awards

Environmental Achievement Award

Subject Area and Award Eligibility

TAC has established an Environmental Achievement Award to recognize exemplary contributions by a TAC member in the environmental area with respect to providing transportation services. The award is open to all members of TAC and their respective staff including all individual members, private companies, public sector agencies, academic institutions and related transportation organizations. Members who have made a contribution to the protection and enhancement of the environment or who have been particularly innovative in their approach to solve an environmental problem are eligible for the award.

The establishment of this award is indicative of TAC’s sensitivity to environmental concerns. As well, it acts as an incentive to members to address the need to continue to develop and implement transportation-based environmental codes of practice and guidelines for their operations.

Nomination Requirements

A representative of any TAC member may make a nomination by submitting an electronic version of the Abstract by Wednesday, January 18, 2012 to Josée Cyr at jcyr@tac-atc.ca. This is a required first step of the submission process. The abstract should demonstrate how the full submission will address the Environmental Achievement Award evaluation criteria outlined below. The abstract should be 1 page in length, 12 point font, single spaced.

If your abstract is approved, you will be contacted by February 2 and invited to make a full submission by Thursday, March 1, 2012 deadline. This submission should be no longer than seven (7) pages of text on 8.5" x 11" sheets with size 12 font. Supporting photos and diagrams are not to be included in the seven-page limit and should be attached as an appendix (maximum 5 pages). Submissions should: outline what activity or initiative was undertaken to contribute to the protection or enhancement of the environment; identify any cost implications associated with the initiative (e.g. indicate if the new procedures are more or less cost effective than the traditional techniques that are being replaced); and identify the organization or person being nominated.

Your March 1, 2012 submission would consist of six copies of a written statement and an electronic file in PDF format on CD. This package should be mailed to:

Josée Cyr
Project Manager
Transportation Association of Canada
2323 St. Laurent Boulevard
Ottawa, ON K1G 4J8
Tel: (613) 736-1350, ext. 231
Fax: (613) 736-1395
E-mail: jcyr@tac-atc.ca

The table below summarizes the overall submission and evaluation process for the Environmental Achievement Award:

Submission and Evaluation Process for
TAC Environmental Achievement Award
Due Dates
Abstracts to be submitted to TAC
January 18
Selection panel to complete screening of abstracts
February 1
Screening results to be communicated to nominees
February 2
Full submissions to be delivered to TAC
March 1
Results to be communicated to nominees
May 1

Review Procedures and Evaluation Criteria

A Selection Panel composed of four to five members of TAC's Environment Council will evaluate all submissions and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors as to who should receive the award. Each nomination will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Contribution made to the protection and enhancement of the environment. Protection of the environment should be described in terms of measures taken in an effort to retain or minimize diminution of, the quality or value of ecological components. Enhancement of the environment is defined as raising the quality or value of the environment from that which existed prior to implementation of the program or project, and is considered a value added element for which extra credit will be awarded. Contributions can be expressed in terms of resource function, quantity, ecological diversity and/or economic benefits.
  • Degree of innovation shown in the approach used to solve or address an environmental problem or issue. This may apply to anything from public and agency consultation to financing and all of the "hard" environmental planning, design and construction/implementation elements.
  • Financial implications associated with the initiative. Particular consideration will be given to those submissions that include alternative approaches or measures that are more cost-effective, but equally/more efficient and/or environmentally effective, than those normally used. Candidates are strongly encouraged to include quantified costs as evidence.
  • Overall applicability to transportation and the need for the technique or concept to be disseminated to other TAC members and the transportation community as a whole.

Award Presentation

The award is normally given annually based on the recommendation of the Selection Panel and presented to the recipient at the TAC annual conference.

As a means of promoting environmental protection within transportation, nominees are expected to present their respective projects at the TAC 2012 conference in Fredericton, New Brunswick, October 14-17. Accordingly, the presentations will be included in the TAC 2012 conference proceedings. The Award recipients and their submission will be featured in an upcoming edition of TAC News.