Columbia Gas Contributes $23,000 to The Nature Conservancy to Rebuild Atlantic Forest
April 22, 2010
Canonsburg, Pa. – Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc. and Columbia Gas of Maryland, Inc., will contribute more than $23,000 to The Nature Conservancy’s efforts toward rebuilding the Atlantic Forest thanks to more than 2,100 customers who enrolled in the companies’ Direct E-Bill paperless billing during the first quarter of 2010.
On January 1, Columbia Gas and its parent company NiSource Inc., announced that for every customer who enrolled in the paperless billing service through April 1, 2010, the company would contribute $10 to The Nature Conservancy to help rebuild the Atlantic Forest through their Plant a Billion Trees program.
At $10 per enrollee and a dollar per tree, the contribution is equivalent to planting 23,250 trees on behalf of Pennsylvania and Maryland enrollees.
Across the NiSource companies, more than 19,000 customers enrolled in the paperless billing program, resulting in a contribution of more than $190,000 and the planting of 191,890 trees.
Columbia’s free electronic billing service is a convenient way for customers to manage their account and help the environment at the same time. Instead of receiving a paper bill in the mail, customers receive an e-mail notification that their Columbia Gas bill is available to view on the company’s Web site the same day it is rendered. The e-mail provides a link to the Web site, where customers can also pay their bill at no charge and perform other business on their account, such as signing up for the Budget Payment Plan. The e-mail notification also includes a link to electronic versions of bill inserts and other important account information.
Columbia’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy provides customers a unique opportunity to act locally to help address the global environmental issue. According to a recent study, the average household receives approximately 19 bills and statements, and makes approximately 7 paper payments per month. Collectively, the production and transportation of those paper bills, statements and payments consume 755 million pounds of paper, 9 million trees and 512 million gallons of gasoline. Columbia customers can calculate their own financial paper footprint on the company’s Web site at www.ColumbiaGasPa.com or www.ColumbiaGasMd.com.
The Nature Conservancy’s reforestation effort to Plant a Billion Trees will restore more than 2.5 million acres of land, and according to the Conservancy, will remove 10 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, the equivalent of removing two million cars from the road. Only seven percent of the Atlantic Forest’s original area -- which was the size of the U.S. eastern seaboard from Maine to South Carolina – survives. The Atlantic Forest, located in Brazil, helps regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate, including the communities Columbia Gas serves.
For more information about Columbia’s Direct e-Bill paperless billing service and other online self-service options, visit www.ColumbiaGasPA.com, www.ColumbiaGasMd.com or call 1-888-460-4332. Visit www.nature.org to learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s campaign to Plant a Billion Trees.
Contact: Mike Marcus
724-416-6333
724-416-3695 (cell)
mmarcus@nisource.com
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