Is there a business or a person you know working hard to make a positive impact on our community? We want to hear about them! The Green Team is seeking nominations now for these groups or individuals. Criteria for each category is listed below. Please read carefully before filling out the nomination form located at the bottom of this page. You can also nominate using this form.

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Macon-Bibb Earth Day Environmental Leadership and Sustainable Initiatives

Awards Criteria

The Macon-Bibb Earth Day Environmental Awards for Leadership and Sustainable Initiatives celebrate individuals or groups who are making a positive environmental impact, either through an exemplary new initiative or body of work. The awards recognize individuals or groups making positive environmental impacts, whether on campus, or in the community at large.

Nomination Criteria:

• Nominees must be residents of Macon-Bibb County
• Both individual and group nominations are eligible
• Must demonstrate positive environmental impact
• Must show commitment to restoring and/or enhancing the environment

To submit a nomination for the 2017 Macon-Bibb Earth Day Environmental Awards, complete the Nomination Form and email it as an attachment to swoodford@maconhabitat.org.

Nominations will be accepted through April 12, 2017.

The person or persons selected for the 2017 Earth Day Environmental Award will be recognized at the Macon-Bibb Earth Day Kick-Off and Luncheon 12:00 pm at Ocmulgee National Park.

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2017 Earth Day Environmental Awards Program
Guidelines

“Celebrating Those Who Honor the Air, Land, and Water”

Introduction
The Macon-Bibb Earth Day Committee initiated this awards program to honor the outstanding achievements of individuals and groups that are protecting, conserving, or restoring the natural environment in the Macon-Bibb County community. The awards pay tribute to those individuals and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship through leadership in five categories.

By sponsoring the awards, the Macon-Bibb County Earth Day Committee hopes to encourage residents to implement similar successful actions to improve our natural environments.

 

Categories

1. Youth, School, Collegiate Programs Award
2. Individual Award
3. Corporate Award
4. Small Business or Non-Profit Award
5. Community Award
6. Sustainability Champion Award

Award Eligibility and Criteria

Nominations may be made on someone else’s behalf by Earth Day Committee members.

Finalists in each category will be selected using the following criteria or guidelines:

1. The achievement should have had a positive impact by helping protect, conserve, or restore the natural environment in Macon-Bibb County. Preference will be given to those activities that show measurable and beneficial environmental impacts as a result of their implementation.
2. Protect is defined as “minimize negative environmental impacts. “Conserve” is defined as “sustainable use and management of natural resources including wildlife, water, air, and earth deposits. ” Restore is defined as “return an element of the natural environment to a more natural condition.”
3. Nominations should describe activities or initiatives that were completed mainly between January 1, and December 31, but may include ongoing efforts or projects.  Describe how the activity or initiative benefited the natural or human environment.
4. The project should encourage stewardship behaviors or actions. Strong preference will be given to projects that have achieved positive change through action that went above and beyond required operations (for example, the actions are not the minimum required by law, ordinance, or statute; not completed by paid staff as required in a job description, etc.)
5. Demonstrate successful partnerships with other community or business stakeholders where possible.
6. Be reproducible, where possible, so that others in the community may also implement the activity.

Youth, School, Collegiate Programs Award Criteria

The nomination may be for an individual student, school group or club, community youth group, or for a school-wide activity.

The nomination should demonstrate excellence in such areas as:

• An individual or group activity that took place in the school or community;
• A one-time event, or an ongoing activity scheduled regularly throughout the school year or during extracurricular activities;
• Activities that supplemented an established educational curriculum; and
• Environmental action program.

Example: A school ecology club sells recycled paper gift wrap to the community. Proceeds are used to plant a small native garden on school property.

Individual Award Criteria

Most of the planning and implementation of the project should have been done by an individual, with some collaboration with others to complete the project.

The individual volunteer or paid staff of the project.

Example: An individual organizes a water quality monitoring project with staff at her county’s land conservation department and a local bait shop.

 

Corporate Award Criteria

Nominees in this category should be involved with meeting the public needs of corporate functions or large scale corporations, while having a positive impact on the environment.

Example: A government or corporate entity reduces their electrical consumption by 25% through lighting retrofits.

Small Business or Non-Profit Award Criteria

Successful nominations should go beyond regulatory requirements at state, provincial, federal, or tribal levels.

Businesses and industries of all sizes are eligible.

Business or industry nominees should document measurable improvements to the environment as a result of the action taken.

Example: An industry commits to reducing its mercury emissions by 50 percent over the next five years.

Community Group Award Criteria

Nominees in this category should be involved with meeting the public needs or interests of a community or neighborhood, including grassroots volunteer activities conducted by area groups or residents on behalf of the community or neighborhood.

Example: A small group or neighborhood organizes a community-or neighborhood- wide collection of hazardous materials or litter and debris.

Sustainability Champion Award Criteria

The Champion Award recognizes exemplary environmental leaders, whether individuals or organizations, who develop, implement, an institutionalization of a sustainability practice to raise awareness and promotion of sustainability while demonstrating a commitment to sustaining our environmental, social and economic health.                    .

Example:  An exemplary individual or group who embodies or embraces the spirit and dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship which motivates others.

Submission Information

Please email a completed nomination form and supporting documents to the awards coordinator at swoodford@maconhabitat.org.

Judging Process

• Judges include members of the Macon-Bibb Earth Day Planning Committee who represent local business, nonprofit, government, and education organizations.
• All winners will be announced throughout the county using various mediums.

Award Presentations

Winners will receive an etched plaque and framed certificate at the Macon-Bibb Earth Day Kick-Off and Luncheon, April 19, 2017 at the Ocmulgee National Park.

 

For More Information
Contact Dr. Sundra Woodford at 478-745-0630, ext. 305; 478-972-1429 or swoodford@maconhabitat.org.

 

Click here for the award nomination form.