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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
11.15.2006 - 11:06am ET
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Waste Management Wins First-Ever Corporate Wildlife Habitat Council's President's Award
Company Receives Nine International Habitat Conservation Awards
(CSRwire) Houston, TX, Nov. 15, 2006 - Waste Management received the Wildlife
Habitat Council's President's Award based on the company's wildlife
habitat management and environmental education programs at 16 landfill
sites across North America. This year marks the first time that an
organization has received the award; the previous three winners have been
individuals. The award was announced November 14 at the WHC's 18th Annual
Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland.
The President's Award was established by the WHC to recognize individuals
or partner organizations who have demonstrated leadership in community
outreach, conservation education and environmental stewardship.
"We are very honored to receive this award from the Wildlife Habitat
Council," said Waste Management CEO David Steiner. "Waste Management is a
leader in environmental stewardship, and our 50,000 employees prove that
every day. I am proud of the work they do to protect the environment and
to educate our communities about conservation programs and appreciate the
Wildlife Habitat Council's recognition of those efforts."
At the conference, WHC announced that Waste Management received the
largest number of facility certifications from the council for its nine
certifications and seven re-certifications of its landfill sites.
"We are extremely proud of the positive difference we are making in
communities across North America," said vice president of environment,
Greg Cekander. "As the industry leader in waste and environmental
services, we are strongly committed to being responsible stewards of the
environment. Landfill management practices that work in harmony with
nature are one of the hallmarks of Waste Management's environmental
leadership."
Waste Management landfill sites in the US that received certification
status are:
High Acres (Monroe County, New York) - the 440 acres of wildlife
habitat contain four miles of hiking trails and breed several bird species
of special concern, including vesper sparrows, bobolinks and grasshopper
sparrows.
Springhill (Campbellton, Florida) - the site contains a "green power"
generation facility and contains nesting habitats for a number of bird
species and ponds and wetlands to provide attractive habitat for American
alligators.
Pine Grove (Penn) - the 350 acres of wildlife habitat comprise a mix
of deciduous and coniferous woodlands, grasslands and fallow farm fields.
The site also includes an environmental education center that will include
a nature center, trails, wildlife observation blinds and pavilions.
Austin Community (Austin, Texas) - Enhanced wildlife habitat
protection. YMCA Environmental Campers planted a butterfly garden to
increase the biodiversity of insect populations and constructed a nature
trail through the site.
Ottawa (Ontario) - features owl nesting platforms and nesting tubes
for mallard ducks
Richmond (Ontario) - focuses on avian conservation, particularly of
wood ducks and bluebirds. Will eventually incorporate recycled materials
into the building of boardwalks and benches.
Ste. Sophie (Quebec) - features over 200 planted spruce trees and
well-loved horse trails
Magog (Quebec) - incorporates a beaver habitat restoration project in
the heavily forested area
Saint Nicephore (Quebec) - contains exclusively native planted
species of white spruce, jack pine and sugar maple trees to offsets their
endangerment in the region
Waste Management landfill sites across North America that received
re-certification status are:
American (Waynesburg, Ohio) - the site preserves 145 acres of
wetlands, and more than 415 trees have been planted by school children
through its annual tree planting event.
GROWS and Tullytown (Tullytown, Pennsylvania) - more than 3,000 acres
are devoted to wildlife habitat management. This was the first Waste
Management facility to receive WHC's Corporate Lands for Learning
certification for its youth and adult educational programs.
Mill Seat (Bergen, New York) - the natural areas on the property
include upland deciduous woodlands, deciduous swamp, successional shrub
upland habitat and marshes.
Alliance (Taylor, Pennsylvania) - more than 450 acres are available
for wildlife. Participants in its education program help enhance wildlife
habitat and track bird diversity.
Blackwell (Sarnia, Ontario) - incorporates park land and wetland
communities into the naturalization of the property.
Petrolia (Ontario) - contains an ecosystem for wildlife habitat,
providing nesting and grazing for birds and several wildlife species.
Warwick (Watford, Ontario) - contains thousands of planted poplar
trees to create an ecosystem for insects, birds and mammals.
The WHC's International Accreditation Program recognizes commendable
wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs at
individual sites. Certification criteria are stringent and sites must
demonstrate that programs have been active for at least one year with a
management plan that lists goals, objectives and prescriptions and
complete documentation of all programs.
WHC certification adds value to programs by providing third-party,
objective evaluation of projects. Waste Management's landfill sites are
the only WHC certified sites in North America. Waste Management now has a
total of 24 landfills across the continent that are WHC certified and
provide more than 17,000 acres of protected lands for wetlands and
wildlife habitats, which are carefully managed in partnership with
conservationists, universities and environmental groups.
About the Wildlife Habitat Council
The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization
dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on
corporate, private and public lands. WHC devotes its resources to building
partnerships with corporations and conservation groups to create solutions
that balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements of a
healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment. More than 2 million acres
in 48 states, Puerto Rico and 16 other countries are managed for wildlife
through WHC-assisted projects.
For more information, visit WHC online at www.wildlifehc.org.
About Waste Management Inc.
Waste Management, Inc. is its industry's leading provider of comprehensive
waste management, recycling and environmental services. Based in Houston,
the company serves municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential
customers throughout North America.
Visit
http://www.wm.com/WM/ThinkGreen to learn more about how Waste
Management thinks green.
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