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Marlene Feuer, Waste Management
(505) 891-6548

Waste Management Donates $10,000 to Farmington's Xerispace Demonstration Garden

FARMINGTON, New Mexico, Aug. 30, 2007 - Waste Management of New Mexico announced today its $10,000 grant to the city of Farmington for a butterfly/hummingbird garden within the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at Animas Park.

Waste Management made the donation through the Think Green Grant, which funds improvements to the Butterfly Garden planting at Farmington's Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.

"We at Waste Management are committed to being good neighbors in the communities in which we live and work," said Calvin Ivy, general manager for Waste Management of New Mexico. "Our donation is part of that neighborly pledge and also an opportunity for us to demonstrate our dedication to thinking green."

The Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden landscape was recently completed at Farmington's Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, located west of the NatureCenter at Animas Park.

With the funds, the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps (NMYCC), a grant program that offers summer employment to youth, worked in the Butterfly Garden by installing a drip irrigation system and spreading chipper mulch throughout the planting beds. The Parks Department construction crew will construct the concrete block seating wall and a colored concrete paver patio within the Butterfly Garden. The entire project should be completed by mid September.

The balance of the grant funds will be used to purchase replacement plants for the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.

"The City of Farmington is grateful to Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful for their generous contribution towards our Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. We hope the public will learn more about xeriscape landscaping and conservation of our natural resources by visiting the garden," said Richard Drayer.

The Xeriscape Demonstration Garden is part of Farmington's Nature Center, designed to overlook a wetlands of one of the oxbows, which once existed along the Animas River.

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Its subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. The company also is a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information on WM, visit www.wm.com.



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