GREATER YELLOWSTONE
FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
2009 Call for Additional GY-Framework Pilots
In
working with our 11 registered pilot projects, it is readily apparent
how
critical they are to the refinement of this rating system.
Our pilots are
taking a conceptual document and applying it to real-world, on the
ground
projects. There is no better way to learn what does and does
not work, what
should be added, what shouldn’t be included.
To
further test this rating system, YBP is recruiting projects for a
second group
of pilots. We feel that to truly make the GY-Framework a
viable regional too
for sustainable development, it is important to expose the rating
system to as
many projects, and as many types of projects, as possible.
Being a pilot is a
great opportunity to help shape this regional rating system, and to
have a
positive influence on growth and development in the Yellowstone-Teton
region.
The
pilot phase will conclude in December, 2010. At this point,
YBP will begin the
review process of the GY-Framework pilot version, and put together the
next
version which will be open to the public.
Apply to
become a pilot project here.
Heather Burdette, 
Sustainability Programs Manager
Yellowstone Business Partnership
(406) 600-6617
Current 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
New GY Framework Technical Reference Guide Now Available.
The pilot version of the Technical Reference Guide for the Greater
Yellowstone Framework for Sustainable Development has finally been
published! This comprehensive document outlines the intents,
requirements, strategies and technologies for achieving pilot-project
certification using the GY-Framework rating system. Click
here to view an abbreviated version of the Reference Guide
with only the credit intents and requirements for public review and
comment. Print and CD versions of the entire document may be ordered
for $50.00 by CLICKING HERE
or contacting the YBP office at info@yellowstonebusiness.org
or (406) 522-7809.
YBP At Greenbuild in Boston
YBP was recently in Boston for the USGBC's Greenbuild
Conference. YBP staff Jan Brown and Heather Burdette,
GY-Framework consultant Kath Williams, GY-Framework Pilot Larry Thal
with Mountainside Village, GYF Design Team Members Anya Fiechtl and
Arne Jorgensen, and YBP Board Member Erik Abrahamson helped spread
the word about the GY-Framework. Attendance was estimated at
30,000!
The Greater Yellowstone Framework for Sustainable Development was
presented to an international audience. Jan Brown began with
an overview of our region and the GY-Framework, and Kath Williams
moderated the panel with Larry Thal and Arne Jorgensen providing
insight
on the successes and challenges of the program to date.
Click
Here to see photos
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
In 2004, when YBP reached the 100-member mark, business members were
surveyed as part of YBP’s first strategic planning
process.
Not surprisingly, growth management and land use issues were the
members’ top priority issues. The YBP board of
directors
did not wish to duplicate the ongoing efforts of those organizations
engaged in land conservation and comprehensive planning, but designed
their Sustainable Development Initiative to encourage more responsible,
private-sector approaches to growth and development. In 2005,
The
Nature Conservancy asked YBP to partner in a research project to assess
the prospects for integrating sustainable construction techniques,
responsible land development, and resource conservation across the
Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The team determined through attitudinal
research and a series of regional meetings that sufficient interest
existed among a variety of business and community leaders for YBP to
proceed with the concept.
A tri-state workshop of regional business and community leaders was
convened in December 2005 to gain insight on research results and to
determine if a voluntary rating system designed for an ecosystem made
sense for the Greater Yellowstone region. It was determined
that
such a system:
• Could fill a niche that
planning and zoning was currently not meeting
• Would be a free-market,
non-regulatory
approach and thus would be received favorably in many parts of the
region
• Could be applied on the
complex regional scale as well as locally
• Would be appropriate where
development is inevitable
• Could help provide funding for
land conservation through real estate transfer fees or stewardship fees
• Could create good models of
conservation development
The planning phase for this initiative was launched in January 2006
with an overture to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
for their assistance. On April 13th, the USGBC pledged its support to
help YBP expand upon the Council’s nationally acclaimed LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating
system by adding development standards important to the
Yellowstone-Teton region. Tom Hicks, then USGBC Vice-President for
LEED, assigned Jennifer Henry to help the initial GY-Framework teams
create the first regional rating system affiliated with the LEED Green
Building Rating System. In his letter, Hicks said that the USGBC,
“whole-heartedly supports your goal of preserving the
biodiversity and open space of the region by encouraging more
sustainable construction methods and neighborhood
development.”
With this affirmation, YBP mobilized regional leaders in the fields of
architecture, construction, land use planning, and community design who
advocate more sustainable approaches to building and development. Over
a nine-month period, more than 80 volunteers helped design a regional
rating system that includes and goes beyond the application of LEED
green building standards – a system that makes economic and
environmental sense for the Yellowstone-Teton region and rewards real
leadership. The GY-Framework was introduced to the YBP constituency at
its annual meeting in May 2007, with many of its authors present to
enthusiastically explain the rating system and its region-wide
objectives.
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