T-Mobile calls on Verizon, AT&T to commit to renewable electricity

By Brenda Stolyar Published January 30, 2018

On Monday, January 29, T-Mobile announced its plans to move to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2021. The “Un-carrier” is now committing $500,000 to a non-profit that is specifically dedicated to pushing clean energy initiatives. If AT&T and Verizon join in, T-Mobile will triple its total.

A video featuring John Legere, T-Mobile’s CEO and president, urges people to grab the attention of both AT&T and Verizon’s CEOs — Randall Stephenson and Lowell McAdam, respectively — by contacting them. If one of the two carriers commits to 100 percent renewable energy by June 1, then T-Mobile will throw in $100,00. If both carriers commit, then T-Mobile will raise the amount to $1.5 million.

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Aside from referring to the two carriers as “dumb and dumber,” Legere also explains that while AT&T and Verizon use enough energy to power 2.6 million homes, only one percent of that energy comes from renewable sources. In order to get them on board with making the commitment to clean power, T-Mobile basically wants you to flood Stephenson and McAdam’s inboxes and social media notifications.

You will be able to do this two different ways. You can head over to Go Green America — an advocacy environmental research organization — and submit a pre-written e-mail to both CEOs stating you believe carriers should take action when it comes to addressing climate change. You can also tag both carriers on social media and use the hashtag “#CleanUpWireless.”

T-Mobile is the first carrier to join RE100, which is a global initiative that includes more than 100 businesses committed to the same cause. This includes tech companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

To support its commitment, T-Mobile is also backing another wind farm project in Kansas with power generation scheduled to begin in early 2019. The first wind farm project went live back in December and is located in Oklahoma.

Combined, T-Mobile claims both will generate enough energy to meet about 60 percent of the carrier’s total energy needs across the country. The company also has plans to buy more wind power each year in order to reach 100 percent.

While the entire initiative may sound like T-Mobile’s way to gain some good publicity, it does raise awareness when it comes to climate change. Whether or not the campaign sparks a response out of Verizon and AT&T has yet to be seen.

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