FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
Every year, we find our applicants asking a number of questions dealing with everything from the application itself to the actual award ceremony. We've put together a list of those we hear most often, along with our usual answers. Our list is by no means comprehensive, so if you don't see your concerns addressed below, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail us.
The Awards We Present
- What is a Governor's Pollution Prevention Award?
- What is a Governor's Continuous Improvement Award?
- What is the Illinois Sustainable Technology Award?
The Application Process
- When is my application due?
- We're not a manufacturer, can we still apply?
- I applied months ago, but I haven't heard a word from you since then. What's going on?
- We have some confidential and proprietary processes. Will they remain that way if we apply?
- Can a company could win multiple times?
- We've never applied before. Do you have an example of a completed application we could see?
Getting the Award
- When will we find out if we've won?
- Will we hear if we are not winners before the day of the event?
- How many awards do you give each year?
- Who from my company is eligible to attend the awards ceremony?
WMRC Site Visits and IEPA Reviews
- Why do you require a WMRC visit to my facility if we're a finalist?
- Why do you send my company application to the Illinois EPA?
- My company does have a current issue pending with the IEPA, will this prevent me from receiving an award?
- Will the IEPA send someone out to inspect my company/facility?
- My company has had issues with the IEPA in the past, but they are all resolved. Will this prevent us from receiving an award?
The Awards We Present
What is a Governor's Pollution Prevention Award?
This is the award given to first time winners. If you have never an award, this is the category you automatically fall into. Any pollution prevention activity, program or technology your organization has implemented prior to December 31, 2007, can be included in your application.
What is a Governor's Continous Improvement Award?
The Continuous Improvement Award is for past Governor's Pollution Prevention Award winners only. A company that has previously won a Governor's Pollution Prevention Award will automatically be placed in the Continuous Improvement Category.
Companies in this category are continuing to build upon their successes. The complexity and significance of these long-term programs require judging them independently from the other categories. Only activities, projects and technologies implemented since your organization last received an award may be submitted in your application.
What is the Illinois Sustainable Technology Award?
This is a third, and separate award. It is a single award given to recognize a new technology or process that leads to significant increases in waste reduction or elimination in Illinois. The winner of the award must illustrate how innovative the new technology is, discuss the long-term beneficial impact of the technology on the environment in Illinois, and show how it has been implemented. The Illinois Sustainable Technology Award is judged across all categories of organizations, regardless of size. You can apply for this award concurrently with the other Governor's Awards.
The Application Process
When is my application due?Your application is due May 19, 2008.
We're not a manufacturer, can we still apply?Yes. Pollution prevention isn't limited to the world of manufacturing. We have categories for vendors, trade organizations, community groups, schools and service organizations as well.
I applied months ago, but I haven't heard a word from you since then. What's going on?If you haven't heard anything from us, that's generally a good thing. We notify those applicants who do not make it to the finalist stage as soon as we can (usually in June). We try to notify our finalists of their status in late August, at which time we also send detailed information about the awards ceremony. To accommodate all of the steps in our process, it takes us about three months from the due date.
We have some confidential and proprietary processes. Will they remain that way if we apply?Yes. Applications are kept confidential and reviewed only by our panel of judges. They are not published. However, by applying, you do give WMRC consent to publish a summary of the actions for which you received your award.
Can a company win multiple times?Yes. We have a number of multiple award winners. In these cases, the companies received a Governor's Pollution Prevention Award for their first win. Any awards since then have been Continuous Improvement Awards.
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Award will work in a similar way. Any pollution prevention technology or process that has not won a previous Illinois Sustainable Technology Award can be submitted for consideration.
We've never applied before. Do you have an example of a completed narrative we could see?Yes we do. You can download it here (Sample Narrative) as an Adobe PDF.
Getting the Award
When will we find out if we've won?Winners are officially announced on the day of the awards ceremony. This year, the ceremony will be held in late October. However, finalists for the awards, (those that make the first cut during the judging) will be notified of their status in late August.
Will we hear if we are not winners before the day of the event?Yes. We notify all applicants who do not qualify as finalists. Usually this notification is mailed in mid-June.
How many awards do you give each year?We don't really know until we finish the evaluation process. We have no target number of awards to distribute. We evaluate each year's applicants on the basis of their achievements and efforts and decide which are deserving of special recognition. Generally, the number seems to fall between 15 and 20 awards every year, but it is entirely determined by the merits of the applications. The exception to this is the Illinois Sustainable Technology Award. This award is given to a single organization each year.
Who from my company is eligible to attend the awards ceremony?That is entirely up to you and your company management. WMRC covers the food and registration costs for one representative from each award winning group. However, you are welcome to bring as many of your company staff as you wish. Costs vary depending on the year and location.
WMRC Site Visits and IEPA Reviews
Why do you require a WMRC visit to my facility if we're a finalist?This is spot-check to verify that what was submitted on your application is being used in practice. This is a fairly informal tour conducted by one or two of our staff engineers. In most cases, the site visits have actually reinforced, or improved the positions of our finalists, as we often find that our applicants are doing significantly more than they included in their application.
Why do you send my company application to the Illinois EPA?We don't actually send any of your application materials to the Illinois EPA. We do, however, submit a list of our award finalists to the IEPA Office of Pollution Prevention for a review to ensure that none of our award candidates have current environmental regulatory violations or actions pending.
My company does have a current issue pending with the IEPA, will this prevent me from receiving an award?That depends on several factors, including the nature of the violations, the timing and the status of the issues as of the IEPA review (usually in August). But, in the short answer, yes, this might remove your company from the running for an award.
Will the IEPA send someone out to inspect my company/facility?Not that we are aware of. In the 20 years of the Governor's Awards, we are not aware of any facility inspections by IEPA personnel that were a result of a Governor's Awards review.
My company has had issues with the IEPA in the past, but they are all resolved. Will this prevent us from receiving an award?No. As long as these issues are considered resolved by both you and IEPA, they should not be a factor in the awards consideration.
If you have any other questions, contact Deb Jacobson at 630-472-5019 or djacobso@wmrc.uiuc.edu
