The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council (YVSC) team is recognizing its 15 year anniversary, celebrating the foundations of the organization and the ways it has advanced its mission over the years as a leader, catalyst and resource to building a resilient and sustainable future.
YVSC began in 2008 with a small, dedicated group of City of Steamboat Springs staff and community members who worked together to build community learning and discussion about sustainable building and energy codes. The organization was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2009 and continues to develop programs, partnerships and on-the-ground projects that deliver its mission. Today the organization has many dedicated staff and supporters, as well as hundreds of volunteers who work to advance climate action in the community.
YVSC founders, partners, donors, sponsors, volunteers, staff and board members gathered at STARS Ranch Friday night for a Sustainability Soiree celebrating YVSC’s foundations, impacts and future.
Early YVSC founders and supporters who attended the Soiree were inspired that some of the organization’s earliest activities, like ReTree, a community tree planting event, are still widely recognized today and relevant for climate and community-building.
Yampa Valley Sustainability Council (YVSC) Resilient Land and Water Director Tim Sullivan speaks with attendees at YVSC’s annual Sustainability Soiree celebrating the organization’s 15 year anniversary.
“ReTree … created a bond and collaboration amongst founders and the community,” said Sarah Jones, who served as YVSC’s first-ever executive director. “It was satisfying to see the work being implemented and the continued sense (that) we are all in this together, while building a legacy.”
As the organization continues to grow and evolve, its focus remains on developing programs, actions and policies that address key sustainability issues, like climate change.
“We are proud of our foundations as an organization, and compelled by our mission and work to address the pressing sustainability challenge of the time: climate change,” YVSC Executive Director Michelle Stewart said. “Now our work is focused on supporting actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much and as quickly as possible and increasing our resilience to current and future changes. The important thing is that everything we do now matters, which was the same fire that burned when we were founded.”
Over the past 15 years, YVSC has advanced various programs and initiatives in the Yampa Valley such as creating a drop-off center for hard to recycle materials, organizing reforestation and ecosystem restoration projects, inspiring young leaders through internships and advancing renewable energy through advocacy and technical assistance. To learn more about the organization’s mission, visit yvsc.org/about-us/.
YVSC is grateful to the sponsors of the Soiree, who include Alpine Bank, Southwest, SavATree, Fair & Square Construction, Storm Peak Brewery, Routt Distillery and Next Home Mountain Properties.
29 October 2024
