Columbia Gas of Maryland Teams with The Nature Conservancy to Promote Electronic Billing, Save Trees
February 5, 2010
Canonsburg, Pa. - Columbia Gas of Maryland and its parent company NiSource Inc. recently launched a campaign to encourage customers to make a new year’s resolution to go green. For every customer who enrolls in the company’s Direct e-Bill paperless billing service through April 1, 2010, Columbia will contribute $10 to The Nature Conservancy to help rebuild the Atlantic Forest through their Plant a Billion Trees program.
At a dollar per tree, the contribution is equivalent to planting 10 trees on behalf of each customer who participates in the program. The company’s minimum contribution will be $100,000 with a maximum contribution of $200,000. A check will be presented to the Maryland/DC chapter of The Nature Conservancy in coordination with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2010.
Columbia’s free electronic billing service is a convenient way customers can manage their account and help the environment at the same time. Instead of getting a paper bill in the mail, customers receive an e-mail notification that their Columbia bill is available to view on the company’s Web site the same day it’s 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.ColumbiaGasMd.com.
The Nature Conservancy’s reforestation effort to Plant a Billion Trees will restore more than 2.5 million acres of land, and 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 helps regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate, including the communities Columbia serves.
For more information about Columbia’s Direct e-Bill paperless billing service and other online self-service options, visit 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.
Media Contact
Mike Marcus
724-416-6333
mmarcus@nisource.com
About Columbia Gas of Maryland
Columbia Gas of Maryland serves approximately 33,000 customers in Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties. It is one of the 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). NiSource distribution companies serve 3.8 million natural gas and electric customers primarily in nine states. Visit Columbia Gas of Maryland online at www.ColumbiaGasMd.com.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.