The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is now accepting applications for their 2012 Sustainable Community Awards. FCM offers national recognition for projects that demonstrate environmental responsibility and excellence. The Sustainable Communities Awards are part of a suite of awards and honours within the FCM Awards of Excellence. The Natural Step Canada is proud to have partnered with previous award winners Williams Lake and Whistler, and we encourage all municipalities with a sustainability plan to apply for the awards.

Eligible Applicants 

The awards are open to municipal governments and their private-sector partners. Joint submissions are welcome. Municipalities of all population sizes are encouraged to apply.

Application deadline: Thursday, September 8, 2011

Click here for more information on the awards including how to apply.

Eligible Projects

Submissions must meet the following criteria:

• Initiatives must take a holistic, systems approach* to sustainable community development.

• Initiatives must demonstrate innovation** and excellence in one of the following award categories:

• brownfields
• buildings
• energy
• integrated neighbourhood development
• planning
• residential development
• transportation
• waste
• water

Note: Please select the category that best represents your initiative. During the review period, FCM may change the selected category to give your initiative the best chance at a higher score.

• Initiatives must have been completed within two years of the date of application or be in the final stages of implementation.

• Initiatives must have measurable results (see the Application Form for details).

Award-winning projects from previous years are not eligible. Submissions that did not win in previous years may be resubmitted only if the project has demonstrated significant new results. For example, applicants who submitted an initiative shortly after implementation may have since gathered significant new data demonstrating the results of their initiative. Potential applicants may wish to contact Awards program staff to discuss resubmitting initiatives.

*A systems approach to sustainable community development integrates environmental, social and economic goals.

**Innovation is defined as the development of new knowledge, practices or advanced technologies; the application of current or emerging technologies or practices; or the adoption of an advanced technology, knowledge or practice in a region in which the technology has not been applied before.

Click here for more information on the awards including how to apply.