Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
provided by 
11.19.2008 - 10:35am ET
News from:
Waste Management, Inc.
Waste Management Receives Prestigious Conservation, Education and Outreach Award
(CSRwire) BALTIMORE, MD. - November 19, 2008 - David P. Steiner, Chief Executive
Officer of Waste Management, received the first prestigious
Conservation Education and Outreach -- C.E.O. -- Award on behalf of Waste
Management from the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) at the Wildlife Habitat
Council’s 20th Annual Symposium, 20/20 Vision: Celebrating the Past,
Looking to the Future.
The William W. Howard C.E.O. Award, named in honor of the late president
of WHC, is the organization's most prestigious award, and recognizes a
corporate member which has a history of striving for excellence in
conservation, education and outreach. Different than other WHC recognition
levels, this award honors not a single site, but rather an entire
organization for its combined efforts in providing educational
experiences, access to quality education opportunities and the opportunity
to experience personal contact with the natural world to its employees and
the surrounding community.
"The C.E.O. Award recognizes the exemplary effort of a corporation which
demonstrates that one of the best ways to ensure long-term sustainability
of conservation programs is to have strong engagement on the human level,"
said Robert Johnson, WHC's President. "WHC's conservation education
programs like Corporate Lands for Learning and Conservation Education
Sites put a human face on those noble efforts, linking them to the local
community and to the region."
Steiner credits the combination of Waste Management employees and WHC
staff for ensuring that the company’s projects qualify for the stringent
certification guidelines.
"This is something that I am proud of because not just any site can
receive this certification – wildlife management practices must be go
beyond what is required, involve the community and be sustainable over
time," Steiner said. "The Wildlife Habitat Council is key to helping us
meet our wildlife management goal. We have a goal of 100 sites certified
by 2020, and we are now halfway there thanks to the dedication of Waste
Management employees."
Through developing comprehensive habitat management practices, providing
educational opportunities, and partnering with conservation and
environmental groups, universities and our communities, Waste Management
has achieve wildlife habitat certification at 49 of its landfill sites,
Steiner said. Marcia Maslonek, Vice-President of Programs for WHC,
concurred, saying that many urban children don’t experience nature and
animals in their natural habitat.
"The growing trends of American students falling behind in science studies
and the current generation of children being disconnected to nature have
prompted many member companies to become more involved in a wide variety
of education efforts," she said. "Many of our most forward
thinking-companies realize that outdoor conservation learning environments
may be used as an integrating context in which to reinforce a host of other
academic disciplines, as well as providing children an appreciation of and
connection to nature."
Today, Waste Management landfills provide more than 19,000 acres of
protected land for wetlands and wildlife habitat, which are carefully
managed in partnership with conservationists, universities and
environmental groups. Many of these projects provide refuge for threatened
or endangered species. They also serve to broaden understanding of wildlife
and environmental values through environmental education, volunteer
participation and community outreach.
Through partnerships with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) and with the
help of WM employees and local community organizations, WM has developed
habitat management programs on company sites. WHC's Wildlife at Work
Certification program focuses on wildlife management, and employee and
community involvement. WHC's Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program
fosters in learners, both adults and children, a clear understanding of
the interdependence of ecology, economics, social structures and political
process in both urban and rural areas. To date, 49 Waste Management
facilities have received the Wildlife at Work certification. Ten Waste
Management facilities have received the Corporate Lands for Learning
certification.
About Wildlife Habitat Council
Celebrating 20 years in conservation, the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)
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 2.4 million acres in 46 states,
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 16 other countries are managed for
wildlife through WHC-assisted projects. To learn more, visit www.wildlifehc.org.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of
comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries
provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal
services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of
waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United
States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and
municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.
For more information please contact:
Liz Johnson, Comm Mgr
Waste Management
713-823-2402
www.wm.com
Robert Loftur-Thun, Comm VP
Wildlife Habitat Council
301-588-8994
www.wildlifehc.org
www.wastemanagement.com
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Environment and CSR - General
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