Yellowstone Business Partnership Advancing Sustainable Enterprise
GY Framework for Sustainable Development
Scorecard (Table of Contents)
Technical Reference Guide Order Form

Intents and Requirements

Credit Interpretation Rulings

Pilot Demonstrations Overview

Pilot Project Application

Framework Implementation Timetable

Five Objectives Of The GY-Framework

Implementation Phase

Certification Task Force Member Job Description

Independent Certifier Job Description

Incentives Task Force Member Job Description

Initiative Sponsors

Volunteer Application

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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,  leedap_logo_sm_color
Sustainability Programs Manager
Yellowstone Business Partnership
(406) 600-6617


Current Pilot Projects:
The program currently has eleven pilot projects. They are:

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.


Yellowstone Business Partnership
PO Box 7337 Bozeman, MT 59771-7337 * 406-522-7809 * 888-583-8283 * info@yellowstonebusiness.org
Copyright 2009 Yellowstone Business Partnership. All Rights Reserved