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Frequent Questions
Climate Leadership Awards
- About the CLA
- 2012 Award Winners
- Nomination Process and Eligibility
- Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Setting Certificate)
- Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Achievement)
- Supply Chain Leadership
- Organizational Leadership
- Individual Leadership
- Frequent Questions
- Awards Gala and Conference
- About the Partners
- Contact
Dates to Remember
September 14, 2011 – Nomination period opens
October 21, 2011 – Deadline for 2011 award nominations
December 21, 2011 – Finalists selected
January 15, 2012 – Award winners notified
February 29, 2012 – Climate Leadership Awards Gala
February 29 - March 1, 2012 – Inaugural EPA Climate Leadership Awards Ceremony and Conference 
- Climate Leadership Awards Basics
- Awards Criteria
- Nomination and Judging Process
- Climate Leadership Awards Ceremony and Conference
Climate Leadership Awards Basics
What are the Climate Leadership Awards?
The Climate Leadership Awards are a new national program to recognize exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change. By showcasing and recognizing voluntary action on climate and energy under a unified banner, EPA, The Climate Registry (The Registry), the the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), and the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) are sending a strong signal that innovative, sustainable leadership and reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical to addressing climate change in the United States.
Why is EPA jointly recognizing climate leadership with The Registry, C2ES and ACCO?
EPA has found that EPA recognition of companies’ performance encourages voluntary action on energy efficiency, the production and use of cleaner power, managing and reducing GHG emissions, and other climate-friendly activities that go beyond business-as-usual. Climate Leaders Partners have expressed strong interest in continued opportunities for recognition from EPA for corporate leadership in the area of climate change after the end of the program on September 30, 2011. EPA also values the contributions that other organizations working to address climate change can bring to a recognition initiative.
How did EPA form a partnership with The Registry, C2ES, and ACCO?
In early 2011, EPA requested proposals from one or more organizations to continue to recognize corporate leadership on climate change. In May, the proposal from the consortium consisting of The Registry, C2ES, and ACCO was selected by EPA to partner on a new national recognition program. The Registry, C2ES, and ACCO have a history of collaboration, complementary expertise, and their respective memberships represent more than 450 corporations, as well as numerous other public and private sector organizations.
Are the Climate Leadership Awards a replacement program for Climate Leaders?
The Climate Leadership Awards program will be a legacy of the Climate Leaders program, not a replacement. The EPA Climate Leaders program, logo, website and all other activities and affiliations will officially end on September 30, 2011. While EPA is no longer providing individual companies with one-on-one technical assistance for developing GHG goals, inventories and inventory management plans (IMPs) in a programmatic setting, EPA and its partners are committed to serving as an expert resource for companies’ GHG management efforts and for recognizing companies, organizations, and individuals at the forefront of climate leadership.
Awards Criteria
What will be recognized within the Climate Leadership Awards program?
Specific award categories are as follows:
- Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) – Recognizes organizations that publicly report and verify corporate GHG inventories and publicly set aggressive absolute GHG emissions reduction goals.
- Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award) – Recognizes organizations that publicly report and verify corporate GHG inventories and achieve aggressive absolute GHG emissions reduction goals.
- Supply Chain Leadership Award – Recognizes organizations that have their own comprehensive GHG inventories and emissions reductions goals and can demonstrate that they are at the leading edge of managing GHG emissions in their organizational value chains.
- Organizational Leadership Award – Recognizes organizations that exemplify leadership both in their internal response to climate change and through engagement of their peers, competitors, partners and value chain.
- Individual Leadership Award – Recognizes individuals exemplifying extraordinary leadership in leading their organizations’ response to climate change and/or affecting the responses of their organizations.
Who is eligible to be recognized within this awards program?
Corporate organizations with annual revenue over $100 million as well as governmental entities or academic organizations with annual budgets over $100 million. Individuals are also recognized in the “Individual Leadership” category. Nominees must be able to demonstrate that the bulk of their GHG management activities and achievements have occurred within the United States.
Why is there a threshold of $100 million in revenues for businesses, and of $100 million in budget for governmental entities and academic organizations?
While all actions taken to reduce GHG emissions are important, this program focuses on motivating and recognizing those organizations with the largest potential impacts. A threshold was also implemented to ensure that our volunteer judging panels would be able to provide an adequate review for each nomination.
Do the Climate Leadership Awards allow for recognition of the goals set by Partners during their participation in the Climate Leaders program?
Yes, however, companies that participated in the Climate Leaders program and received recognition from EPA for their goal setting and achievements before October 5, 2010 are not eligible for recognition through this award.
Will the Climate Leadership Awards recognize intensity-based reduction goals?
In the Excellence in GHG Management categories, intensity targets will be recognized in two ways:
- For the goal setting category: Eligible organizations will be recognized for intensity goals that also result in aggressive absolute emission reductions. Organizations that established intensity-based GHG reduction goals based on the Climate Leaders program between January 1, 2010 and October 5, 2010 and have not yet been recognized by EPA are also eligible for recognition.
- For the goal achievement category: Companies who set intensity goals with the Climate Leaders program before October 5, 2010 and achieved the reduction between January 1, 2010 and October 14, 2011 will be eligible for recognition (if they have not yet received recognition from EPA). Intensity or normalized goals set between January 1, 2010 and October 14, 2011 that also result in aggressive absolute emission reductions are eligible for recognition as well.
Is a publicly reported and third party verified inventory required?
Yes. To qualify for an award in the Excellence in GHG Management category, nominees will need to have a publicly reported and independent third party verified GHG inventory, consistent with international best practice. This is an essential component for evaluating and ensuring the veracity of the nominee’s application, as well as the consistency and quality of the data submitted. Companies with inventories previously reviewed and approved under the Climate Leaders program may submit those for the relevant years.
Are offsets and RECs considered mitigation activities under the Excellence in GHG Management criteria?
No. RECs and offsets can be used to reduce your GHG emissions, but are not considered mitigation activities under the GHG Management criteria. For the purposes of the program, mitigation activities are considered to be internal initiatives that an organization undertakes to manage and reduce its emissions.
Can offsets and RECs be sourced from outside the U.S.?
While it is preferred that offsets are sourced in the U.S., non-U.S. offsets are also acceptable as long as they meet the key accounting principles described in the nomination forms.
U.S. RECs are also preferred, but non-U.S. RECs could be acceptable as long as they can demonstrate that they otherwise meet Green Power Partnership eligibility requirements.
Can a subsidiary apply for an Excellence in GHG Management award?
Yes, as long as it can break out its own detailed GHG inventory from the parent company’s.
Will we accept ISAE standards for verification of GHG inventories?
GHG inventories must be verified in accordance with ISO 14064-3 to a reasonable level of assurance by a Verification Body accredited to ISO 14065. Base year reports that were submitted to U.S. EPA’s Climate Leaders Program for technical review by an EPA-contracted reviewer and were found to be consistent with the requirements of that program are also accepted.
If an organization had its base year accepted by U.S. EPA as part of the Climate Leaders program, does it have to have its base year re-verified?
No.
If an organization had its base year accepted by U.S. EPA as part of the Climate Leaders program but then had to adjust its base year, does it have to have its base year re-verified?
Yes. It might be possible for a company to have the adjustment verified in conjunction with the achievement year inventory.
Nomination and Judging Process
How do I nominate a corporation, organization or individual?
To nominate yourself, your corporation, organization, or another organization/individual for a Climate Leadership Award, please select the appropriate category on the website and follow the instructions.
What is the timeframe for nominations?
The deadline for nominations for the 2011 awards was October 21, 2011.
Can corporations/organizations nominate themselves?
Yes, as long as the corporation/organization meets the eligibility requirements.
How will the nominations be judged?
Nominations will be evaluated by EPA, The Registry, C2ES, and ACCO in collaboration with independent experts.
Climate Leadership Awards Ceremony and Conference
When and where will the Climate Leadership Awards ceremony take place?
An event to honor award recipients will take place on the evening of February 29, 2012, at the Hyatt Bonaventure in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in conjunction with the first annual Climate Leadership Conference, which will be held from February 29-March 1, 2012. The conference will feature high profile speakers from the public and private sectors who will share key insights and innovative ideas on topics related to the awards such as: energy efficiency, setting and achieving GHG reduction goals, engaging supply chains, and other practical applications for managing and reducing emissions. For more information on the conference see www.climateleadershipconference.org.
Who will be invited to attend?
Award winners and special guests will be invited and the event will be open to the public.
Will there be multiple winners in each award category?
Yes. It is possible there will be multiple organizations and individuals recognized.
When will award winners be notified?
January 15, 2012.
What will award winners receive?
Goal setting will receive a certificate. Goal achievement will be recognized with a plaque. The Supply Chain, Individual and Organizational Leadership Awards will receive a physical award.
How do I register to attend the awards event?
Registration information for the Climate Leadership Awards Gala and the Climate Leadership Conference will be available at www.climateleadershipconference.org by October 1, 2011.
Is a special hotel rate associated with the CLA program?
Yes. Lodging information is available at www.climateleadershipconference.org/lodging.html.
Will the awards program occur on an annual basis?
Yes.
Who are the sponsors of the conference?
EPA, The Registry, C2ES, and ACCO are the main partners of the event.
More information
See the conference website for more information.
You can also email us:
- Awards program: questions@ClimateLeadershipAwards.org
- Climate Leadership Conference: questions@ClimateLeadershipConference.org