Sustainability Innovation Award

APPA’s Sustainability Innovation Award in Facilities Management is designed to recognize and promote unique and innovative sustainable practices in educational facilities and campus environments. It is awarded to educational institutions that have implemented a significant or transformative program and/or processes that enhance service delivery, lower costs, create a green and/or sustainable environment, or otherwise benefit the educational institution by supporting student success and environmental stewardship. Award nomination entries must describe either one new program or significant restructuring of an existing program or process. Recipients will receive special recognition on both APPA’s website and in APPA’s Facilities Manager magazine.

Criteria

The Sustainability Innovation Award in Facilities Management is open to any APPA Institutional member. Multi-campus or state systems may submit applications for system-wide or individual merit. Up to 3 submissions will be selected per group. Groups include:

• 4 year, public institutions or private institutions
• Community College
• K-12

Entries are judged on a point system based on:

• Innovativeness, Creativity, and Originality (300 pts)
  1. Describe in detail the level of innovation and creativity involved with the initiative. Describe how this initiative is unique and original and what differentiates it from other similar efforts. Document the efforts to benchmark and determine the originality of the concept.
• Sustainability (300 pts total with up to 100 pts awarded for each category below)
  1. Economic Benefit (100 pts) Describe how this effort/program influences the three Pillars of Sustainability. Effective programs should touch all three pillars.
  2. Environmental Benefit (100 pts) Describe how this effort/program influences the three Pillars of Sustainability. Effective programs should touch all three pillars.
  3. Societal Benefit (100 pts) Describe how this effort/program influences the three Pillars of Sustainability. Effective programs should touch all three pillars.
• Adaptability and Transferability (150 pts)
  1. To be worthy of recognition the initiative must be adaptable/transferable to other institutions without drastic alterations or cost. It should be easy to implement without extensive customization.
• Institutional and Community Benefit (250 pts)
  1. Describe how the initiative directly benefits the institution/community and its constituents. Provide the extent of the benefit and documented results and outcomes. The results must be factual and supported by data. (100 pts)
  2. Show a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus through acknowledgment/partnership of/with various groups and the impact on the campus community (150 pts)
• Management Commitment and Employee/Student Involvement (100 pts)
  1. Describe the level of management commitment and the alignment with institutional goals. Provide information on the involvement of stakeholder groups and the participation of employees at all levels.
• Documentation and Analysis (100 pts)
  1. Information analysis is used to evaluate performance and drive future performance improvements. Of interest are the types of tools used (peer comparative data such as benchmarking) and how the tools are used to enhance the success of the effective practice. Documentation should be factual, clear, logical, and well-developed. The analysis must be clear and well-documented. Customer and stakeholder involvement would be described for each step of development and implementation. Benchmarks should establish experiences for others and help to define the originality of the practice. All links provided in your submission should be LIVE hyperlinks.

Past Recipients

2022
Portland State University Green Revolving Fund
Wayne State University Compost Pilot

2021
University of New Hampshire (Northwest Heat Plant)

2020
Auburn University
Brown University
Louisiana State University
Pennsylvania State University
University of North Dakota

2019
College of Lake County
Stanford University Residential and Dining
University of California Davis
University of Texas Dallas
Virginia Tech

2018
Central Michigan University
James Madison University
San Jose State University
Simon Fraser University
University of Calgary

2017
Arizona State University
Ohio State University 
San Mateo County Community College District
University of British Columbia 
University of Washington Bothell

2016
Colorado State University
Elon University
George Washington University
Ohio University
Portland Community College
Spelman College
University of Michigan
University of Virginia

2015
San Diego Community College District
Slippery Rock University

2014
Black Hills State University 
North Carolina State University
Penn State University
San Mateo County Community College District
University of California Los Angeles
University of Rochester

2013
Duke University 
Oberlin College 
Philadelphia University 
University of Colorado Boulder 
University of Iowa

2012
American University
Emory University
University of British Columbia 
University of California Irvine
University of Prince Edward Island