U.s. bank recognized by newsweek for its
environmental sustainability efforts
Minneapolis--(business wire)--u.s. bank, lead bank of u.s. bancorp (nyse: usb), has once again been recognized for its environmental sustainability efforts. the company placed 57th in newsweek’s recent ranking of the 500 largest american companies. it was one of only three banks that made the top 100 in this prestigious poll, which rated the sustainable management policies, programs and environmental reporting practices of companies worldwide. bank technology news also recognized u.s. bank this year as one of america’s greenest banks. “while we continue to integrate green behaviors into our daily work practices, products and services, it’s great to be recognized for our efforts,” said lisa o’brien, senior vice president and director of environmental affairs at u.s. bank. “we’ve been able to reduce u.s. bank’s electricity consumption by 4 percent from 2009 to 2010, which translates to saving enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,600 u.s. homes for one year.” o’brien added that since 2008, u.s. bank has loaned or invested more than $3 billion in environmentally-beneficial business opportunities, such as renewable energy, and leed-certified commercial real estate. in support of u.s. bank’s designation by the environmental protection agency as an energy star® partner, u.s. bank is completing the upgrade of more than 87,000 computer hardware devices to more energy efficient equipment throughout its traditional and in-store branches and customer support facilities across 25 states. in addition, it is collecting energy and environmental data on u.s. bank-owned sites to pinpoint areas for further energy reductions and has built 13 new leed certified branches in the past two years in california, illinois, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, oregon, tennessee, wisconsin and wyoming. at u.s. bank’s regional corporate offices throughout the country, lights were turned off in support of earth hour. u.s. bank was the first major bank to introduce an auto loan that offers a half-percent rate reduction for “smart way” vehicles certified by the epa as environmentally-friendly. its customers are also rewarded with the best loan rates if their payments are automatically deducted from their checking account. this past earth day, u.s. bank employees purchased and planted 6,835 trees, and many take part in green team activities throughout the year. to help educate and engage customers around their personal impact, u.s. bank posted a video on its youtube channel called “the power of us”, and encourages customers to utilize the tools on the payitgreen.org website, where u.s. bank is a founding member. u.s. bancorp (nyse: usb), with $330 billion in assets as of sept. 30, 2011, is the parent company of u.s. bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the united states. the company operates 3,089 banking offices in 25 states and 5,092 atms and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. u.s. bancorp and its employees are dedicated to improving the communities they serve, for which the company earned the 2011 spirit of america award, the highest honor bestowed on a company by united way. visit u.s. bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.
