Sustainability program is one to emulate The Buffalo Bill Historical Center's commitment to sustainability and a greener future should serve as inspiration for other institutions and businesses in Park County. The changes the center has made — both as part of the UnCommon Sense program and of its own volition — are impressive. Facilities manager Paul Brock cites a savings of $10,000 in the on-site restaurant by no longer purchasing disposable products, significantly reduced water consumption in two test gardens and a 90-percent reduction in garbage bags used over the course of a year.As a result, the historical center, one of the county's 10 largest employers, has diverted 50 percent of its annual waste from the landfill. With county landfill changes and the associated trash transportation costs looming in the near future, minimizing the amount of waste headed to the landfill would benefit us all, financially and environmentally. The UnCommon Sense program “enables businesses to say, ‘This is part of our daily operation, and we can demonstrate that it really is good for the bottom line,'” said Heather Burdette, who oversees sustainability programs for the Yellowstone Business Partnership. “The program gives them the tools to implement and quantify, and the ability to work with neighboring businesses. It becomes a way of connecting neighboring communities in a regional network of sustainability.”Take one look at public garbage cans overflowing with bottles, cans and plastics — or at the trash receptacles full of paper at the post office — and it's clear we have a long way to go. But it's time for other organizations in Park County — both large and small, in the private and public sectors — to follow the museum's lead. A widespread dedication to sustainability would have lasting benefits.

Sustainability program is one to emulate

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center's commitment to sustainability and a greener future should serve as inspiration for other institutions and businesses in Park County.

The changes the center has made — both as part of the UnCommon Sense program and of its own volition — are impressive.

Facilities manager Paul Brock cites a savings of $10,000 in the on-site restaurant by no longer purchasing disposable products, significantly reduced water consumption in two test gardens and a 90-percent reduction in garbage bags used over the course of a year.

As a result, the historical center, one of the county's 10 largest employers, has diverted 50 percent of its annual waste from the landfill. With county landfill changes and the associated trash transportation costs looming in the near future, minimizing the amount of waste headed to the landfill would benefit us all, financially and environmentally.

The UnCommon Sense program “enables businesses to say, ‘This is part of our daily operation, and we can demonstrate that it really is good for the bottom line,'” said Heather Burdette, who oversees sustainability programs for the Yellowstone Business Partnership. “The program gives them the tools to implement and quantify, and the ability to work with neighboring businesses. It becomes a way of connecting neighboring communities in a regional network of sustainability.”

Take one look at public garbage cans overflowing with bottles, cans and plastics — or at the trash receptacles full of paper at the post office — and it's clear we have a long way to go. But it's time for other organizations in Park County — both large and small, in the private and public sectors — to follow the museum's lead. A widespread dedication to sustainability would have lasting benefits.