Federal V® electronics Mentoring within the Federal Electronics Challenge Electronics Stewardship One Byte © A Time Upd0t6dl 4/29/2013 PURPOSE This fact sheet provides answers to frequently asked questions from Facility Partners interested in mentoring other federal organizations. Mentoring is a requirement for receiving the Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Gold or Platinum level award. MENTORING GUIDANCE What does mentoring mean in the context of the Federal Electronics Challenge? To satisfy a single FEC Gold or Platinum level award mentoring requirement, an FEC partner needs to complete one of the following activities: • Provide direct support to a federal facility or agency to assist them in implementing more sustainable electronics management strategies. • Present on one of the FEC Webinars during the fiscal year. • Submit a new electronics stewardship case study to the FEC. This case study must be reviewed by the FEC and approved prior to claiming mentoring credit for this activity. • Submit a new electronics stewardship resource to the FEC. This resource must be reviewed by the FEC and approved prior to claiming mentoring credit for this activity. Please see the questions below for further details on each of these mentoring activities. What is direct support to a federal facility or agency? Direct mentoring support is providing one-on-one assistance to a federal facility or agency to assist them in implementing more sustainable electronics management strategies. The assistance can be provided to any facility, including those within the mentoring partner's own agency. Also, it is not necessary for a mentee facility to be an FEC Partner. The level and depth of support are determined jointly by the mentor and mentee. Examples of direct mentoring activities include: • Meeting in person or over the phone with individual facility representatives to answer questions related to the electronics life-cycle or FEC participation. • Providing support in completing FEC documentation, such as the Baseline Survey and Annual Reporting Form. • Working with an individual facility to implement electronics stewardship activities, such as developing acquisition language, authoring a power management policy, or selecting an electronics recycler. • FEC Champions that provide assistance or support to a federal agency or facility may also count these activities as mentoring activities. What activities are NOT mentoring in the context of the Federal Electronics Challenge? Mentoring activities are intended to provide direct, specific support to one or more federal facilities or agencies. The following activities are generally not considered mentoring, because they do not meet the above requirements: • Activities aimed primarily at a non-federal audience, such as promoting a residential electronics recycling program to the general public or working with State or local governments on electronics issues. • Working within your own FEC partner facility to promote and implement your internal FEC program. If you have a question as to whether or not an activity you are planning will meet the mentoring requirements, please send an e-mail to fec@epa.aov. 1 of 3 ------- rederal Electronics Electronics Stewardship One Byte © A Time Mentoring within the Federal Electronics Challenge Updated: 4/29/2013 What are the benefits of being a mentor or mentee? Mentors: • Gain positive recognition as environmental leaders. • Gain increased knowledge and experience from assisting others in solving problems or implementing improvements. Mentees: • Learn how others achieve successes. • Save time and money by not having to "reinvent the wheel." • Receive access to the tools and support needed to achieve success. Mentors and mentees together: • Leverage resources. • Gain exposure to new ideas, knowledge, and best practices. • Experience accelerated progress toward meeting Executive Order electronics stewardship goals. • Experience opportunities for leveraging purchasing, as well as end-of-life e-waste management contracts. How do I identify potential mentees? • You can seek out your own mentees from past or present relationships. • FEC Champions can refer mentees to you. • If you have a specific topic area in which you would like to provide mentoring, the FEC Champions can put out a call for mentees needing that type of assistance. What are the reporting requirements? Reporting requirements entail a brief written narrative that documents the following: • Who was your mentee? • What was the nature of the interaction? • What were the key issues addressed? • How was it helpful to you and the mentee? What are the other options for mentoring? FEC partners can provide indirect mentoring through one of the following activities: Present on one of the FEC Webinars during the fiscal year. This activity requires presenting a case study during one of the monthly FEC webinars. If you are interested in presenting, please review the list of upcoming webinars and send a request to fec@eDa.QOv with information about the case study you would like to present and the upcoming webinar on which you could present. Submit a new electronics stewardship case study to the FEC\ This activity requires the drafting and finalization of a new case study, following the FEC template for case studies. This case study must be reviewed by the FEC and approved prior to claiming mentoring credit for this activity. Submit a new electronics stewardship resource to the FEC\ This activity requires the drafting and finalization of a new resource for the FEC resource library. Please send a request to fec@epa.aov with information about the resource you would like to develop to get program feedback prior to starting. The FEC can provide information on the types of resources needed and will not accept a resource that is duplicative of other resources already developed by the program and on the website. This resource must be reviewed by the FEC and approved prior to claiming mentoring credit for this activity. 2 of 3 ------- rederal Electronics Electronics Stewardship One Byte © A Time Mentoring within the Federal Electronics Challenge Updated: 4/29/2013 Why does the FEC require mentoring? The federal agencies and facilities participating in the FEC will be among the best teachers for other agencies and facilities. As partners make progress in achieving Executive Order electronics stewardship goals, they will uncover barriers as well as successful paths toward purchasing greener electronics products and managing electronic assets in an environmentally sound manner. These hard fought lessons need not be reinvented by each partner. By establishing mentoring, mentees can accelerate their progress, and mentors can gain recognition for their efforts and solidify their knowledge base. REFERENCES For information about the FEC awards process, please see: http://www2.epa.aov/fec/awards. CONTACT INFORMATION If you have questions related to this resource or need other assistance with the Federal Electronics Challenge, please contact your Regional Champion: http://www2.epa.aov/fec/technical-assistance. Visit the FEC online: http://www2.epa.aov/fec/ E-mail the FEC: fec@epa.aov 3 of 3 ------- |