About The Illinois Governor's Sustainability Awards

Since 1987, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) has presented Governor's awards to organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices.

Sustainable technology encompasses any technique or technology that reduces the amount of and/or toxicity of pollutants that would have otherwise been released into the environment. Sustainability includes processes such as raw material and solvent substitution, preventive maintenance programs, beneficial reuse of by-products, waste reduction and recycling, and implementation of programs that support pollution prevention (e.g. ISO 14001).

Apply for an Award – Applications due May 25, 2012

Eligibility

Any Illinois public or private organization is eligible to apply for an award. Only one application for a Governor's Award will be accepted per facility. Each application will be judged on its own merit and not in direct competition with other applications.

Activities that will be considered for a Governor's Award may include, but are not limited to:

• Technology changes (e.g. layout changes, improved equipment, new process)
• Input material changes (e.g. material purification, substitution of less toxic materials)
• Product changes (e.g. redesign for less environmental impact, increased product life)
• Energy conservation

See descriptions of winning activities from previous years at Previous Winners.

See a sample application at Sample.

Evaluation

Applicants' projects will be evaluated by criteria as detailed at the end of the application. Some of those areas are:

• Description and significance of sustainability activities
• Waste volume or emissions reduction, use of green materials, natural resource or energy conservation, etc.
• Economic benefits
• Employee/Member Involvement
• Benefits to employees, community, and environment
• Relevance to others

Award Categories

• Governor's Sustainability Award
• This is given to organizations that have not previously won the Governor's Award.
• Continuous Improvement Award
• This is for past award winners only. Companies in this category are continuing to build upon their successes. Only new activities completed since the most recent award may be submitted for consideration.

There is no target number of awards presented each year. Applicants must identify if the organization is subject to an environmental enforcement action or notice of violation from the U.S. or Illinois EPA. An organization that faces such a compliance action is not eligible to win an award.

Applications are reviewed by a panel of judges. Technical experts from ISTC will review applications and site visits may be performed. The Governor's office makes the final award decisions. By applying, an organization is giving ISTC consent to publish a summary of the award winning project. ISTC is subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, so any part of an application that a company wishes to remain confidential should be clearly marked.

Contact Information

For questions about the Governor's Sustainability Awards, contact Deb Jacobson at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center 1010 Jorie Blvd Suite 338 Oak Brook, IL 60523 630-472-5016 (voice) 630-472-5023 (fax)

Deb Jacobson 630-472-5019 djacobson@istc.illinois.edu