AGENDA

Renewable wood energy is a smart choice for mountain towns to displace fossil fuels and promote the sustainable management of local forests to be more resilient to wildfire and climate change. Topics include what wood energy is, scales of technology, case studies, emission profile and carbon benefits, economic payback, and technical assistance and grants available to explore viability and bring these projects and benefits to bear.

ReEnergize is a successful and growing partnership effort between state and local governments, non-profit energy service organizations, and utilities on the Western Slope of Colorado. ReEnergize combines targeted outreach with one-stop service delivery to provide fully-funded, critical energy efficiency upgrades for local working households. This presentation describes the partnership and its results and benefits, and how it can be duplicated in other communities.

Managing tourism to decrease its impacts on the environment, natural resources, and infrastructure is an all-hands job across multiple local and federal agencies. In lieu of an official Destination Management and Marketing Organization, our community has had to form alliances and collaborations to develop cohesive strategies that cross boundary lines. A panel featuring Grand Teton National Park, Bridger Teton National Forest, Town Council, County Commission, Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will exemplify how these partnerships are crucial to each organization’s success, separately and collectively. Panel facilitated by Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board.

HOAs: Every mountain town has them. They have immense power within their domains. They can be forces for great (climate) good. But they have not traditionally been our allies in climate action – although they could be. How do we make that happen? In this session we will explore the growing role of HOAs in North America generally and in mountain towns specifically. We will consider the institutional barriers that have prevented them from helping us with our climate action strategies, and how we can work with them to pull those barriers down. We will present a case study from Big Sky, Montana, where a convening of all of the major HOAs last April produced a promising start on much greater involvement by HOAs in helping to implement the community’s climate plan. This model is replicable. You will also hear about the exciting efforts of the Big Sky Owners Association to develop both an owner’s sustainability committee and a guidebook for how to reduce consumption of carbon-based energy, save water and cut waste going to the landfill.

Renewable Diesel is a cleaner burning fuel that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable diesel is NOT biodiesel but is chemically equivalent to diesel, proving to be a true drop-in fuel for any diesel vehicle. You’ll learn from the following: renewable diesel experts, fleets successfully deploying renewable diesel, unique opportunities for use, such as off-road vehicles and ski resorts, as well as fuel producers and providers. You will learn how to quickly procure and deploy this fuel for immediate greenhouse gas reductions in your diesel vehicles.

Summit County, Colorado’s Climate Action Plan set a goal to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2035. And while utility support is a key component of meeting this goal, Summit’s local governments wanted to take action locally. So non-profit partner High Country Conservation Center (HC3) created Solarize Summit, a county-wide bulk buy program for rooftop solar. In 5 years of program implementation, the community has added 2 megawatts of solar power to local rooftops. In this session, learn how you can create your own Solarize program to support your local residents and climate action goals.

Join Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities to learn the steps toward electrifying your fleet. Analyze your current fleet, learn about current funding opportunities to support the purchase of electric vehicles and understand the infrastructure necessary to transition your fleet to electric vehicles. Reduce emissions and save money.

Many mountain towns have set goals or strategies to achieve a “net zero” code by 2030 to support their climate goals. But what does net zero mean in this ever-evolving world of clean energy and new technology, and across politically different county lines? Learn how a 3-County collaborative of communities in Colorado took on the challenge of defining what a “net zero building” is, and learn about the roadmap they built to align on regional code updates for the next 10 years to achieve their climate goals.

With limited capacity and shared regional resources in remote and rural mountain communities, collaboration is key to successfully developing and implementing climate action plans. EcoAction Partners developed the Sneffels Energy Board in 2009 to address emissions reduction goals across the whole San Juan region. Learn how a collaborative board structure can support long-lasting partnerships, project innovation, leveraged grant funds, shared best practices and tools for collectively addressing regional challenges.

Our community in the West Central Mountains of Idaho deals with the same challenges of many Mountain Towns, ranging from Housing scarcity, to demand for service workers, to Natural Resource and rich amenities that are at risk of Wildfire, Water quality and snowpack degradation over time, among other threats. At the same time, all this struggle and risk is framed by the Political and Regulatory Framework of Rural Idaho. As a result of broad limitations on many tried and true methods of working on solving community and regional challenges (Regulation, Incentivization/Taxing Options, State Funding Pathways etc.), we have to function differently as both Local Governments, Mountains Resort Areas, Stakeholders, and Environmental Stewards.

Hear from Compose[d], a small digital creative agency, on their journey to supporting a 54 MW wind farm and Ever.green, the marketplace that enabled them to join other brands big and small.

We’ll explore the world of renewable energy project finance and paths for towns and companies of all sizes to accelerate the clean energy transition. Specifically, we’ll look at:

(1) Tax credits are a tool to enable more new projects and touch nearly everyone. Under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), towns and non-profits can access credits on their projects via direct pay. Projects that can’t use direct pay can sell them at a discount to corporations who then save money on their own taxes. Learn about the changes to this world brought by the IRA and how to leverage tax credits for your business and/or projects. But tax credits alone are often not enough to make projects viable…

(2) RECs can be highly impactful in standing up new projects. They can also have almost no impact at all and simply be a method of taking credit for something that was going to happen anyway. How can you tell the difference? Join us to explore how to evaluate the impact of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), from financial impact (additionality) to the many impacts a project can have on climate, the environment, and communities.

This session offers actionable insights for leaders on creating effective renewable energy investments and advancing corporate and municipal climate goals, as well as how to effectively communicate these efforts in a genuine way to customers, visitors, and communities.

The Town of Vail is working to develop a geothermal energy system incorporating waste heat from the ice arena and wastewater treatment plant into a highly energy-efficient and decarbonized heating district for buildings and snowmelt systems. With the assistance of the Colorado Geothermal Grant Program, the Town will develop plans for a Vail Civic Area heating district

This session will focus on states where the climate (pun intended) at the state level is not receptive/if not hostile to traditional carbon reduction policies. We will highlight successes at the local level, and how advocacy and priorities of local elected officials can make progress even if the state is not overly receptive.

Imagine the potential of uniting the charismatic nature of mountain resorts with the rich history and tradition of Western cowboys into a special kind of outreach. Together, we can foster a deeper appreciation for land stewardship and create lasting positive impacts on our natural landscapes.by aligning the credit hunger needs of ski resorts and their residents with sustainable land management practices,  Over the past 23 years, we’ve implemented significant changes in land management on our ranch, resulting in tremendous benefits for water security, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity (u-tube- Humboldt Ranch: Changing a Landscape to a Livescape). Our efforts have led to the sequestration of over 3000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to offsetting the carbon emissions of more than 23 million miles of driving by the average motor vehicle. 

Zero waste programs are being implemented across mountain communities as part of a broader climate action plan. Join the City of Aspen, Teton County, and the Park City County Foundation to hear more about their successful programs and policies; sharing their insights and different approaches to stakeholder engagement, logistics, business outreach, overcoming common concerns, and more. You’ll walk away with a clear sense of what approach might work best and a replicable template to launch a waste diversion initiative in your community or resort.

Ambitious action on climate stems from fearless leadership. Those with a bold vision for the future and an unwavering commitment are the ones who are driving the change we need.  Join this conversation to discuss climate leadership – key insights on how real climate action can be prioritized in our communities, and how to navigate and meet the many challenges head-on. Electeds-only please!

If it is, our industry needs to make a mindshift from tourism being transactional where visitors exchange money for an experience, to one that is transformational, where tourism can leave a place better than before. After over a decade traveling the world as a tourist, environmentalist, and recreationalist, I can answer that yes, tourism can enable regeneration…under the right conditions. What will Jackson Hole need to become regenerative and are we willing to make that shift? What is our responsibility as residents, tourists, tour operators, and workers in enacting that change? In 10-15 minutes, we’ll travel the world to take a look at key moments that might give us a glimmer of hope that a future where the power of travel can improve the health and well being of a community and the environment is possible.

The City of Aspen has set science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2030 and 100% by 2050 and needs to make big moves to get there. In order to create a realistic roadmap to achieve these goals, Aspen needs to holistically quantify what the real costs of these big moves like electrification, sustainable transportation, and waste diversion will be. This is important in a place like Aspen where cost of doing business is especially high, and the consideration for who will bear these costs will direct the future of our climate policies and goals. In a big step forward, the City of Aspen is working the consultant team at AECOM to develop a Climate Policy Cost Analysis and Financial Plan that will consider the most impactful policies to reach our climate goals, a comprehensive analysis of anticipated costs and impacts of those policies, and innovative ways to fund this work. The City of Aspen’s climate team will present an overview of this journey and lead a discussion with AECOM consultants on initial results, lessons learned, and how other communities might benefit from these shared insights.

A small town’s journey to net zero: how small communities with limited resources can set goals, put them into action, and see results. Takeaways: The crucial role of partnerships in amplifying staff time and capacit. The importance of having ambitious goals to prevent complacency. How to get started, The importance of leveraging funding.

In this workshop, leaders from the national nonprofit Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) share how small mountain communities and ski resorts can have a big impact on climate policy. Aiming high in policy advocacy is the most efficient way to achieve significant climate milestones.

CCL’s focus is on building lasting relationships with politicians from all parties. We talk about what we support, not what we oppose. This approach helps us get our ideas heard. It also feels amazing to collaborate, connect, and work together.

In this workshop you’ll learn practical tips for positive engagement and effective advocacy. Learn how to make a real difference in climate action, no matter your experience level. Organizing your community for federal advocacy is effective, fun, and easy!

This session will outline high performance best practices for buildings in cold mountain towns (with better envelopes and heat pumps for space and water heating) • Demonstrate the potential for these strategies to reverse energy demand growth in Teton County over the next 10 years. • Present cold climate/mountain town case studies (for new construction as well as retrofit situations) • Provide specific solutions including products, service providers and partners • Highlight currently available incentives and other programs (e.g. low-interest loans, utility incentives, tax credits and IRA incentives). We propose to offer model solutions that could be applicable to any mountain town but will be considering the solutions through the lens of Teton County. The workshop will be created and delivered in partnership with Lower Valley Energy (LVE), the local rural utility co-op, and Energy Conservation Works (ECW), a joint powers board that includes the Town of Jackson, Teton County and LVE.

What gets measured gets managed. And what gets managed must be measured. Except maybe for mountain towns attempting to find the balance between implementing climate action informed by a rigorous, protocol-compliant GHG inventory while creating meaningful impact both inside their jurisdictional boundary and outside of it. Comprehensive calculation of scopes one, two, and three emissions in mountain towns welcoming guests from all over the world is challenging at best, and rare. Our panel of mountain town sustainability leaders from Crested Butte and Durango, CO, and Moab, UT, will discuss how they determined the scope of their GHG emissions inventory and how they identify the levers that they can influence through community climate action. The challenges and opportunities they face reflect a reconciliation between bounded, data-driven rigor, and inherent interconnectedness that will be familiar to many mountain towns.

The Town of Jackson chose to forego consultants and write their sustainability plan themselves. Despite only having one dedicated staff member to do the job, the plan was created by the community. Jackson incorporated diverse perspectives into the plan through partnerships with nonprofits, Spanish language outreach sessions, immigrant focus groups, and by taking the first steps to repair relationships with tribes. The broad input ultimately led the Town to pass a Rights of Nature Resolution, one of the first in the country, to serve as a preamble to the plan. Learn the ups and downs of going it alone, what it takes to work with different communities, lessons learned, and why rights of nature should be recognized.

Learn about how the Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling and the nonprofit, Riverwind Foundation, have joined in partnership to promote sustainable practices and create a network of sustainable business leaders. We will discuss the structure of the Sustainable Business Leaders program, how it connects to county-wide climate goals, and hear from leaders of organizations and businesses who used the program as a stepping stone to write Sustainability Management Plans and Become Certified in sustainability.

Many of our mountain towns host airports, and many of them are situated in fragile natural environments. Commercial and private jet travel can be significant and high intensity contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, so tackling community scale emissions requires attention to addressing this issue. This session will feature information on efforts that mountain town airports are taking to reduce emissions from their operations as well as opportunities to reduce emissions from air travel itself, including from use of sustainable aviation fuel.

This session will focus on the fundamental role that energy and utility data plays in planning, executing, and reporting on successful actions that right-size energy consumption and provide clarity on emissions.  We will also walk through how this information is critical to have readily available when reporting or preparing to report Scope 1 & 2 emissions.