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| LEED Plus Press Release |
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U.S. Green Building Council to Support Framework
for Sustainable Development
in the Greater Yellowstone Area
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced its support of a
regional framework to integrate responsible building construction, land
development and resource conservation across the Greater Yellowstone
area. The announcement culminates one year of project planning by
the Yellowstone Business Partnership (YBP) and its collaborators who
have concluded that the Yellowstone-Teton region needs a green building
framework specifically tailored to the needs of the Yellowstone-Teton
region. The USGBC has agreed to support a technical liaison to
consult with a collaboration of business and community interests in
creating the first regional rating system that will be affiliated with
their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green
Building Rating System™.
In his April 13 letter to YBP, LEED Vice-President Tom Hicks states
that the Council, “whole-heartedly supports your goal of preserving the
biodiversity and open space of the region by encouraging more
sustainable construction methods and neighborhood development.”
In 2005 the YBP Sustainable Development Initiative engaged more than
150 business and community leaders in attitudinal surveys on growth,
interactive planning workshops, and pilot project consultations.
These leaders affirmed that a rigorous – yet voluntary – set of
building and development standards is needed to help conserve our
natural and cultural heritage as the region continues to grow. As
envisioned, the Greater Yellowstone framework will incorporate existing
LEED standards for high-efficiency buildings and neighborhood
development and establish additional, region-specific criteria for:
• Responsible land use and progressive development
concepts
• Systems approaches to community infrastructure such
as water works, sewage treatment, trails, and public transportation
• Biodiversity preservation including protection of
wildlife habitat and corridors
• Social, cultural and Tribal values that contribute
to community well being
• Recreational resources and facilities on public and
private lands
Beginning this spring, YBP will facilitate a two-year consensus-based
process to create a LEED-based framework that is tailored to the
Yellowstone-Teton region. Volunteers in all three states are being
recruited to develop additional design standards and create incentives
for a building certification program. The project also needs pilot
demonstration projects to incorporate the new regional standards into
their construction design plans. An accreditation training program is
envisioned by Fall 2007 for architects, developers and contractors who
wish to offer this green building option to their regional clients.
The LEED green building rating system is a rigorous leadership standard
for building design, construction, and operation that reflects the top
25% of best practices in energy and water efficiency, site selection,
material applications, indoor environmental quality, and innovation.
LEED’s approach is voluntary and market-driven, and offers third-party
certification of green building performance.
LEED was created by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993, and more
than 6,000 volunteers members have been involved in its development to
date. Originally envisioned as a planning tool for commercial buildings
constructed in urban settings, LEED now encompasses new commercial
construction, renovations, and the operations and maintenance of
existing buildings. LEED rating systems tailored for laboratories,
schools, campuses, residences, and neighborhoods are currently in
development. USGBC uses a collaborative, transparent consensus process
to engage its diverse community of stakeholders in the development and
ongoing improvement of the rating system.
USGBC certifies buildings as LEED Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum
based on the number of points earned under the rating system. More than
450 buildings have been LEED-certified in the United States to date,
and over 3700 are registered and in the construction process. More than
50 cities offer major incentives to build “green” using LEED, and every
Federal building constructed by the General Services Administration
must achieve a LEED Silver rating.
The Yellowstone Business Partnership was founded by regional leaders
who believed a grassroots business voice was needed to help resolve the
social, economic and environmental issues facing communities in the
Greater Yellowstone area. Since the membership campaign was launched in
October 2003, some 200 businesses, business people, and organizations
have joined YBP.
In addition to YBP, the facilitation team for the Sustainable
Development Initiative includes Bozeman-based Kath Williams +
Associates, Hopa Mountain Inc, and Insights etc.; P2 Solutions in Idaho
Falls; and Association Resources in Cody. The USGBC technical
liaison assigned to this project will be Jennifer Henry, Program
Manager, LEED for Neighborhood Developments.
For more information on the Yellowstone Business Partnership and its
Sustainable Development Initiative, contact Executive Director Janice
Brown at 406-522-7809 or jbrown@yellowstonebusiness.org
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About YBP 