Come meet Teton County’s local and regional farmers and enjoy this year’s harvest at the Jackson Whole Grocer for their 2^nd annual festival. Sample grilled beef & lamb from local ranchers, delicacies from local food producers, breweries, wineries & mead makers. Purchase food from their deli, local products and produce from local farmers’ last harvest of the season. Watch free demonstrations, enjoy kids’ activities, listen to local musicians and celebrate the end of another growing season!

When: Saturday, September 26, 11am-4pm

Where: Jackson Whole Grocer’s parking lot, rain or shine!

For more information on the event or to get a complete list of participants contact Steve Michel, JWG’s Director of Sustainability at 733-0450 or stevenm@jacksonwholegrocer.com.

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The short growing season in this region can make it difficult to eat locally-produced foods when living in the Tetons. Now is the time to take advantage of the area’s bounty.

The Farmer’s Market on the Town Square is in its 9th season, featuring 30 vendors offering everything from baked goods to berries, local meats, and cut flowers. Stop by the Town Square for the Market between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. every Saturday through September 19.

If you miss the Saturday market visit Jackson Whole Grocer’s Farmer’s Market all day Wednesdays. This is the first year that Jackson Whole Grocer is hosting a Farmer’s Market at the store throughout the growing season (through September or October), featuring seasonal produce from about 10 local farmers including Alpenglow Farm, Cosmic Apple Gardens, Mountain Valley Mushrooms and Wyomatoes.

Other stores in the area that carry locally-produced foods include Pearl Street Meat and Fish Company, the West Side Deli, Barrels and Bins and the Victor Valley Market.

The benefits of eating locally include knowing where your food comes from and having confidence that it is safe, supporting local producers and economies, reducing food miles, and enjoying fresher, tastier, seasonal foods!

When you buy directly from the farmer it is more affordable to buy in bulk so you can dry, freeze or can your produce and enjoy eating locally throughout the winter.

If you aren’t sure what to do with some of the seasonal veggies you can always find good recipes in Cosmic Apple Gardens’ newsletters.

Enjoy!

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Did you know that…

…START has two brand new diesel-electric hybrid buses?

…In 2008 START carried over 900,000 riders saving an estimated 115,208 gallons of fuel?

…START has an idling policy for its driver’s that is responsible in part for a 7% fuel savings last winter?

…START uses solar power in its bus shelters and at some bus stops?

Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START) is constantly working to go above and beyond to reduce our impact on the planet. START recently purchased two clean diesel electric propulsion hybrid buses. These buses will reduce emissions and will provide an estimated 35% reduction in fuel costs. These are the first hybrid buses in the state of Wyoming.

Beyond recycling and purchasing reusable kitchen supplies for the office, START has begun to institute internal policies that are helping to reduce fuel consumption. For the first time last winter START had an idling policy that all drivers were to abide by and resulted in a 7% reduction in fuel use compared to the previous winter.  START also uses the new hybrids primarily on the Town Shuttle to maximize their fuel saving capabilities. This means drivers may have to switch buses during their shifts if they are doing both trips to Teton Village as well as Town Shuttles, but we think it’s worth it!

The new START bus shelters and bus stop signage also use alternative energy. Protective enclosures installed throughout the valley use a solar-powered white LED lighting system. We have installed solar-powered illuminating information signs and aerial lighting at prominent bus stops, too. We will continue to utilize alternative energy at future bus stops and shelters throughout the valley.

You can feel confident that when you are riding the START Bus you are contributing to a more sustainable society and that you are supporting an organization always trying to reduce resource consumption and to help protect our planet for future generations.

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Over 5,000 people participated in Earth Week in Teton Valley Idaho and Jackson!

Now it is time to digest what we heard and spring into action.

K.C. Golden told us in his keynote address that we really only have 8 months to
try to get the cap and trade legislation through congress and prepare for the world climate meetings in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

What is Jackson’s role in all of this? We are in the midst of a Comprehensive Planning process and that document will guide Jackson’s future. Please read the plan, you can get your own copy to mark up from Staples for $27, or go paperless at the plan Web site. It is important that as many people comment as possible. Your comments must be posted to the plan Web site by May 15th to be the most timely.  (Planning commissioner review begins on June 2nd.) The comments will be put into a matrix and given to the elected officials who will vote on adopting this plan for our future.

Much is said in the plan about sustainability and protecting wildlife, but be sure you read about the planned development of the “nodes” which are where the proposed new development will take place. See if you agree that having up to 520 new housing units in Wilson (beyond what’s on the ground today) or 1500 new housing units in northern South Park is really what you want to see. What will this kind of development mean for our wildlife and open spaces?

Think about your lifestyle in Jackson, the mobility that you have, the wildlife that surrounds you, your easy access to a clean line on the pass or a climbing route in the Park. If our population doubles or new commercial development generates the need for up to 29,000 new workers, will it be the same?

Do we want the Hoback highway to be 5 lanes, do we want Highway 22 to be 4 lanes or are there other solutions to our transportation problems?

Please get involved, volunteer, talk to your neighbors, go to the comp plan meetings, talk to the planners and to our elected officials. The Eco Fair was great, we had 900 people attend. If each of the 900 people speak up and claim this valley as a place they want to protect, we can move forward into a truly sustainable future.

It is up to us!

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For those of you who have visited the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce office, affectionately dubbed “The double-wide” (because it is, indeed, just that), you know that we are not lucky enough to work in the newest or most efficient building in town.  No worries, though, we’re keeping it green and are always looking for ways to save energy, paper and work in a more sustainable way.

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We’ve all heard of “Ask Jeeves” and “Ask Amy” but few of us think to “Ask Nature.” After reading the book Biomimicry by Janine Benyus and participating in a 10 x 10 Book Club discussion that was lead by Nancy Taylor, I was reminded how easy it is to get wrapped up in our busy lives and become disconnected with nature.

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