FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2 , 2001:

Environmental Research and Education Foundation Honors
Earth Force as "2001 Environmentalist of the Year"

Washington, D.C. - On June 26, 2001, the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) held its inaugural Environmentalist of the Year award gala in the atrium of The Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 14th Street in the nation’s capital. Allied Waste Industries, Inc., whose headquarters are in Scottsdale, Arizona, sponsored the gala.

Earth Force, a national non-profit based in Alexandria, Virginia, was the first recipient of the foundation's prestigious award. Earth Force is committed to young people changing their communities while developing life-long habits of active citizenship and environmental stewardship. Since its founding just a decade ago, Earth Force has worked with over 100,000 youth from all over the United States.

The Honorable Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy, presented Tom Martin, president of Earth Force, with a faceted, engraved crystal award, and Tom Van Weelden, chairman and CEO of Allied Waste Industries, in company with EREF Chairman Ron McCracken (Bes-Pac, Easley, SC), gave Martin the foundation's check for $50,000.

EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, unable to attend this year’s festivities, provided greetings and congratulations through a video feed. Whitman said, "I applaud the Environmental Research and Education Foundation for their leadership in finding solutions for the future of our environment and for recognizing the critical role Earth Force is playing in reaching that goal." She further added, "It will require all of our collective effort to answer the environmental challenges of the 21st Century. Thanks to the commitment of everyone assembled tonight, I am confident that our response will be decisive and our achievement great."

Attendees included chief executive officers, spouses and guests from waste service companies, senior executives from corporations that support the activities of Earth Force, legislators, and representatives from the financial community.

In addition to the main sponsorship of Allied Waste Industries, the event was also supported by contributions from Bes-Pac Company (Easley, S.C.), the Dean and Rosemarie Buntrock Foundation (Chicago, Ill.), EarthCare Company (Dallas, Tex.), Independent Environmental Services, Inc. (Haltom City, Tex.), Republic Services, Inc. (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.), Waste Industries, Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.), and Waste Management (Houston, Tex.).

Grammy Award-winning artist Crystal Gayle, accompanied by her band, capped the evening’s celebration with spectacular entertainment with not one, but two encores.

Michael Cagney, EREF president said, "I want to express my sincere gratitude for all who attended the gala. Putting competitive interests aside and showing once again the tight social network of the $40 billion solid waste industry, more than 100 guests flew in from all over the United States to attend. Guests also included senior executives from General Motors Corporation who are a major benefactor of Earth Force. It was by all accounts a very successful affair. A challenge for EREF staff is to set the stage for next year’s gala, which will be even better."

The mission of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation is to develop environmental solutions for the future through research and education.

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