KY EXCEL Voluntary Environmental Projects

Completing voluntary projects is a key requirement of KY EXCEL membership.  Applicants can propose a broad range of project ideas.  In fact, creative projects are encouraged.  A proposed project’s focus can be specific to the applicant, the applicant’s peer group, the applicant’s community or be applied statewide. 

KY EXCEL applicants will be required to prepare a one-page summary of the proposed projects that they wish to complete as members. Voluntary projects must be reviewed and approved by KY EXCEL prior to acceptance into the program.  This summary must be submitted with a completed KY EXCEL Membership Application.

When preparing the project summary, prospective members should include the following information:

• Project Description - Summarize the project and the project’s objectives;
• Target Audience - Identify the audience most likely impacted by the completion of the proposed project;
• Timeline - Include the anticipated timeline for project completion;
• Project Benefits - Identify the anticipated public health or environmental benefits that will be realized as a result of completing the proposed project;
• Project Measures - List the measures that will be used to track the applicant’s efforts and the project’s results.  These measures must include input measures (measures used to track how much effort was put into performing the project) as well as outcome measures (measures used to gauge the completed project’s impact). 

The division will consider the following three factors when reviewing each project:

• Environmental Benefit – The proposed project must demonstrate that it will produce a positive benefit to Kentucky’s environment;
• Voluntary – All projects conducted as part of KY EXCEL must be voluntary and cannot be activities that would otherwise be required by Kentucky’s environmental statutes or regulations;
• Meaningful – The proposed project must be substantial for the membership level being pursued and significant relative to the applicant’s capabilities.  The division will work with applicants that do not meet this criterion to suggest changes that will allow the project to be approved.  For membership levels that require more than one project commitment, the division will evaluate the collective substance of the proposed projects, rather than evaluating each project individually.

For applicants who do not have a specific project in mind, the division is willing to work with you to identify an appropriate project.  To assist in this, the division has compiled a large range of suggested projects that an applicant can consider adopting. 

To assist individuals in locating projects that are consistent with their interests, all of the suggested project ideas are organized by their primary area of focus.  In addition, a small number of projects have been designated as priority projects.  Selection of a priority project will count as two projects toward an applicant’s membership requirements.