2008-05-16 23:33:52 -
- Waste Management of San Diego has received an EARTH award from San Diego EarthWorks and Councilmember Donna Frye. The award acknowledges the great strides that Waste Management makes in educating the community about sustainability as well as being sustainable and "green" at its facility in El Cajon.
"All of the employees at Waste Management of San Diego are
working to take sustainability to the next level," said Carl Scherbaum, District Manager, Waste Management of San Diego. "To us, sustainability is striving for the highest operational efficiencies while minimizing impact on the environment. This award means a lot to us and shows that our efforts are not only impacting our own employees, but also positively influencing the communities we serve and other local businesses."
A number of criteria are used during the selection process for the EARTH Awards. What allowed Waste Management to stand out amongst the other nominees was the organization's overall commitment to environmental stewardship and reducing its ecological footprint.
"We are always looking for organizations and individuals who are pushing the envelope of sustainability," said Carolyn Chase, CEO, San Diego EarthWorks. "Waste Management was selected because of their holistic approach to all areas of sustainability, especially the high recycling diversion rate of more than 90 percent."
In addition to maintaining a diversion rate of over 90 percent, Waste Management of San Diego also runs the largest liquefied natural gas-powered fleet of refuse hauling trucks in the nation. Operating its fleet of 124 trucks has the environmental equivalent of taking 9,200 cars off the road each day. Waste Management also purchases green products for the office, reduces and diverts office waste, reduces office energy use, is working to attain LEED EB certification for its local facility and continuously works to educate the community about the importance of sustainability and thinking green.
"It's our mission as a company not only to Think Green(R) but also to work green," Scherbaum said. "All of our employees make it their personal mission to promote sustainability in their personal lives and out at community events. We make sure we walk the walk and talk the talk."
Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. For more information about how we Think Green(R), log onto www.wastemanagementsd.com or www.thinkgreen.com
Video Opportunities: To arrange to shoot video of Waste Management of San Diego's natural gas truck fleet or fueling station, contact Melissa Perez at (619) 933-0102 or via email at
mperez@wm.com.
Waste Management of San Diego
Melissa Perez, Manager of Communications
619-933-0102
mperez@wm.com 
