GREATER YELLOWSTONE
FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Pilot Projects:
The program currently has eleven pilot projects. They are:
- Beartooth Nature Center, Red
Lodge, Montana
- Dornix
Park, Big Timber, Montana
- Grand
Targhee Resort, Alta, Wyoming
- Harriman
State Park, Island Park, Idaho
- Livingston High School,
Livingston, Montana
- Mountain Legends Ranch, Driggs,
Idaho
- Mountainside
Village, Victor, Idaho
- Pine
Glades Homes, Jackson, Wyoming
- Red Lodge High School, Red Lodge,
Montana
- Story
Mill Neighborhood, Bozeman, Montana
- Teton
Meadows Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The pilot projects
will participate in an initial training course on April 1st and 2nd in
Bozeman, MT.
Get Involved Now
Join one of the following Task Forces:
Certification
Task Force:
The GY-Framework Certification Task Force will help design and
implement the pilot certification process for the Greater Yellowstone
Framework for Sustainable Development. Task force meetings
will
be held quarterly either in person or by teleconference. Click
here for a full job description.
Incentives Task Force :
The Incentives Task Force will meet semiannually at locations that
rotate around the Yellowstone-Teton region. Where feasible,
meetings will be held concurrent with pilot progress meetings to
maximize interaction with pilot sponsors. Conference calls will be
scheduled at least bimonthly between the task force meetings. Click
here for a full job description.
Independent Certifiers:
The GY-Framework Independent Certifiers will be responsible for
reviewing pilot project compliance with the credit requirements and
awarding certification status, where achieved. Pilot projects
will be grouped into three categories (3-5 projects per category), with
one certifier per category: Resort/Mixed Use, Subdivision, and
Parks/Schools. Certifiers will belong to and work in conjunction with
the GY-Framework Certification Task Force through December
2010.
GY-Framework certifiers must have no financial connection with pilot
projects in their assigned category. Click
here for a full job description.
A Program of Regional Significance
This initiative
of the Yellowstone Business Partnership (YBP) began in 2005 as an
exploration of regional attitudes towards growth and development in
partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Eighty
individuals representing a diversity of political persuasions and
viewpoints were personally interviewed by a team of TNC and YBP staff
and volunteers. The
final report,
issued in December 2005, showed a surprising consensus about the need
to manage – not discourage – growth and to do so at
a
regional scale. Here is one relevant
paragraph from the consultant’s summary of findings:
Most people
recognize that the
region will grow. The question for many is where it should grow, how
and how fast. Most believe that it is not too late to address growth in
a meaningful manner, while expressing concerns over respect for private
property rights and wondering if conservative decision-makers could
deal with planning issues. Many would support greater incentives to do
the right development in the right place; they want to see models where
smart growth is working effectively; they thirst for an appropriate
strategy that would be effective “without tearing apart the
social fabric; and they want to engage in community discussions on
growth issues. As one person put it “Will it be done by
default
or by conscious choice?”
Following the conclusion of the research partnership with TNC, and
acting upon this study, the YBP board made the Sustainable Development
Initiative its highest priority. Close to $57,000 in cash was raised
for the
planning phase, and many design and consulting services were donated as
well.Over 75 volunteers were recruited from three states to serve on
the design
teams that worked from August 2006 through May 2007 (DESIGN
TEAM
ROSTER). Through
face-to-face meetings and conference calls, these teams researched and
fashioned a rating system modeled after the U.S.
Green
Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED)
program. The teams want to encourage healthy and
efficient rural subdivisions, vital downtowns, minimum-impact
infrastructure
and sustainable recreation facilities. They want to
ensure that new developments preserve biodiversity in Greater
Yellowstone and
respect the region’s cultural and historic
heritage. The Framework
document 1.0 and scorecard are
presented
on the YBP website for your comprehensive review and comment.
We view this Framework as
complementary to the
efforts of all the organizations and individuals who have helped create
it. Developers throughout the Yellowstone-Teton region are already
hearing about this rating system and looking forward to its release and
demonstration. The Framework will reward
leadership and
innovation across the Yellowstone-Teton region, but it does not replace
the need for land use ordinances and updated building codes.
Land
conservation efforts need to continue throughout the region, and our
hope is that the Framework will be one more tool that developers can
use to help protect the region’s quality of life.
Finally, the Framework will be
evaluated by the USGBC for its relevance to other ecosystems.
The
extent to which our work is replicable will raise the national
visibility of YBP and demonstrate the ability of the private sector to
transform attitudes and practices of those in the development and real
estate industries. We look forward to sharing
the journey over the next three years.
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