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WHC Award and Accreditation Applications 

CLL of the Year and CLL Rookie of the Year

The Corporate Lands for Learning of the Year award is designed to recognize a site for outstanding environmental education, stewardship and voluntary employee efforts. The candidates for the awards are generated from the pool of applications for certification and recertification. The WHC Certification Review Committee nominates each candidate, and the nominees’ applications are submitted to a panel of independent professional judges for review and decision. Nominees and winners are chosen based on the following criteria:

Eligibility 
Sites that are applying for Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) certification and recertification are considered for this award.

The Rookie of the Year for Corporate Lands for Learning award is designed to recognize a newly-certified CLL site for outstanding environmental education, stewardship and voluntary employee efforts. The candidates for the awards are generated from the pool of applications for first-time certification to the CLL program. The WHC Certification Review Committee nominates each candidate, and the nominees’ applications are submitted to a panel of independent professional judges for review and decision. Nominees and winners are chosen based on the following criteria:

Eligibility
Sites that are applying for the first time for Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) certification are considered for this award.

Requirements and Selection Criteria for both of these Awards include:

• Sound Curriculum – The curriculum employed by the site is designed to teach students about wildlife habitat and biodiversity protection in a way that promotes investigation, critical thinking and team building.    
• Scope of Projects – The curriculum uses the habitat to teach and engages the students in multi-disciplinary education including subjects such as language, social studies, math and art in addition to science.   
• Level of Commitment – The wildlife team should be highly committed, demonstrated by the contribution of time, effort, and resources relative to the size of the site. Commitment is also reflected by the Hours of Active Learning that take place at the site.     
• Outside Group Involvement – The wildlife team should involve the community in designing, implementing and evaluating the CLL program. This can occur through actively involving educators, non-governmental organizations, governmental agencies and youth group leaders (e.g. 4-H and scouts) on a regular basis.   
• Length of Involvement – The Review Committee will examine the program based on how long it has been maintained with or before involvement of WHC, and/or how long it will take to implement and achieve the program’s stated goals.   
• Credibility – The program should stand up to scrutiny by members of the conservation and education professions and provide a model for other companies.

Honor Your Community Partner!

Each year, WHC opens the floor to nominations for being named the prestigious Community Partner of the Year. In 1998, WHC first introduced this award, which goes to one organization or individual for making a significant contribution and lasting impact on a corporate site's wildlife habitat enhancement programs through hands-on environmental awareness and enhancement activities. 

Companies nominate local partners who help plan, implement and sustain their site’s programs, which in itself is an honor. The nominees and winners are recognized at the Annual Symposium. Visit the Registry of Certified Programs to learn more about meaningful wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs implemented by companies at individual sites.

Directory of WHC Awards

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO MAKE A PARK

The Pennsbury School District, a 2005 finalist for Community Partner of the Year, was nominated by Waste Management of Pennsylvania (WM) for an established partnership with the wildlife team at the GROWS and Tullytown Facilities. An active business/education partnership since 1994, the Pennsbury School District has worked closely with WM to develop educational opportunities for thousands of students. This mutually beneficial relationship formed the model for the ground-breaking Pennsbury Partners Program, a comprehensive collaborative between the District and more than one thousand other businesses, large and small. Within the Partnership, WM holds a leadership position, providing tours and experiential learning on their wildlife habitat, extensive outreach programs and teacher training offerings.

The Village Park Elmentary School Kiosk.

The Partnership between Pennsbury School District and Waste Management Pennsylvania has also launched a new program for the Pennsbury Center for Student Learning, an alternative school for students who excel academically in a no-traditional environment. These at-risk students have the opportunity to use the Waste Management for exploration into scientific concepts outlined in the Standards through experiential learning.

To date, the partnership between the Pennsbury School District and WM has produced dramatic results, with a continued high level of commitment from the classroom teachers, and marked increase in student involvement tin their own learning. The partnership has also benefited the community at large, demonstrating that collaboration, commitment and excellence in education are the shared responsibility of school, individuals and businesses. Pennsbury School District has also helped to establish Waste Management of Pennsylvania as an environmental resource in the community, with the partnership serving as a “best practices” model for other WM sites and neighboring School Districts.

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