ROCHESTER, N.Y., Xerox Corporation (NYSE:XRX) was honored yesterday at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) for "exceptional and distinguished achievement in Great Lakes ecosystem improvement." The United States and Canadian Consuls General, who presented the award, cited Xerox for its work on becoming a waste-free company. Xerox's primary manufacturing plant is located in Webster, N.Y., just three miles south of Lake Ontario. Xerox was one of seven "Success Story Winners" at the SOLEC conference, which was held in Hamilton, Ontario, and hosted jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada. There were two other U.S. winners - the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network - and four from Canada: Ontario Power Generation, Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action, the Rural Water Quality Program and the Environmental Farm Plan. The SOLEC Steering Committee particularly noted Xerox's adherence to the 3Rs - reduction, reuse and recycling. It said: "At Xerox manufacturing plants, the waste-free concept extends from pollution prevention, emissions reduction and hazardous materials elimination to the responsible resource consumption through the most advanced integration of the 3Rs principles. Xerox products are 'designed for the environment,' which means they are designed to be capable of part reprocessing and recycling."