page 24 of 100 financial condition , liquidity and capital resources cash flows and capital expenditures liquidity our primary sources of liquidity are cash provided by operating activities and external committed borrowings . we believe that cash flows from operations and cash provided by short-term and committed revolver borrowings , when necessary , will be sufficient to meet our ongoing operating requirements , scheduled principal and interest payments on debt , dividend payments and anticipated capital expenditures . the following summarizes our cash flows: .
what was the percentage decrease in cash flows from operations from 2009 to 2010?
cash flows provided by operating activities in 2010 included a use of $ 250 million related to a change in accounting for our accounts receivable securitization program . at december 31 , 2009 , the amount of accounts receivable sold under the securitization program was $ 250 million and , under the previous accounting guidance , this amount was presented in the consolidated balance sheet as a reduction of accounts receivable as a result of the true sale of receivables . however , upon the company 2019s adoption of new prospective accounting guidance effective january 1 , 2010 , the amount of accounts receivable sold is not reflected as a reduction of accounts receivable on the balance sheet at december 31 , 2010 , resulting in a $ 250 million increase in accounts receivable and a corresponding working capital outflow from operating activities in the statement of cash flows . there were no accounts receivable sold under the securitization program at december 31 , 2010 . excluding the $ 250 million impact of additional accounts receivable from the change in accounting discussed above , cash flows provided by operations were $ 765.2 million in 2010 compared to $ 559.7 million in 2009 and $ 627.6 million in 2008 . the significant improvement in 2010 was primarily due to higher earnings and favorable working capital changes , partially offset by higher pension funding . lower operating cash flows in 2009 compared to 2008 were the result of working capital increases and higher pension funding and income tax payments during the year , offset by the payment of approximately $ 70 million to a customer for a legal settlement . management performance measures the following financial measurements are on a non-u.s . gaap basis and should be considered in connection with the consolidated financial statements within item 8 of this report . non-u.s . gaap measures should not be considered in isolation and should not be considered superior to , or a substitute for , financial measures calculated in accordance with u.s . gaap . a presentation of earnings in accordance with u.s . gaap is available in item 8 of this report . free cash flow management internally uses a free cash flow measure : ( 1 ) to evaluate the company 2019s operating results , ( 2 ) to plan stock buyback levels , ( 3 ) to evaluate strategic investments and ( 4 ) to evaluate the company 2019s ability to incur and service debt . free cash flow is not a defined term under u.s . gaap , and it should not be inferred that the entire free cash flow amount is available for discretionary expenditures . the company defines free cash flow as cash flow from operating activities less additions to property , plant and equipment ( capital spending ) . free cash flow is typically derived directly from the company 2019s cash flow statements ; however , it may be adjusted for items that affect comparability between periods. .