Verizon Earns 2001 Financial Times Global Energy Award

NEW YORK - Verizon's industry-leading efforts to increase energy efficiency have earned the company and one of its senior managers another prestigious award.

Rod Sluyter, director of Verizon's company-wide energy program, recently received the Corporate Energy Manager of the Year Award during the third annual Financial Times Global Energy Awards. The awards were sponsored by The Financial Times, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and Platts, the energy information and marketing services unit of The McGraw Hill Companies.

While presenting the award, Doug Lattner, global leader of Deloitte Consulting's Energy Practice, explained why the judging panel selected Sluyter and Verizon.

"It is impressive that in the space of a few short years, Verizon has implemented some 15,000 energy-reduction projects in 5,000 buildings across the country," Lattner said. "What is notable is that Rod and his team have helped spearhead this Verizon effort not only by using proven ideas and technologies, but they've also gone right to employees, asking them for successful ideas."

Under its energy program, Verizon has reduced energy costs by about $20 million annually since 1999. This translates into 15,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide -- the greatest contributor to global warming -- that would have been emitted into the atmosphere. The savings were accomplished, for example, through exhaustive building energy audits, installing energy-efficient lighting, taking out unnecessary lights, installing energy efficient motors and HVAC equipment, utilizing professional energy purchasing and implementing an extensive employee communications effort.

"It is gratifying to have Verizon's efforts to reduce energy consumption rewarded in this way," Sluyter said. "It's truly amazing that the nation's leading telecom company is now also recognized as the world's leading energy manager. It's the spirit and teamwork of all Verizon's employees that's made us so successful."

The Verizon award was one of 14 given at the award ceremony in New York recently. Winners were selected from a field of about 200 nominations. (For more information on the awards visit: www.globalenergyawards.com.)

Earlier this year, Verizon earned the annual Energy Star Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Verizon, one of 11 businesses honored by the federal agencies, was the only telecommunications company to earn the award in 2001.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 128.5 million access line equivalents and 28.7 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with 256,000 employees and approximately $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.