IP5280 Launches Tree Replanting Initiative in Wake of Colorado Pine Beetle Devastation

ENGLEWOOD, CO--(Marketwire - January 30, 2008) - IP5280 Communications, Colorado's business VoIP leader, announced today that for each new business that becomes a customer in 2008, the company will plant indigenous trees in non-harvest locations throughout Colorado as a method of replenishing forests devastated by the mountain pine beetle. Within five years, it is estimated that all of Colorado's mature lodgepole forests will be destroyed. Colorado-based IP5280 quickly decided that one way to help keep Colorado green is to assist in replenishing these distressed areas. This program follows on the heels of IP5280's announcement about its efforts in "greening" office buildings by dramatically reducing the need for copper phone lines installed in new office construction.

Through a partnership with the Colorado-based, reforestation non-profit Plant-It 2020, IP5280 and its growing customer base will help strengthen non-harvest forest locations across the state. The program is simple: for each Colorado business that signs up with IP5280 VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, IP5280 will donate enough money to have indigenous trees planted in the customer's honor. With more than hundreds of companies, non-profits and agencies joining IP5280 each year, the Internet phone company will sponsor the planting of several thousand trees in designated non-harvest forest locations around the state.

"We recognize the need for businesses to get involved in protecting our environment, and Plant-It 2020 offers a simple but effective solution for a business like IP5280 to help reforest the 1.5 million acres of dead or dying lodgepole pines across the state," said John Scarborough, co-founder and managing partner of IP5280. "This effort synchs well with our own business philosophy of providing a green solution by eliminating the dependence on resource-hungry copper phone cabling and instead delivering to businesses a more cost-efficient and multi-feature VoIP service. We'd also like to encourage other Colorado businesses to join us in this critical fight against the long term devastation caused by the mountain pine beetle."

Today's announcement follows a recent state and federal report showing that every large, mature lodgepole pine forest in Colorado will be dead within three to five years due to pine beetles. In 2007, bark beetle infestation ravaged 500,000 new acres of Colorado forests, bringing the total to nearly 1.5 million acres of infested trees.

"It is refreshing to have a tree-planting partner like IP5280," says Michael Thau, Executive Director of Plant-It 2020. "IP5280 came to us with a genuine interest in wanting to improve the resources of Colorado. Their good intentions led them to select a reforestation organization that plants indigenous trees protected by contract from future logging. We thank IP5280 customers for making a difference!"

"With VoIP, we are driving a technology change and an environmental change at the same time by retiring old phone networks, promoting recycling vs. mining, and now lending a hand to restore one of Colorado's most precious resources, our green forests," said Jeffrey Pearl, co-founder and managing partner of IP5280.

To learn more about Plant-It 2020, visit http://www.plantit2020.org.

About IP5280

IP5280 is a Denver-based, next generation global communications provider specializing in business VoIP and converged IP voice and data services. IP5280 provides businesses the most advanced IP solutions to meet a variety of voice, data and IP networking needs. Visit http://www.IP5280.com, (303) 800-0000.

About Plant-It 2020

Plant-It 2020 is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit foundation dedicated to properly planting, maintaining and protecting as many indigenous trees as possible worldwide. In addition to replenishing cities and forests, Plant-It 2020 also periodically provides educational workshops on forestry issues to thousands of children. Founded by the late Singer John Denver in 1992, their reforestation projects in many countries often directly help humanity by increasing crop production, fresh water availability and fuel-wood via dropped branches. To learn more, visit www.plantit2020.org.

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Marc Lumpkin Altitude Public Relations for IP5280 303-378-2366 Michael Thau Plant-It 2020 (303) 221-0077