SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FairPoint Communications, Inc., (NasdaqCM: FRP), a leading communications provider in northern New England, has been singled out for its anti-idling initiative by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
FairPoint will receive its honorable mention award at the annual Vermont Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence at a ceremony on May 14 at the University of Vermont.
The Vermont Governor's Awards were established in 1993 to recognize the actions taken by Vermonters to conserve and protect natural resources, prevent pollution and promote environmental sustainability.
"These projects contribute significantly to protecting the environment, conserving energy and reducing the production of greenhouse gases," said ANR Secretary Deborah L. Markowitz in a letter to FairPoint. "After a thorough review process we determined that your project stands out as a model for Vermonters and is deserving of recognition."
FairPoint's anti-idling initiative, in partnership with the American Lung Association, reduced vehicle fleet idling from 92 hours per vehicle to 54 hours per vehicle using in-vehicle GPS technology to measure and monitor progress. This resulted in a 30-percent annual reduction in fleet idling times and a 40-percent reduction in fuel used.
The company began its initiative with the ALA, by holding presentations at its garages on the benefits of reducing idling. Those discussions spurred renewed interest by employees and managers in reducing the amount of time trucks idle.
"FairPoint has made a concerted effort across northern New England to reduce idling; it's the right thing to do for public health and to be a more energy-efficient company," said Karen Mead, senior vice president of operations. "This is a significant step toward reducing our carbon footprint in the region."
In selecting FairPoint's project, Governor's Awards judges said the effort "serves as a model for other fleet operations."
About FairPoint Communications, Inc.
FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NasdaqCM: FRP) is a leading communications provider of broadband Internet access, local and long-distance phone, television and other high-capacity data services to customers in communities across 17 states. Through its fast, reliable fiber network, FairPoint delivers high-quality data and voice networking communications solutions to residential, business and wholesale customers. FairPoint delivers Internet services through its resilient IP-based network in northern New England. This state-of-the-art fiber network provides carrier Ethernet connections to support the surging bandwidth and performance requirements for cloud-based applications like network storage, disaster recovery, distance learning, medical imaging, video conferencing and CAD/CAM along with traditional voice, VoIP, video and Internet access solutions. Additional information about FairPoint products and services is available at www.FairPoint.com. You can also connect with FairPoint on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/fairpoint), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/myfairpoint) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/fairpoint-communications).
SOURCE FairPoint Communications, Inc.