According to its mission statement, the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) is “a national forum that promotes the development, implementation, and evaluation of efforts to avoid, eliminate, or reduce waste generated to air, land, and water. The sustainable and efficient use of energy, materials and resources is vital to the protection and enhancement of human health and the environment, and the conservation of natural resources. These efforts are integral to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production to promote environmentally responsible social and economic development.”
Since 1995, NPPR has recognized the very best in pollution prevention (P2) with its annual awards program, the Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Awards (MVP2). MVP2 awards recognize the P2 efforts of local government, state government, federal government, tribes, not-for-profit organizations, private industry, educators, and students.
Nominations for the awards are accepted year-round. The deadline for consideration for the 2025 MVP2 awards is July 31st, for awards to be announced in September during Pollution Prevention Week (celebrated annually during the third week in September; September 15-21 for 2025).
Members of NPPR may nominate individuals or programs for MVP2 awards at no charge. There is a $50 fee per nomination by non-members.
MVP2 award winners are selected for each of seven categories as described below.
- Fred Granek Memorial P2 Ambassador. “The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable has established this annual award in honor of Fred Granek who suddenly passed away in January of 2014. The Fred Granek Memorial P2 Ambassador Award will be given to an individual who has demonstrated the same passion for pollution prevention that Fred demonstrated throughout his 39 year career in environmental protection. This award will also recognize those who travel beyond their own borders to share information, ideas, and technologies that will avoid, eliminate and reduce waste in an effort to make the world a better place. These are qualities that Fred embodied and will be missed by the entire P2 community.” Click here to nominate someone for the P2 Ambassador award.
- P2 Project or Program. “There are five broad judging categories for this award: (1) innovation, (2) measurable results, (3) transferability, (4) commitment, and (5) optimization of available project resources.” Click here for complete details and to nominate a project or program.
- P2 Multimedia. This award “celebrates work that most effectively reduces harmful impacts to all environmental media: to land, air, and water, and reduces impacts to workers and consumers…The award is for projects and programs that result in the reduction of harm to ecosystems and people because they avoid pollution during the process being undertaken, and reduce harm in shipping and storing of hazardous substances, as well as the injuries to health and the environment that can occur during product manufacturing and use, and post-use management. Nominations for this award will be judged on the preventive value of the pollution reduction, including extent of the pollution reduction across environmental media; reduction of exposure risk to environmental and human receptors; demonstration of new techniques, practices, opportunities; transferability of the demonstration; and effectiveness of communication of the P2 example.” Click here for complete details and to nominate a project or program.
- Ken Zarker Memorial P2 Champion. “The P2 Champion Award celebrates an individual whose work has an outstanding impact on implementing pollution prevention in one or more of the following areas: setting pollution prevention vision and strategies; leading and directing pollution prevention programs; implementing pollution prevention projects; and/or significant impact on pollution prevention achieved.” Click here to nominate someone for this award.
- P2 Educator of the Year. This award “celebrates a teacher, professor or trainer whose work with students has an outstanding impact on pollution prevention in one or more of the following areas: setting pollution prevention vision and strategies; creating, advancing or inspiring work in pollution prevention; implementing pollution prevention projects; and/or significant impact on pollution prevention achieved.” Click here to nominate someone for P2 Educator of the Year.
- P2 Student of the Year. This award “celebrates a student in high school, college or advanced degree whose work has an outstanding impact on pollution prevention in one or more of the following areas: setting pollution prevention vision and strategies; creating, advancing or inspiring work in pollution prevention; implementing pollution prevention projects; raising awareness to the importance of pollution prevention; and/or significant impact on pollution prevention achieved.” Click here to nominate a student.
- P2 Volunteer of the Year. This award “celebrates an NPPR member whose volunteer work has an outstanding impact on implementing pollution prevention in one or more of the following areas: setting pollution prevention vision and strategies; creating, advancing or inspiring work in pollution prevention; implementing pollution prevention projects; and/or significant impact on pollution prevention achieved.” Click here to nominate an NPPR member.
For more information or to ask questions, contact admin@p2.org.
Descriptions of the 2024 winners are available at https://www.p2.org/2024-MVP2-Awards. Descriptions from previous years are available at https://www.p2.org/Past-Award-Winners.
ISTC is a proud member of NPPR and past recipient of MVP2 awards. ISTC’s Joy Scrogum currently serves on the NPPR board of directors, and received the P2 Ambassador award in 2022.