FAQ

  1. As a returning participant, how would participating in the Challenge again benefit my business?  Returning businesses get a chance to share expertise and experience with new businesses as MVPs — and get more great publicity and recognition for leadership in sustainability. Those who participated in the last Challenge collectively completed over 3,000 sustainable actions, saved more than $10,000/year (or 183,412 kWh of energy) from LEAP rebates, and receive over 200 business call-outs including television, radio and print hits!
  2. Can my business participate in the Challenge if I am not located within the City Charlottesville or Albemarle County jurisdictions?
    Yes, any business, non-profit, church located in Fluvanna, Louisa, Albemarle, Nelson, and Greene county may register and participate in the Challenge!  Augusta and surrounding areas and states can participate, but we may not be able to provide the direct support to those localities due to staffing limitations.
  3. If I own multiple businesses or locations, must I submit separate scorecards for each location I choose to participate? Must all of my locations participate or can I focus my efforts on just one?
    It’s up to you. If you would like to have more than one of your business locations participate in the Challenge, you can!  As long as when you specify at the beginning of the Challenge and stay consistent throughout.
  4. Can we join company-wide or as just one facility? You are welcome to join as a company with multiple locations OR choice one branch or location.  However, we ask that you remain consistent once you begin the Challenge until the conclusion when you “cross the finish line.
  5. What if we decide to compete in more than one arena? If your business decides to compete in more arenas, we ask you to create a new account for each additional arena so that your business can fill out the individual scorecards for each category.
  6. What are the important deadlines to keep in mind?
    Early bird registration starts September 1st, 2013 and will earn your business 3 bonus points! Registration by September 15th will earn you 3 bonus points, by October 3rd will earn you 2 bonus points, and by October 15th, 1 pt.
    Awards will be announced June 2014 at the Paramount Theater!
  7. If my business is in the process of carrying out an action item but it has not been completed by the end date, can I still receive points for this item?
    We realize that some items may require a longer term development and implementation time. Therefore if a participant can show that significant steps have been initiated towards completion of a given action item prior to due date, total or partial points may be awarded. Participant must arrange a meeting with a member of the board to petition for points if deadline is not met.
  8. What will I get out of participating in the Challenge?
    • INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY
    • COST SAVINGS
    • PUBLIC RECOGNITION
    • Lots of FREE resources: benchmarking tools,case studies, site visits, trainings
    • MARKET DIFFERENTIATION
    • Demonstrate your COMMITMENT to ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
    • NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION
    • FUN!
  9. Will my scorecard and progress be available to the public? Can I see what business are participating?
    A list of all participating businesses will be displayed on the homepage website. Each participant has the option to choose whether or not they wish their personal scorecard profile and progress to be available to the public.  The Challenge team keeps questionnaire details strictly confidential.  Though we DO want to BRAG about your successes.
  10. Does the challenge scoring take into account whether I rent or own my business?
    The action items available include a wide variety of actions accessible to both owners and renters. The overall winners of the Challenge will be divided between small, medium, and large businesses as well as renters and owners in each of these categories to ensure competitive accessibility for all businesses.
  11. There is no way we can do all of these action items.  Is that ok?  YES! The scorecards are meant to show what it is possible in efficiency and sustainability measures and was not designed for any one businesses to complete all the items.
  12. Who should I contact should I have a question about the challenge itself or implementing an action item?
    Contact or call Teri Kent, Challenge Director, at 434.466.5157.
  13. Who will decide the winners of the Challenge?
    All businesses will be recognized as participants through the website and various media channels.  Businesses who earn 40 points will gain CERTIFICATION, 100 points CERTIFICATION PLUS, and 150 points WINNER’S CIRCLE.  Awards will be given to Champions, Biggest Loser, Kill-o-watt Crackdown, Green Leaders, and Top Innovator.  Winners will be chosen from the Challenge team and 10-12 community and business leaders who are non-participants.  Details found at our Awards Page
  14. How will bonus and innovation points be evaluated?
    An evaluation committee will determine the winners. Information about the awards criteria can be found on the Awards page.
  15. What documentation should I acquire or keep on file to prove the legitimacy of my point claims?
    This is up to the discretion of each business.  “My Scorecard” does require some narrative descriptions.  The challenge team could ask for verification at various points throughout the contest as well as conduct on-site visits (by appointment).Some documentation summary statements are requested as part of the process to submit your final scorecard. Information can be found on the ‘Crossing the Finish Line’ page and in this documentation .pdf.
  16. Forgot your scorecard username? Just email [email protected].
  17. How do I submit my final scorecard?
    To see the process to submit your scorecard, see the ‘Crossing the Finish Line’ page.Log into “My Scorecard”. Change all of your “plan to dos” actions to “already doing” if you were able to implement them by May 15 and click “Save.” This should give you your new score. If you save that, we will be able to collect and see it accordingly. (Please don’t create a new scorecard)