JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. - Aug. 25, 2020 - The Riverwind Foundation is excited to announce that Teton County, Wyoming has achieved sustainable destination certification. Teton County / Jackson Hole is the first travel and tourism destination to be EarthCheck certified in North America. EarthCheck is the world's leading scientific benchmarking, certification, and advisory group for travel and tourism.

EarthCheck's Sustainable Destinations program is designed to empower local communities to take ownership of sustainability goals and build on local initiatives.

Destination certification has been a goal of the Jackson Hole & Yellowstone Sustainable Destination Program since its inception in 2014 and a milestone in the progress of community partnerships created to strengthen the sustainability programs, policies, and practices in Jackson Hole. Teton County was evaluated on 266 criteria in 12 key performance areas, including energy efficiency and conservation, ecosystem conservation, waste management, cultural and social management, and economic management. The story of how Teton County achieved EarthCheck certification can be found HERE.

Stewart Moore the CEO and Founder of EarthCheck congratulated Teton County on both its strong community vision for sustainable tourism and its commitment to environmental stewardship which is reflected in the destinations impressive water, waste and energy initiatives. Mr Moore noted that "Experience across the world has shown that successful sustainability programs can only be delivered through strong public and private partnerships and a dedication to action and results".

"Teton County's vision of sustainability is to preserve and protect the area's ecosystem in order to ensure a healthy environment, community and economy for current and future generations" said Tim O'Donoghue, Executive Director of the Riverwind Foundation and coordinator of the Jackson Hole & Yellowstone Sustainable Destination Program. "The Jackson Town Council and Teton County Commissioners resolved for Jackson Hole to be a world-leading sustainable community and destination. While the EarthCheck certification represents confirmation from the world's longest running and most rigorous certification program of our community's progress towards these visions, we have much more work ahead of us."

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