LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Green Matters is pleased to be following along as Jackson Hole continues to pivot and persevere through the challenges of 2020 and into the promise of 2021. We are growing more comfortable with an all-digital platform and noticing that our contributors are too. This ninth issue is more visual, more varied, and reflects the ingenuity and creativity that’s become so valuable as we learn how to convey information from a distance.

We are pleased to feature sustainability-on-screen and bring readers what we hope is an interactive, inspiring, and rewarding experience. Even in a time of rapid change and new platforms, the needs of people and planet are ever the priority, and these are the stories that reflect our community’s commitment to the ongoing work of sustainability.

This issue opens with an explanation of the local ties to the Future of Tourism Coalition’s Guiding Principles and the hope that, as tourism trends unfold in a postCovid era, Jackson Hole will continue to strengthen our interdependent environmental, community, cultural, and economic practices in partnership with the international community. Speaking of visitors, Jackson Hole is expecting a troll! Read more about artist Thomas Dambo and how his Giant Troll will highlight resource recovery and connect our town with others that are embracing the nexus of stewardship between art and the environment.

Updates from Teton County’s Road to Zero Waste and the JH Climate Action Collective remind us of the long term planning and incremental progress being made, as well as the goals on the horizon. This issue also offers an exciting first look at the changes coming to the RRR Business Leaders program. With help from the partnership between Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling and the Riverwind Foundation, this nearly 20-year-old program is finding renewed relevance and bringing its members new opportunities to learn from each other and support the work of a collective sustainable business community.

Articles from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and Teton Conservation District provide outreach via video on wildlife initiatives for all ages, and, last but not least, the Back-Page-Mini-Film-Festival returns. Here, readers will find announcements, photos and videos that highlight additional programs and projects underway within local organizations who continue to do the work of sustainability.

Happy spring from Green Matters! We’ll return in the fall with more articles and updates. In the meantime, keep an eye out for this summer’s Sustainable Business Guide. This guide will provide a comprehensive list of businesses and organizations working to lead the effort in our community to achieve recognition as a sustainable destination by strengthening their environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic vitality.

Enjoy and be well!

Tim O’Donoghue,

Executive Director, Publisher Mari Allan Hanna,

Editor