2009 National Environmental Excellence Awards
WHAT is the Environmental Excellence Awards Program?
This biennial program was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to honor those partners, projects, and processes that excel in meeting growing transportation needs while protecting and enhancing the environment. While working in partnership with the States, organizations, businesses, and individuals, we at FHWA encourage environmental stewardship and increased awareness of the successes we can achieve by incorporating environmental excellence into our everyday work.
WHO is eligible to enter?
We accept nominations for any project, process, group, or individuals involved in a project or process that has used Federal Highway Administration funding sources to make an outstanding contribution to transportation and the environment. Anyone can submit a nomination.
Winning entries will be selected by an independent panel of judges having varying backgrounds, disciplines, and expertise.
WHEN are the entries due?
Entries may be submitted by October 15, 2008 to the Division Administrator at the Federal Highway Administration Division Office in the State in which your entry is located.
WHERE will the awards be presented?
Award plaques will be presented to the winners at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation in September 2009 in Duluth, Minnesota.
HOW should entries be submitted?
- Entries should fall into one of the categories listed.
- Entries should address as many of the listed criteria as possible in their category.
- Each entry must include a completed application form and a summary of the outstanding accomplishments of the nominated project, process, person, or group. Summaries must not exceed two typewritten pages, and the font size must be no smaller than 10 point.
- Entries must include at least two professional quality color prints showing the associated project or person(s) nominated. Each photo should be clearly marked on the back with an entry name, description of the view shown, and photo credits. You may also submit .jpg file submissions via e-mail.
- Illustrations are acceptable and must include entry name and a description of the illustration
- Entries may be submitted in multiple categories by completing a separate application package for each category.
- All materials submitted become the property of the U.S. Department of Transportation and may be used by the Department for its purposes. No entry materials will be returned.
Awards are for the following categories:
Air Quality Improvement and Global Climate Change
- Quantity of emissions reductions, to the extent possible of air pollutants and/or greenhouse gases from mobile sources
- Integrates environmental concerns into regional planning and project development
- Builds interagency partnerships and creates proactive public involvement
- Meets environmental challenges creatively
Cultural and Historical Resources
- Enhances our understanding of heritage
- Provides economic opportunities and supports tourism development
- Displays innovative opportunities with planning and project development
- Displays sensitivity to historic, cultural, and community values
Ecosystems, Habitat, and Wildlife
- Promotes emerging techniques that restore and preserve ecosystem integrity and function
- Integrates ecosystem and habitat concerns into planning and project development
- Demonstrates design with nature concepts
- Forms partnerships to inventory, monitor and manage resources
Environmental Leadership
- Is a person, group, or organization
- Demonstrates a commitment to integrating environmental considerations into their organization's structure and function
- Seeks clear commitment of staff, budget, and personnel
- Creates initiatives that enhance the environment
Environmental Streamlining
- Reduces project and process delays
- Increases amount and range of public involvement
- Protects and enhances the environment
- Integrates and enhances interagency coordination
Environmental Research
- Advances state-of-the-art knowledge of transportation and its effects on the natural environment, neighborhoods, and communities
- Develops or advances tools that support integrated approaches for transportation decision-making
- Benefits society and saves money
- Educates the public in a creative understandable manner
Context Sensitive Solutions
- Promotes community cohesion by incorporating innovative mitigation and enhancement measures with public involvement
- Benefits all segments of society (Civil Rights Title VI/ Environmental Justice)
- Uses flexible design concepts
- Demonstrates effective assessment of community impacts
Nonmotorized Transportation
- Increases the amount of pedestrian and/or bicycle use
- Promotes access for people with disabilities
- Promotes livable communities and builds partnerships
- Integrates environmental concerns into overall transportation planning
Recycling and Reuse
- Innovative use of recycled and/or by-product materials
- Reduction in institutional barriers to the use of recycled or by-product materials
- Demonstrates cost effective and beneficial use of recycled or by-product materials
- Provides potential for a large use of recycled and/or by-product materials
Roadside Asset Management and Maintenance
- Promotes integrated management and maintenance methods that result in high quality, sustainable roadside environments
- Promotes native natural vegetation and habitats
- Demonstrates environmental protection aspects of maintenance activities
- Economically efficient
America's Byways®
- Protects of enhances one or more National Scenic Byway or All-American Road intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, scenic
- Provides a unique travel experience through the interpretation of a byway's intrinsic qualities
- Balances the preservation, protection and promotion of a byway's intrinsic qualities
- Demonstrates "best practices" that the national byway community can implement using National Scenic Byways Program Funding
Wetlands, Watersheds and Water Quality
- Promotes innovative and emerging techniques for stormwater management in a watershed
- Promotes protection, enhancement and ecologically based maintenance of wetlands
- Provides water quality improvements
- Fits harmoniously into surrounding environment
