Neighborhood Environmental Neighborhood Environmental Partners ProgramPartners Program

An Environmental Community Service An Environmental Community Service ProgramProgram

Purpose:Purpose:

To increase dialogue To increase dialogue and interaction between and interaction between businesses and citizens, businesses and citizens, regarding local regarding local environmental issues by environmental issues by promoting and promoting and implementing local implementing local environmental projects environmental projects and improvements.and improvements.

NEPNEP

The NEP Program will award business, The NEP Program will award business, citizen groups and municipalities that citizen groups and municipalities that work together to implement environment work together to implement environment projects in their neighborhoods.projects in their neighborhoods.

Who can participate?Who can participate?

BusinessesBusinesses

Citizen GroupsCitizen Groups

MunicipalitiesMunicipalities

Benefits to BusinessBenefits to Business

Improved relations with neighborsImproved relations with neighbors

Attain corporate environmental goalsAttain corporate environmental goals

Recognition and good publicityRecognition and good publicity

Possible marketing campaign Possible marketing campaign

Employee Pride Employee Pride

Benefits to NeighborsBenefits to Neighbors

Cleaner, safer, and more Cleaner, safer, and more attractive neighborhoodsattractive neighborhoods

Confidence in local Confidence in local businessesbusinesses

Sense of empowermentSense of empowerment

Neighborhood PrideNeighborhood Pride

Recognition LevelsRecognition Levels Participants can apply to receive a Participants can apply to receive a

Neighborhood Partners AwardNeighborhood Partners Award or or Neighborhood Partners - Neighborhood Partners - Gold Gold AwardAward by choosing from a toolkit of by choosing from a toolkit of activities. activities. Participants can also suggest and useParticipants can also suggest and use their own creative ideas. their own creative ideas.

The activities fall into three general The activities fall into three general categories: categories:

(1) (1) environmental educationenvironmental education, ,

(2) (2) environmental improvementsenvironmental improvements, and , and

(4) (4) environmental mentoringenvironmental mentoring. .

Applicants can choose or suggest ideas Applicants can choose or suggest ideas that fit any of the above categoriesthat fit any of the above categories

Activity CategoriesActivity Categories

Activity LevelsActivity LevelsLevel I: Level I: Neighborhood Partners Award Neighborhood Partners Award Introductory, one-time activities, few or no Introductory, one-time activities, few or no partners.partners.

Level II: Level II: Neighborhood Partners - Neighborhood Partners - GoldGold Advance, ongoing activities, multiple partners.Advance, ongoing activities, multiple partners.

Environmental Improvements

Environmental Education

Environmental Mentoring

Level l:

Neighborhood Environmental Partners Activities

Collect and recycle abandoned tires in the neighborhood or set up recycling stations at local parks and other neighborhood areas.

Host or sponsor a neighborhood tour of a local business that explains environmental impacts, EMS’s, and other issues of environmental significance.

Make a presentation to trade association or local Chamber on community environmental activities, EMS benefits or implementation, and/or pollution prevention.

Level II : Neighborhood Environmental Partners-Gold Activities

Work with a local business or a neighborhood group, to build a public green-way, or develop and implement a waste reduction program for the neighborhood.

Work with a local business or neighborhood group, to hold an annual summer environmental awareness camp for local children.

Form a coalition of those who are regularly available to provide direct assistance, or commit staff and/or funds to have an ongoing environmental mentoring program.

SAMPLE SAMPLE TOOLKITTOOLKIT

Example Activity:Example Activity:

Environmental ImprovementEnvironmental Improvement

Businesses and citizen groups Businesses and citizen groups cooperatively sponsor a household cooperatively sponsor a household hazardous waste collection day or hazardous waste collection day or thermometer exchangethermometer exchange

Environmental ImprovementEnvironmental Improvement

Businesses and citizen groups Businesses and citizen groups cooperatively sponsor a neighborhood cooperatively sponsor a neighborhood beautification/cleanup day such as a tree beautification/cleanup day such as a tree planting, river cleanup, drain-stenciling, planting, river cleanup, drain-stenciling, litter clean up, water-quality testing, litter clean up, water-quality testing, painting a mural with an environmental painting a mural with an environmental theme, or other environmental type activitytheme, or other environmental type activity

Example Activity:Example Activity:

Environmental EducationEnvironmental Education

Businesses and citizen groups Businesses and citizen groups work together to offer yearly work together to offer yearly scholarships for community youth scholarships for community youth going into environmental fieldsgoing into environmental fields

Example Activity:Example Activity:

Example ActivityExample Activity

Environmental MentoringEnvironmental Mentoring

Commit staff and/or funding to mentor Commit staff and/or funding to mentor another business through the process of another business through the process of developing and implementing an EMSdeveloping and implementing an EMS

All NEP Participants Must Have a Published All NEP Participants Must Have a Published Environmental Policy/Mission Statement Environmental Policy/Mission Statement

Businesses and citizen groups can work Businesses and citizen groups can work together to establish an environmental together to establish an environmental policy or mission statement .policy or mission statement .

NEP Program Requirement NEP Program Requirement

RecognitionRecognition

Recognition would be provided for each Recognition would be provided for each achievement level by sending the achievement level by sending the participating partners a certificate or participating partners a certificate or poster of achievement and a sticker poster of achievement and a sticker with the NEP with the NEP “Neighborhood “Neighborhood Partners“Partners“ logo. logo.

The stickers will be year specific…The stickers will be year specific… Neighborhood Partners 2005Neighborhood Partners 2005 or or

Neighborhood Partners 2005Neighborhood Partners 2005 – – Gold LevelGold Level

Recognition Cont.Recognition Cont.

NEP Participants will also be recognized NEP Participants will also be recognized on the DEQ website and press release.on the DEQ website and press release.

A letter on recognition will be sent to local A letter on recognition will be sent to local area municipality and chamber of area municipality and chamber of commerce. commerce.

Case StudiesCase Studies

Outstanding, noteworthy, or especially Outstanding, noteworthy, or especially creative or effective projects/activities will creative or effective projects/activities will be written up as be written up as Case StudiesCase Studies and/or and/or added to the next edition of the toolkit to added to the next edition of the toolkit to increase the number of project ideas for increase the number of project ideas for

future participantsfuture participants..

Phase I: Clean Corporate Phase I: Clean Corporate CitizensCitizens

The NEP program will initially be rolled The NEP program will initially be rolled out to Clean Corporate Citizens out to Clean Corporate Citizens

Program ScheduleProgram Schedule Phase 1Phase 1

June 2004-January 2005: DEQ accepting June 2004-January 2005: DEQ accepting applications from C3’s.applications from C3’s.

March 2005: First Awards IssuedMarch 2005: First Awards Issued

Phase 2Phase 2 Roll out to all business, local government Roll out to all business, local government and neighborhood groups. and neighborhood groups.

NEP: Coming to a NEP: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!!!Neighborhood Near You!!!