Synagro, Operator of NY Organic Fertilizer Facility in South Bronx Focus of
Faith-Based Institutional Investors Shareholder-Sponsored Environmental Resolution

NEW YORK CITY, NY///January 30, 2006///Synagro of Houston, Texas, the operator of the New York Organic Fertilizer Company's facility in the South Bronx, NY, is the focus of a shareholder-sponsored resolution on Environmental Impacts filed by members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). The ICCR investor coalition is a major force in bringing about advances in corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and economic justice through organized shareowner advocacy. The lead filer of the resolution is the Mercy Investment Program.

"There exist a deep concern regarding the impact of the Synagro facility on the health of the residents of Hunts Point," stated Sister Patricia Wolf, executive director of the ICCR. "Providing information on the environmental impact of the facility is important for the company's credibility and for the residents of the South Bronx."

The resolution "…requests the Board of Directors to report on environmental, health and safety impacts of New York Organic Fertilizer Company (NYOFCo), operated by Synagro, on the South Bronx, New York community…" It further states "…Corporations have a moral and legal responsibility to account for impacts-not only on ecosystems, but also on health and safety of communities hosting their facilities. Synagro operates NYOFCo pursuant to a New York City contract, our company's largest municipal services contract…."

In support, the resolution indicates that the "…Hunts Point, NYOFCo's location, is a one square mile peninsula in southeastern Bronx County. It is one of the poorest Congressional Districts in the U.S., where incidence of childhood asthma is among the highest in the nation. This community bears heavy environmental burdens from local industrial and commercial facilities that daily bring thousands of diesel trucks through the neighborhood. Since opening, NYOFCo has added to environmental burdens of Hunts Point and the surrounding area. Even after our company acquired NYOFCo operations in 2000, residents continued complaining that noxious odors emanate from the plant. Odors from NYOFCo's smoke stacks, only 163 feet tall, are carried to nearby Public School 48 that sits on higher ground.

The resolution concludes "…We believe the report should include…NYOFCo's total releases - both within its permit and emergency releases - to air, water and land, including releases of toxins, molds, pathogens, hazardous waste and hazardous air pollutants contained in the Environmental Protection Agency's 1998 proposed rules…The extent to which NYOFCo's operations may impact health and/or safety of individuals in Hunts Point and the South Bronx; and how Synagro and NYOFCo integrate community environmental accountability into environmental management procedures and business practices…"

About the Filer: The Mercy Investment Program (MIP), a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, is involved in actions to ensure socially responsible investing. The Mercy Investment Program acts to influence corporate policy and the public conscience by utilizing its investment and financial power...in ways that respond to the social needs of the time and to demonstrate their founder's, Catherine McAuley, preferential love for the poor and her special concern for women. The Sisters of Mercy were established in Ireland in 1827 with members coming to America in 1843. They are one of the world's largest English-speaking Roman Catholic congregations of women religious.

More detailed information regarding these and dozens of other 2006 shareholder-sponsored resolutions are available from the Interfaith Center's EthVest (sm), the comprehensive, on-line, subscription-based, ethical investor database.

About ICCR: For 35 years the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility has combined social values with investment decisions believing that as investors they must achieve more than an acceptable financial return. ICCR's 275 faith based member institutions include major church denominations, foundations, religious orders, healthcare systems and pension funds, currently, with a combined market portfolio of more than $110 billion.

About EthVest: Available online to investors by subscription, EthVest is an ethical investor resource provided by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). EthVest contains details on shareholder initiatives by faith-based and socially responsible investors, including complete texts and voting outcomes for more than 2,000 shareholder-sponsored resolutions. Resolutions are retrievable by targeted company name, stock ticker, calendar year of proxy vote and topic or issue. Resolutions by ICCR member organizations and institutional investors traditionally focus on nine broad areas of social and environmental justice. Subscribers also receive periodic updates containing timely news and information on ICCR shareholder activism, including newly filed resolutions and negotiated corporate actions.

CONTACT:
(EthVest) Kenneth Cynar, Governance & Accountability Advisors Inc., Tel: 516/248-2383 Fax: 516/248-4045, Email: kcynar@accountability-central.com
(ICCR) Sister Patricia Wolf, 212-870-2294
(MIP) Sr. Valerie Heinonen, Tel: 212/674-2542; E-mail: heinonenv@juno.com