Teton Science Schools 2013 Sustainability Report

Teton Science Schools’

Sustainability Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Executive Director ............... 2 Sustainability Curriculum .......... 4 Research .................................... 5 Sustainability in Operations ...... 6 Planning, Administration & Engagement ........................... 9 Next Steps ............................... 10

Sustainability at Teton Science Schools TSS Teton Science Schools (TSS) has been teaching about the natural world and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem since 1967. The organization has educated, trained and inspired thousands of children, youth and adults, bringing them together through the study of nature and its extension, place-based education. Seven innovative programs serve students from across Wyoming and Idaho, the Intermountain West, the nation and around the world.

The Sustainability Initiative The Sustainability Initiative at TSS is the process of educating students, TSS staff and community stakeholders about natural resources and monitoring their use. This process helps us to understand our environmental, community and economic impacts and to make informed decisions regarding energy use, resource consumption and waste. Moving forward, TSS will more precisely define its impacts through the use of performance metrics. This will help us better understand our natural resource use, our effects on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and how our decisions impact members of our local and global community.

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Message from the Executive Director

This sustainability document is the work of people representing all functions and levels within Teton Science Schools. It follows on a document prepared some years ago, as well as on specific operational steps we have taken towards becoming more informed, less obtrusive members of our community. The document is both a working document and a work in process, meant to act as a guide for employees and others working for or with our institution. It is not a marketing document, although it may be shared with anyone interested in our approach towards sustainability.

Like many other institutions, TSS recognizes the importance of being more sustainable; we are committed to being sustainable. Like some others, we accept the expanding definition of sustainability, from a checklist of environmental dos and don’ts, to understanding the broader social, environmental and economic implications of our actions. Like others, we wrestle with the

inherent contradictions of this wider definition and struggle to keep the definition workable. It is clear that defining sustainability cannot be too wedded to specific problems or technologies – gasoline consumption, say – or it will become obsolete as these problems and technologies change or disappear, and as we understand more. It is equally clear that how we approach sustainability is important, affecting lives and livelihoods; it is not just about action, it is also philosophy.

At its core, sustainability for us is the adoption of a mentality that is focused on means, rather than ends. Basically: if we do things the right way, things will hopefully turn out right. This goes for the way we treat our environment as well as for the way we treat partner institutions and people.

What goes around comes around, whether it is litter dropped carelessly, an offensive remark, or a thoughtless treatment of a partner.

We are modifying our behavior as necessary

to improve the sustainability of our institution as well as of our community. Over the coming months, we will be adopting, with the participation of our Board, key indicators of our progress to allow us to measure these behavioral improvements. While these indicators will help in any case, without an underlying commitment to change our behavior they will reflect changes only on the surface of our institution.

I mentioned before that this is a work in process – any and all reading this are encouraged to discuss further with a member of the Sustainability Committee, or to join the committee itself.

Sincerely, Scott Ferguson Teton Science Schools’ Executive Director

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Audit process Under the guidance of Teton Science Schools’ Sustainability Committee, TSS in 2012 completed an audit of the organization’s sustainability efforts, using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). STARS is a framework developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, used by higher education institutions throughout the United States and Canada as a standard by which to analyze and evaluate the school’s sustainability successes.

Current action TSS followed the STARS framework, which uses three separate sets of criteria to evaluate an institution’s sustainability efforts. These criteria include: education and research; operations; and planning,

administration and engagement. As a school, TSS demonstrates strength in the area of education and research for sustainability.

Moving forward, the school hopes to promote sustainability in all areas of the organization.

Education and research The STARS Education and Research criteria determine if and how an institution has successfully implemented a sustainability program within their academic programming. At TSS, sustainability efforts were evaluated within the sustainability curriculum and research efforts.

“The work on sustainability at TSS has been going on for years. From the initial solar/ wood hot water heater in the first staff commons on the Kelly Campus in 1985 to the significant high performance design and construction of the buildings at the Jackson Campus in 2005. Our goal has always been to teach students that living lightly on the land in the GYE creates more opportunities for learning now and for future generations.”

- Jack Shea Former Executive Director

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Sustainability curriculum TSS learning objectives inform sustainability efforts across the curriculum. These goals, called ‘Enduring Understandings’ provide a framework for sustainability education at TSS. Core to these goals is the understanding that people are not separate from ecosystems. People depend upon, and affect, the ecosystems they are part of. This relationship, called a ‘social-ecological system’, is fundamental to how TSS discusses education for sustainability.

Graduate Program seminar in sustainability The Graduate Program seminar explores sustainability with a “systems thinking” lens. Grounded firmly in ecological content, graduate students then look for “principles of sustainability” demonstrated in all living systems. For instance, in ecological systems, we see clear evidence of the interconnectedness between animals, plants, insects and every other organism.

Learning about interconnections in ecosystems helps us better understand interconnections in social systems, like communities.

Journeys School curriculum A key strategy of Journeys School of Teton Science Schools (Pre-K–12) is to teach the basic curriculum by using real world projects. For example, in the 2012–2013 academic year, high school students completed a wind turbine feasibility study to determine the viability of using a wind turbine to augment energy use at the Jackson Campus of TSS. Through this project, students learned physics while enhancing their awareness of renewable energy options.

Field Education Sustainability and Leadership is a three-week program for high school students visiting TSS from urban areas around the country.

Students from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds explore the meaning of leadership and develop individual projects aimed at helping build sustainability in their communities.

Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) farm and garden program Students at Teton Valley Community School (Pre-K–6) are actively involved in planting the campus garden, tending the greenhouse, harvesting crops to create garden meals and tending to the school’s farm animals, including chickens and alpacas. These activities teach students important sustainability principles such as the importance of utilizing local food, eating healthy and being responsible land stewards.

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Conservation Research Center

Project examples

The Conservation Research Center (CRC) is the research arm of TSS. It is committed to examining and monitoring ecosystem response to change in order to understand the effects of human use on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Through its research, the CRC provides vital data to the scientific community while also educating the public on critical environmental challenges.

Pika Ecology and Demography: The CRC studied the status of Pika populations in the GYE. This small mammal living in the high elevations of the GYE appears to be an important indicator species on the changing climate patterns in the region.

Mule Deer Movement and Habitat Use: The CRC is tracking and monitoring mule deer movement in Jackson Hole in order to inform mitigation techniques to reduce wildlife mortality along Teton County roadways.

Sustainability in Operations How an organization functions on a day-to-day basis can have a big impact on the surrounding environment. TSS has been conscious of its impact on the surrounding community since its inception, including the design and building of its newest campus in Jackson and remodels and updates to its founding Kelly Campus. Below are the criteria by which TSS evaluated its sustainability in operations.

Greenhouse gas inventory In 2012 the Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition completed a fleet analysis of TSS vehicles. The report created a baseline profile for the TSS fleet, including miles traveled, petroleum used and greenhouse gas emissions. The Coalition’s report also offered suggestions ranging from alternative vehicle purchases to use of alternative fuels to a reduction in miles traveled.

Baseline profile: TETON SCIENCE SCHOOLS VEHICLE FLEET

439

SHORT TONS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Wildlife Expeditions, the ecotourism branch of Teton Science Schools.

These vans get almost 4x the gas mileage of the previous Wildlife Expeditions vehicles and are biodiesel compatible. In the future, TSS hopes to begin using biodiesel and expand the use of these vehicles to other program areas.

Responsible building design TSS is committed to evaluating and supporting sustainability criteria in all building projects.

Jackson Campus: The Jackson Campus was built using high performance design principles. Buildings are oriented to maximize passive solar gain and radiant concrete floors provide heating efficiency. Building materials are left untreated to reduce off-gassing. All carpeting is 100% recycled.

Historical Structures on the Kelly Campus: The Kelly campus is a re-purposed, early 20th century dude ranch. Some buildings are reused dude ranch buildings while others are relocated from other historic locations in Jackson Hole.

Purchasing

$100,934 25,947 GALLONS OF GASOLINE

FUEL COST*

* average gallon of gasoline price: $3.89

TSS is committed to reducing the impact of their fleet through investment into more energy-efficient vehicles and use.

Based on the fleet analysis and Yellowstone-Teton Clean Energy Coalition’s recommendations, TSS purchased several Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans for

TSS recently adopted a purchasing code of conduct that aims to guide TSS purchasing in alignment with sustainable practices.

The document emphasizes choosing products that reduce waste, use recycled content, improve energy efficiency and minimize toxins and pollutants. Some examples of this include: “Green” products: TSS uses certified green cleaning products and 100% post-consumer, chlorine free office paper.

Merchandise: TSS campus stores sell merchandise with recycled content and prioritizes local vendors.

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Waste TSS completed a waste audit in 2013 in order to determine average waste creation. Approximately 6,800 pounds of waste are produced each month at TSS. Recycling: TSS has a strong recycling program. Of the 6,800 pounds of waste, approximately 26% or 1,700 pounds are recycled and taken to the Teton County Recycling Center.

Composting: At the Jackson Campus, compost collected in the kitchen is given to a local farm. As a next step, TSS would like to explore the possibility of implementing a complete composting program. Based on the 2012 audit, approximately 1/5 of the waste at TSS, that which is not recycled, could be composted. This provides a major opportunity for future waste reduction.

Renewable energy

Open space stewardship TSS is committed to conservation values and to restricting land use based on these values. TSS understands the importance of land stewardship and makes decisions and program plans based on this concern.

Conservation Easement: TSS owns 860 acres of open space in Jackson Hole. A large portion of this land is under a conservation easement requiring TSS to ensure that the natural land values remain viable. Projects include fence removal to facilitate ungulate movement, development of marshes to improve habitat for waterfowl and responsible livestock management.

Native Plant Restoration: TSS uses native plants in landscaping to support local species restoration.

Integrated Pest Management: TSS uses measures to control noxious plant species on all its properties. Using an integrative approach, TSS manages invasive species through responsible chemical use and manual control of species and livestock grazing to convert weed areas to grassland.

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TSS is committed to exploring renewable sources of energy. Currently TSS has two solar arrays on the Jackson Campus that produce a small fraction of campus energy. These arrays primarily serve as educational models for people who visit the campus. Teton Science Schools also completed a wind energy feasibility study on the Jackson Campus and renewable energy offsets are being explored.

“I learned a lot about leadership and sustainability at TSS. I plan to return to Boston to begin a recycling program at my school. I’m excited to use what I’ve learned to make a difference in my community.”

- Nikesha Amado Sustainability and Leadership Student

Food

Commuting

The short growing season in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem creates challenges for small farmers. However, dining facilities at Teton Science Schools are working closely with several small farms in the region to support local businesses and bring healthy food to students and employees. TSS plans to build on these successes, increasing the amount of local and organic food being served at its campuses.

Teton Science Schools works hard to encourage its employees and students to use alternative methods of commuting. Overall there is a large and enthusiastic group of people at TSS who either bike or carpool to work and school.

Local Meat: TSS buys all of its ground beef from the local Lockhart Cattle Company in Jackson, Wyoming.

Local Greens: TSS purchases shares of salad greens from Snowdrift Farm in Victor, Idaho, the Kelly Garden Project located in Kelly, Wyoming and the Robinson Family Farm in Afton, Wyoming.

Food Vendors: TSS tries to purchase organic food when possible and prioritizes food grown in Idaho, Utah and Montana from its national food service providers such as Sysco and US Foods.

Other dining service highlights:

• Tray-less dining reduces waste by encouraging people to take only

Commuter Choice Challenge: Teton Science Schools participates in the Commuter Choice Challenge put on by Jackson Hole Friends of Pathways. This is a competition among teams for the most active commuter miles, such as commuting by bike or walking. So far this summer (2013) the TSS team has over 100 members who have logged 6730 miles. This has saved over 6500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

Journeys School START bus: Teton Science Schools partners with Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (the START bus) to provide a bus service for Journeys School students coming from Jackson, Wilson, Teton Village and parts of Idaho. This service greatly reduces commuter miles for parents and students.

what they can eat.

• Wasted food is weighed and monitored to educate students about • •

their waste footprint.

Only recycled-content napkins are used in dining facilities.

Reusable dishware and to-go containers reduce plastic waste.

“The continued increase in consumption of resources by a growing population world wide obviously cannot be sustained.

TSS has an obligation to “walk the talk” in every part of our organization. As a long time board member I am pleased with our initial efforts and anticipate our moving forward in this area.”

- Jean Jorgensen Board Member

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Planning, Administration & Engagement The STARS criteria broadly assesses sustainability at an administrative level. Institutional commitment can be evaluated and understood within this section. This includes assessing where sustainability lies within strategic planning processes and organizational priorities.

Stewardship and service

Diversity initiatives

Community Service: In a yearlong period between 2011-2012, TSS participants completed a collective 5305 community service hours, including working with over 50 local partnering organizations. These organizations include the US Forest Service, Teton County Weed and Pest, Jackson Community Recycling, Grand Teton National Park and many more.

Across all program areas TSS seeks to encourage diversity and provide support for groups historically underrepresented in our and other similar programs. Through education and unique experiences, TSS hopes to empower all students and bring together diverse groups of people who can work collaboratively towards a sustainable future.

Journeys School Tuition Assistance: During the 2012–2013 academic year, 36% of Journeys School students received need-based tuition assistance. Journeys School awarded $885,400 (22% of operating budget) in need-based aid to students in grades Pre-K–12. This effort aims to establish a diverse student body and broader access to a Journeys School education.

Field Education Initiatives: TSS has a wide variety of initiatives to increase diversity within its field education programs. On a local level, TSS provides complete financial aid for eligible elementary students to attend Teton Junior Science School programs. Additionally, TSS provides day-long experiences for Latino families in Grand Teton National Park, who report fewer visits to the park than their Caucasian counterparts. The Summer Search program is a partner organization that brings high school students from low-income, urban environments nationwide to TSS.

“TSS has taken a very thoughtful approach to sustainability. The efforts thus far have been initiated by staff members who care about the organization’s impact in the world and feel a responsibility to lead.

Particularly with regards to education for sustainability, TSS will help to move the national conversation forward.”

- Liz Palchak Graduate Faculty and Sustainability Coordinator

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TSS is committed to community service. Through stewardship on TSS campuses and aid to local non-profit and governmental organizations, TSS cultivates among participants an ethic of service and local engagement.

Journeys School: In addition to group projects included in the total hours above, Journeys School students complete required individual community service. These projects instill in students the importance of community engagement to support what they are learning in the classroom.

NEXT STEPS TSS continues to partner with the surrounding Jackson Hole community and national stakeholders to improve its sustainability efforts. Moving forward, these are ways we want to enhance our current efforts:

Education for sustainability First and foremost, Teton Science Schools has the goal of improving in the area of education for sustainability. To accomplish this Teton Science Schools plans to utilize existing resources to support further educator development and provide sustainability trainings for all staff members. In the near future, Teton Science Schools plans to host a summit on education for sustainability to share ideas and to push this issue forward on a national scale.

Educational garden and composting facilities Teton County does not currently have a composting program, although there is widespread interest within the community. Teton Science Schools plans to continue collaborating towards the goal of a county-wide composting system. In addition to these efforts, TSS has the goal of installing a $10,000, bear-proof composting system called Earth Tub. Alongside this composting effort, TSS hopes to build an educational garden that can be used for teaching purposes and to produce food for students and staff. With these things in place, Teton Science Schools will be able to reduce waste, increase local food use and provide a valuable hands-on educational tool.

Organization-wide strategic plan for sustainability Teton Science Schools wants to solidify its organization-wide commitment to sustainability by creating a strategic plan for sustainability. Each program area will house specific goals towards sustainability. Teton Science Schools is committed to devoting the resources and staff necessary to guide sustainability efforts on an institutional level.

Emissions reduction Teton Science Schools is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. In order to do this Teton Science Schools will conduct a more in-depth analysis of its current footprint. From there, TSS will set a reasonable goal for emissions reduction and create a detailed plan to achieve this reduction goal. In the interim, Teton Science Schools will create a set of metrics in order to track success. These metrics will be a good indication of Teton Science Schools’ total impact and hopefully guide a path towards reduction.

“To me, sustainability is an effort to think long term about our lifestyle and consumption choices. As a graduate student, I would love to see an organization-wide initiative to continue to implement projects that reduce our energy consumption coupled with education about these systems for students. I see TSS in a unique position to be a leader, specifically in energy awareness for students who visit and can take home real transference experiences with such systems to their parents, and community back home.”

- Devin Trainor Graduate Student

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Teton SCIENCE SCHOOLS • 700 Coyote Canyon Road • Jackson, WY 83001 www.tetonscience.org • 307.733.1313

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