The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation invites Tennesseans to submit nominations for the third annual 2017 Sustainable Transportation Awards. The deadline to submit nominations is March 31.
The Awards recognize outstanding initiatives to improve the efficiency, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of transportation systems in the State, consistent with ongoing efforts to improve the health and well-being of Tennesseans, provide for a strong economy, and protect our State’s natural resources.
“The annual Sustainable Transportation Awards and Forum provides an opportunity to recognize key transportation achievements and innovations as well as to energize the discussion around what can be done next,” said TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau.
A panel of judges representing diverse interests will select award recipients based on the following criteria:
• Innovation: How the project utilized new thinking or creative approaches to meet a particular transportation challenge.
• Best Practices and Replicability: How the project demonstrates a transferable solution, such that others could adopt or implement similar programs or initiatives.
• Changes in Transportation Behavior: How a project worked to encourage or achieve changes in transportation behavior in order to make a transportation system more efficient.
• Improvements to Public Health and Safety: How a project creates improvements to public health, well-being, or safety in a given community.
Eligible entities include federal, state, and local governments; commercial, nonprofit, and industrial organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; and utilities. The entity must be located in Tennessee, and the project must have been completed in the last five years. All nominees must be in environmental compliance with TDEC. Self-nominations are encouraged.
In connection with Clean Air Month, TDEC, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, will host a recognition ceremony and sustainable transportation forum on May 23-24 at the Downtown Nashville Public Library. The forum, entitled “Navigating Toward a Livable Tennessee,” will highlight local transportation planning and the pursuit of place-based policies and investments for improved transportation options in our communities.
The nomination form for the 2017 Sustainable Transportation Awards is now available at http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/article/energy-sustainable-transportation-awards-forum. Direct any related questions to Alexa Voytek in TDEC’s Office of Energy Programs at 615-532-0238 or Alexa.Voytek@tn.gov.