THE WHITE HOUSE CLOSING
THE CIRCLE AWARDS 2008
Instructions and Nomination Form

In January, 2008, we will accept applications for the 2008 White House Closing the Circle (CTC) Awards. This program recognizes outstanding achievements of Federal employees and their facilities for efforts which resulted in significant contributions to, or have made a significant impact on, promoting environmental stewardship. The awards focus on waste prevention, recycling, green purchasing activities, environmental management, green/sustainable buildings, electronics stewardship, alterative fuel use and reduced fuel usage under Executive Order 13423, “Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management.” Please note nominations can only be submitted during January 2008.

Now in our 14th year, we continue to seek exemplary programs and activities that promote continuous improvement and set the example for other Federal facilities to follow.

• Waste/Pollution Prevention
• Recycling
• Green Purchasing
• Environmental Management Systems
• Sustainable Design/Green Buildings
• Electronics Stewardship
• Alternative Fuel and Fuel Conservation in Transportation

The criteria for each category are found at the end of these instructions.
Descriptions of the award categories are provided, and while not all inclusive, they will help you to understand the criteria used to judge and evaluate the nominations for awards.

The program will consider nominations for programs or activities conducted in FY 2007, from either an individual Federal employee or teams/groups of Federal employees (including teams of Federal and contract employees). Partnerships between Federal facilities or Federal employees and non-Federal entities, such as surrounding local communities or non-profit organizations, are encouraged and will be considered for award. Each category will recognize Department of Defense and Civilian agency nominations with separate awards.

Agency Internal Award Programs

Several Federal agencies implement their own in-house environmental recognition programs, with categories consistent with the White House Closing the Circle Awards. These agency-wide winners may be the only programs, for that particular agency, eligible to compete in the annual White House Program after submitting their nomination package. For more information on your agency in-house recognition program, please contact your agency representative listed below:

Submission Instructions
The nomination submission has changed for this cycle. Applicants will be asked to download the Nomination Application ( .doc or .rtf ), complete it and append their narrative portion to the file. The completed Nomination Document (application + narrative) will then be uploaded in the usual manner.

Please remember these five important points when submitting your nomination package:

1. Only nominations for which there is a completed Nomination Document (application + narrative) will be eligible to participate. If you have problems downloading the Nomination Application ( .doc or .rtf ) or entering your data electronically, call us at 202-343-9481. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION IS NOT YOUR ENTIRE SUBMISSION. PLEASE READ ON.

2.We are ONLY ACCEPTING ELECTRONIC COPIES  of Nomination Documents this year. The narrative portion of Nomination Document must contain no more than four pages of text in size 12 font. Please use Times New Roman or an equivalent font. Acceptable file types include MS Word (.doc) and Rich Text Files (.rtf), please do not convert to .pdf. Imbedded graphics and photographs are also acceptable but THE TOTAL SIZE OF YOUR FILE MUST NOT EXCEED 1.5 Megabyte OF MEMORY. Submit your Nomination Document, no later than close of business on January 31, 2008..

In special circumstances, we will accept paper copies of your nomination; please contact us at 202-343-9481, to obtain approval to submit paper copies. We will not accept paper copies unless we have given you prior approval.

3. Describe what positive changes were made by the individual or facility program and provide supporting documentation along with quantitative data (for example, amount of green products purchased, reductions in waste generation, percentage of construction and demolition debris recycled). Additional documentation in excess of the four page limit, that you believe may support your nomination, may be cited but NOT INCLUDED in your submittal.

4. Check with your Agency/Department headquarters Point of Contact listed above to determine if you have to submit the nomination package through them or if there are any internal requirements or due dates to be met.

5. Each applicant will be subject to a review of background information on their environmental compliance status and enforcement history. This process will include consideration of information in the Environmental Protection Agency's, Online Tracking Information System (OTIS) which is available online at: www.epa.gov/idea/otis as well as other available compliance and enforcement information. Applicants should review their compliance status and history prior to submission and may provide information for consideration in the compliance screen where they believe the OTIS data is incorrect. In general, chronic non-compliance and/or recent or ongoing criminal or certain civil enforcement activity will be considered a basis for disqualification.

Sharing of Nomination Information

Part of OFEE's mission is to share best practices and success stories among Federal agencies and with other organizations through our web site, www.ofee.gov, our newsletter, and training sessions. The summer issue of our newsletter, Closing the Circle News, features the award-winning programs. Therefore, please be sure that any statistical information that you include in your nomination is accurate and cleared for public distribution by your respective Agency.

Other

Finally, it is not our intent to limit your opportunity for award recognition by imposing strict parameters that may hinder program innovation. The objective of the White House Closing the Circle Award Program is to recognize all applicable waste reduction, green/sustainable building, environmental management, recycling, green purchasing, and alternative fuels vehicles-related innovations and successes. Be creative and let your imagination run wild! If you have any questions call OFEE at 202-343-9481. Good Luck!

Waste/Pollution Prevention
This category recognizes FY 2007 source reduction practices related to the generation of non-hazardous solid wastes or hazardous wastes or pollution from a Federal facility through any change in the design, manufacturing, or use/reuse of materials or products; and/or the amount of toxicity in waste materials before recycling, reuse, treatment or disposal. Preference will be given to nominations that include outreach programs/projects or educational efforts designed to promote the pollution prevention and waste prevention goals and objectives of E.O. 13423

Recycling
This category recognizes FY 2007 recycling activities – including collection, separation, and processing – by which products or other materials are recovered from the waste stream for use in the manufacture of new products (other than fuel for producing heat or power by combustion) at a Federal site, facility, or operation. Preference will be given for recycling programs that have an internal education component and/or a public outreach component designed to promote recycling at the site, facility, or operation or to promote partnerships with the surrounding community to promote recycling

Green Purchasing
This category recognizes the most effective and innovative programs implemented in FY 2007 for the purchase and use of biobased products at a Federal site, facility, or operation. This is to reward trailblazers and leaders in biobased purchasing. Nominations must demonstrate how the agency, facility, or individual started to purchase biobased products through pilot projects, product testing, education and outreach to facility staff, development of solicitation or contract language, etc. There will be a preference for agencies or facilities that have either biobased products purchasing plans or green purchasing plans that include biobased products purchasing. Preference will also be given for outreach programs/projects or educational efforts designed to promote the green purchasing objectives of E.O. 13423. Facilities that won CTC awards in the past for their biobased efforts will not be eligible for this year's awards. Excellent examples of recycled content purchasing programs or environmentally preferable purchasing can also be submitted but will be considered for Honorable Mentions only.

Environmental Management Systems
This category recognizes the most effective and innovative FY 2007 programs to implement environmental management systems at Federal facilities in accordance with E.O. 13423. Implementation of Facility level environmental management systems shall include measurable environmental goals, objectives, and targets that are reviewed and updated as appropriate. The systems should also include a compliance component. This category also recognizes the use of quantitative or qualitative consideration of the full range (cradle to grave) of environmental costs and impacts of certain activities or procurement. The effort should include environmental consideration in either descriptive or accounting format of raw material derivations, use and disposal of final products services; material and energy usage and waste; environmental, health and safety management costs; or the use of environmental accounting and life cycle assessment in multiple types of decision-making.

Sustainable Design/Green Buildings
This category recognizes the most innovative FY 2007 Federal government sustainable design and green building projects. Nominations are limited to projects that have been completed, are under construction, or have completed the planning process and have been awarded to a successful offeror. Nominations should address all facets of a structure/project's life cycle, i.e., encompass project design, energy efficiency, materials usage, building operations. Each nomination should highlight the cost effective use of innovative techniques and solutions that utilize sustainable design principles in the planning, construction, and operation of Federal facilities.

Electronic Stewardship
This category recognizes FY 2007 programs, practices and procedures at Federal agencies and their facilities which promote sustainable environmental stewardship of their Federal electronic assets in any one of or all three lifecycle phases: acquisition and procurement, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life management practices in accordance with the Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) guidance criteria for Gold, Silver or Bronze level award applicants.
(please see http://www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resources/docs/award08.doc and http://www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resources/docs/optional08.doc) or an equivalent program.
Please note you don’t have to be an FEC partner, or apply for an FEC award, to be compete in this category.

Alternative Fuel and Fuel Conservation in Transportation
This category recognizes FY 2007 programs, practices and procedures implemented in a Federal fleet that result in significant alternative fuel use and fuel conservation measures in transportation. This includes establishment of new alternative fuel infrastructure; methods for encouraging the use of alternative fuels; ride sharing programs; increased vehicle usage efficiency programs; hybrid vehicle or NEV acquisition and use; or any other methods your fleet uses to decrease its petroleum consumption. Preference will be given to nominations that demonstrate innovation in response to technical, logistical, financial and other hurdles and support the goals of the Energy Policy Act and E.O. 13423.

*The current nomination period has ended. Nominations are no longer being accepted.

View Nominations Submitted to Date