ECONOMY

WASTE MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 73SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCEWASTE MANAGEMENT LOCATIONS WITH WHC-CERTIFIED PROGRAMSPROTECTING AND ENHANCINGWILDLIFE HABITATSWaste Management owns a wide rangeof properties — large and small, urbanand rural. At our larger properties, inthe substantial areas that we set asideas buffer zones, we make a concertedeffort to enhance the natural value of theland, provide habitat for wildlife and offereducational opportunities and aestheticamenities to the surrounding community.One of our key partners in protectingand enhancing wildlife habitats isthe Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), anonprofit organization that promotesand certifies habitat conservation andmanagement on working lands. Back in2007, we set a goal of having at least100 facilities and approximately 25,000acres of land certified by the WHC asconservation and wildlife habitat by2020. We exceeded that goal in 2010Waste Management Locations with WHC-certified Programs— and our commitment to habitat conservationremains strong. We continueto engage with the WHC on creativeways to go beyond certified habitatsto include smaller sites and additionalopportunities to engage business inhabitat conservation.By the end of 2013, we had 132 WHCcertifiedprograms at 112 facilities(mostly landfills, but also some othertypes of sites), with more than 27,000acres created, enhanced or protectedfor wildlife across North America. Theseinclude 112 Wildlife at Work certifications(shown on the map) recognizingcommendable wildlife habitat managementand environmental educationprograms at individual sites, as wellas 20 Corporate Lands for Learningcertifications recognizing communityorientededucational efforts.Through the WHC’s participation inthe Conservation Registry, all of ourprograms are included in an online,interactive database that tracks andmaps conservation, restoration andwildlife habitat enhancement projectsacross the world, allowing us to betterunderstand and convey the impact ofour conservation programs.