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EPA Awards Environmental Merit Award to Computershare's eTree(R) Initiative

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 April 2007, 12:00 CDT

CANTON, Mass., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Computershare Limited , a leading financial services provider to the global securities industry, today announced that its eTree(R) initiative has been chosen by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Environmental Merit Award.

The eTree initiative is a unique means of encouraging shareholders to choose electronic delivery by offering the incentive of having a tree planted on their behalf. For every shareholder that registers their email address with the eTree program, each member company donates money to a local environmental group. In the US, Computershare's tree-planting partner is American Forests, the nation's oldest non-profit citizens' conservation organization.

Past honorees of this award include socially responsible organizations, such as Tom's of Maine, Beacon Capital Partners LLC and Stonyfield Farm, Inc. "Our Environmental Merit Awards are among the highest honors EPA can bestow to recognize environmental accomplishments," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England Office. "I offer my gratitude to these citizens for their extraordinary contributions in protecting our shared environment. Their work reflects the best attributes of New Englanders, working to find solutions to tough environmental issues."

"This is a great honor that reminds people that what's good for the environment is also good for business," said Sonya Stephen, Director of Computershare's Client Solutions Group. "Shareholders love the idea that they really can have a positive impact on the environment. Businesses have also embraced this easy way to bolster their social responsibility efforts as well as reducing print and mail costs through being a member of the eTree program."

The program's success can be attributed to the hard work and shareholder campaigns executed by the eTree program's founding members: ALLTEL Corporation, American Electric Power Company, El Paso Corporation, Google Inc., PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., McDonald's Corporation, Sempra Energy, The Coca-Cola Company, The J.M. Smucker Company, Windstream Corporation, and Verizon Communications Inc.

Computershare, which has a primary US office in Canton, Massachusetts, was honored in the category of Business, Industry, & Professional Organizations for the New England region. To learn more about the Environmental Merit Award you can visit the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/region1/ra/ema/index.html

About Computershare

Computershare is a global leader in transfer agency, employee equity plans, proxy solicitation and other specialized financial and communication services. Many of the world's largest companies employ our innovative solutions to maximize the value of their relationships with investors, employees, customers and members. Computershare has approximately 10,000 employees across the world and serves 14,000 corporations and 100 million shareholders and employee accounts in 17 countries across five continents. For more information about Computershare, visit http://www.computershare.com/

About The eTree(R) Initiative

Computershare's eTree program dramatically reduces issuer costs associated with the printing and mailing of shareholder materials. The initiative encourages shareholders to receive their annual reports and proxy materials online, rather than in the mail, or to opt out of receiving the annual report in the mail. Each shareholder who chooses to receive their shareholder materials via email will have a tree planted on their behalf by American Forests.

Benefits of The eTree Program -- For issuers: Considerable printing and postage cost savings year after year, tax benefits through the charitable tree donation, more effective communication with shareholders, an enhanced corporate responsibility profile, increased shareholder loyalty -- For shareholders: Efficient communication, environmental contribution, and less mail -- For the environment: Reduced amounts of paper waste, cleaner water and air, and CO2 emission management

The eTree program is open to all US publicly traded companies, regardless of their size or transfer agent. The eTree concept can also be used to encourage e-billing or e-statement delivery for customers and employees. For more information on the eTree initiative, please contact eTreeUSA@Computershare.com or visit http://www.etree.com/.

Media Contacts Juli Bark EVP, Marketing North America Tel: 1 312 588 4249 juli.bark@computershare.com Jeff Stein Media Relations, Marketing North America Tel: 1 212 805 7271 jeff.stein@computershare.com

Computershare

CONTACT: Juli Bark of EVP, Marketing North America, +1-312-588-4249,juli.bark@computershare.com, or Jeff Stein, Media Relations, Marketing NorthAmerica, +1-212-805-7271, jeff.stein@computershare.com

Web site: http://www.computershare.com/http://www.etree.com/http://www.epa.gov/region1/ra/ema/index.html

Source: PRNewswire

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