million wireline network access lines and 1.3 million Internet subscribers and more than 500,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Eleven 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 to receive this prestigious international recognition.

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

For media inquiries, please contact:

Chris Gerritsen
TELUS Media Relations
[phone]
[email protected]m