Entries are now being accepted for 2010 Aveda Environmental Awards, a competition designed to recognize superior environmental performance by magazine publishers, in partnership with their printers and distributors. Developed by the Better Paper Project (BPP), a program of the Washington, DC-based NGO Green America (formerly known as Co-Op America), the award competition allows magazines of all circulations, frequencies, and publishing histories to compete on equal footing in three categories: Best Paper & Printing Practices; Best Distribution & Efficiency Practices; and Best Overall Environmental Commitment. Entries in the Paper & Printing category will be evaluated from two perspectives, that of environmental excellence in printing and of paper production factors. Publishers and their printers will be evaluated as partners on a range of factors, including their choices of inks, coatings, solvents, paper; their ability to capture (and re-use, where appropriate) of VOCs, solvents, inks, and other materials; efficiencies in total print run quantity versus circulation; and the proximity of the printing facility to the paper mill. Regarding paper production, publishers will be judged on their contribution to reducing climate change through the use of post- and pre-consumer recycled paper, the method by which their specified paper is bleached, and the use of credibly certified virgin fiber for the non-recycled wood fiber content of their specified paper. (BPP maintains that FSC certification is the only system that meets its criteria for credible certification.) Entries in the Best Distribution & Efficiency Practices Category will be evaluated on the publisher’s ability to work within its supply chain to reduce excessive production, unsold copies, and waste in the distribution process. Competitors in the Best Overall Environmental Commitment category will be judged on the strengths of their stewardship policies; demonstrated leadership in continuous environmental improvement of their supply chains; and communication of their stewardship policies and environmental practices to vendors, advertisers and readers.   BPP is taking an interesting approach to the entry process – while a publisher can specify which category or categories it wants to enter, it must complete the entire entry application, and provide the requested information for all categories. According to BPP’s judging criteria, the additional information will be used to support tie-breaking decisions, should they need to be made. There is a modest fee to enter ($50 for one category, and $35 for each additional category). Entries are due no later than 5pm Pacific time on August 31, 2010. A full discussion of the judging criteria is available here. Click here to access the online entry form.