With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Turning HOA’s Into Climate Action Superheroes

Jerry Tinianow, WestUrb (moderator); Gabrielle Fuerst, CAP Management; Lizzie Peyton, Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization; Emma Lawler, Big Sky Owners Association

Decarbonizing Our Buildings, Business Operations

HOAs: Every mountain town has them. They have immense power within their domains. They can be forces for great (climate) good. But they have not traditionally been our allies in climate action – although they could be. How do we make that happen? In this session we will explore the growing role of HOAs in North America generally and in mountain towns specifically. We will consider the institutional barriers that have prevented them from helping us with our climate action strategies, and how we can work with them to pull those barriers down. We will present a case study from Big Sky, Montana, where a convening of all of the major HOAs last April produced a promising start on much greater involvement by HOAs in helping to implement the community’s climate plan. This model is replicable. You will also hear about the exciting efforts of the Big Sky Owners Association to develop both an owner’s sustainability committee and a guidebook for how to reduce consumption of carbon-based energy, save water and cut waste going to the landfill.