2015 Award SemiFinalist Application

2015 SmartWay Excellence Award

Semi-Finalist Application

Company Name: _____________________________

Congratulations! Your company has been selected as SmartWay Excellence Award semi-finalist and is invited to submit an application for award consideration. SmartWay shippers, logistics and multi-modal companies that demonstrate top environmental performance are invited to submit supplemental, qualitative documentation which demonstrates leadership efforts important to the Partnership. These efforts are in support of and complementary to SmartWay environmental goals such as effective collaboration, advanced technology and operational practices, a robust system to validate and report their SmartWay data, communications and public outreach. Eligible partners are Award semi-finalists because they meet the specified SmartWay Excellence Award criteria and are Partners in good standing, including on-time Partner Tool submission in the current and prior calendar year.

The 2014 SmartWay Excellence Award criteria for shippers, logistics and multi-modal partners are available at: www.epa.gov/smartway/about/documents/awards/420f14012.pdf

Evaluation Criteria:

The semi-finalist application will be judged on a point system that evaluates leadership based on specific categories that demonstrate:

• clear, concise and complete responses to application requirements

• real achievements and accomplishments, as well as internal or external activities and efforts

• evidence, proof or documentation which substantiates submissions

• quality and substance of summaries and descriptions

The following leadership categories: recruitment, data validation and supply chain carbon accounting and reporting are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require additional time, effort and resources for engagement or completion of certain activities and therefore will be granted greater weight.

Application Instructions:

Please complete, sign and submit the application by the deadline of close of business on Friday, May 16, 2014. Completed applications may be submitted via (order of preference indicated):

1. e-mail: [email protected]

2. fax: 734.214.4052, Attention: Marcia Turkington

OMB No: 2060-0663

Expiration Date: XX/XX/2017

Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimates that it take to take a maximum of 3.25 hours to compile and submit the SmartWay Equipment Checklist and Mark Signature Form. This is a one-time submittal.

SmartWay Partner Company Name:	______________________________________________________________________
	SmartWay Primary Company Contact:	SmartWay Executive Company Contact:
Contact Names:	__________________________________	__________________________________
Contact titles:	__________________________________	__________________________________
Contact emails:	__________________________________	__________________________________
Contact phone numbers:	__________________________________	__________________________________
Contact addresses:	__________________________________	__________________________________
I confirm that all information submitted on this application is accurate and valid.
Actual or virtual signatures required:	_________________________________	__________________________________

Detailed Application Instructions:

For all leadership categories on the following pages: Describe activities, efforts and/or accomplishments your company engaged in or achieved in 2013. Limit responses to a maximum of 500 words. All responses must be addressed and submitted via this application. In addition to your response (as only a secondary means to support written/typed statements in this application), EPA prefers that you provide web links to sources that support and/or document your company’s efforts wherever appropriate. When inclusion of web links is absolutely not possible, limited acceptance of digital attachments will be allowed. No hard copies of documentation will be accepted.

Q1: SmartWay Promotional Efforts

Describe any efforts made by your company to promote the SmartWay Partnership program, your company’s participation in the SmartWay Partnership, the SmartWay mission, goals and/or SmartWay program benefits. Web links to materials, resources, advertising, social media efforts, events, meeting agendas and webinars, etc. will be favorably considered. Examples of promotional efforts and activities include:

• Internal company education efforts: employee training, brochures, newsletter articles, intranet web pages, presentations, briefing slides, etc.

• SmartWay brand (logo) depictions on: advertising, website, letterhead, email signature, trucks/trailers, etc.

• Outreach that addresses SmartWay program and/or participation: press releases, quote from company official, training, SmartWay video, events, etc.

• Any participation in or support for similar green freight programs in other regions of the world where you may have operations.

• Recruiting-related outreach: Describe all recruiting activities and recruiting efforts that support SmartWay goals to increase freight sustainability. Specific examples include (but are not limited to): customer and supplier meetings; SmartWay carrier events; industry presentations; published literature; social media and web-based information where your organization highlighted the benefits of moving goods more efficiently by participating in SmartWay.

Q2: SmartWay Recruitment Efforts

Describe your company’s collaborative effort(s) that accomplished or had intentions to expand SmartWay partnership participation amongst your industry peers, transportation providers, and other stakeholders, in order to improve freight efficiency more broadly. List the specific company names that your company has helped recruit (join or register) to the SmartWay Partnership. For those partners with “100% SmartWay carriers”, describe your activities and efforts to encourage or recruit your suppliers, vendors and/or shippers (for Logistic companies) to join SmartWay.

Q3: Rigorous Data Validation

Describe your company policies, procedures and programs that reflect the effective use of tools and techniques to ensure that SmartWay-related data gathering, input, reporting and storage/security processes are consistent and reliable. Although a web link to your company policy (with date) is preferred, submission of a digital copy is also acceptable. Policy could include:

• Demonstrated program compliance with a credible quality assurance or environmental system

• Credible, verifiable data sources for key input parameters

• Internal quality assurance audit of SmartWay data

• Documentation of succession planning

Q4: Utilization of SmartWay for Supply Chain Carbon Accounting and Reporting

Describe any freight supply chain carbon benchmarking and reporting using a standard method or protocol (such as Carbon Disclosure Project, Global Reporting Initiative, Green House Gas Protocol or other) that explicitly incorporates or is based on SmartWay elements, tools, data and/or results. Does your company credit SmartWay as a source of data? If so, please provide a web link to the identified protocol (or digital copy) of the report submitted by your company where SmartWay is specifically cited or referenced. Please provide specific page numbers for all SmartWay references in reports cited.

Q5: Inclusion of the Shipper Strategies and/or Modal Shift information in the “Optional Sections” tab of the Shipper Tool

For Shipper Partners Only: Indicate whether your company’s most recently submitted SmartWay Shipper Tool included a completed “Optional Section.” Relevant sections include: savings from weight/miles, modal shifts, and efficiency estimate details. Select “yes” or “no”. If yes, please summarize selection from the 2014 Shipper Tool in the space provided and describe the activities. EPA will check the submitted Shipper Tool and confirm with the assigned SmartWay Partner Account Manager for your company.

 Yes, explain below  No

Q6: Mode shifting and/or mode optimization to improve environmental performance

For any Multimodal, Logistics or Shipper partner: Describe the practices, policies efforts and commitments your organization has made to optimize modal choices for the purposes of reducing fuel use and emissions throughout your supply chain and/or on the behalf of a client for whom you provide transportation services. Please describe any progress in moving greater proportions of freight via other modes and quantify results where possible.

Q7: SmartWay in Your Community

Agencies and nonprofits are researching, promoting and supporting “freight as a good neighbor” strategies to help integrate freight into land-use planning efforts to minimize its impacts. Many fuel-saving SmartWay shipper and carrier technologies and strategies can improve neighbors’ experience of partners’ facilities. Select which of the following practices you have employed at one or more of your facilities to accomplish this, and describe how your company has showcased these practices as part of your SmartWay efforts. Please provide web links to sources that support and/or document your company’s efforts.

• Choose new facility locations that reduce trips and miles, complement non-industrial land uses, utilize rail spurs and marine ports, and allow for consolidated deliveries and operations.

• Design new facility layouts to minimize onsite and offsite idling (including “creep” idling) and unnecessary moves, through building in adequate entrance/egress, parking, lay down, and maneuvering areas. Fence and gate lots to control access.

• Employ appointment times (and prescreening, if possible) for pickups and deliveries, updated in real time, to avoid waiting/idling.

• Provide shore power at docks so trucks can draw electricity for refrigeration during loading and unloading. Provide power stations in lots for refrigerated trailers and containers, and for cab comfort equipment and electric motors where trucks will lay over. For drivers of trucks not so equipped, allow access to comfortable waiting areas so they don’t need to idle for comfort.

• For deliveries in congested and urban areas, deploy smaller trucks, or trucks with bodies outfitted to accommodate varied cargo to enable consolidated deliveries. Dedicate newer, alt-fuel (electric, hybrid, natural gas, etc), and idle-reduction equipment -equipped trucks to populated areas. Share your alt-fueling infrastructure with public fleets.

  

• In locations with heavy daytime traffic and parking demand, employ after hours delivery/pickup in cooperation with public officials and customers.

SmartWay Transport Partnership www.epa.gov/smartway 9 | Page