Mountain IDEAL
A Destination Stewardship Toolkit for Resort, Rural, Recreation, and Gateway Communities
Program Overview

Destination Stewardship is the big-picture approach to the careful and responsible management of "common pool" resources (e.g. public lands, climate, water, affordable housing, equitable access). It requires community-wide collaboration and participatory planning to identify a shared vision and common goals.
Mountain IDEAL is your destination stewardship toolkit.
At its core, Mountain IDEAL is a sustainable destination management standard that is formally recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The standard was designed to guide destination managers through the process of implementing a stewardship framework to advance sustainable community development through responsible, regenerative, and transformational tourism.
The Mountain IDEAL Destination Stewardship Framework aims to:
- Improve quality-of-life attributes
- Enhance visitor experience
- Safeguard sense of place
- Amplify community engagement & equity
- Activate economic development
- Drive sustainable growth
- Protect public lands and recreation assets
- Regenerate biodiversity and environmental resources
- Celebrate diversity & cultural heritage
- Manage visitor impacts
Program Toolkit
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Assessment Tools
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Planning Services
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Recognition Programs

Introducing the EV Infrastructure Plan
Electric vehicles (EVs) seem to be all the rage these days. Why, you might be asking? Well, across the globe, transportation is substantially contributing to climate change and its associated impacts. In the U.S., ground transportation accounts for approximately 30% of our energy needs, 70% of...

May is Compost Awareness Month
Did you know that the first full week of May is International Compost Awareness week? This one week is the largest educational initiative of the compost industry each year! Their goal, according to the Compost Foundation, is to raise public awareness on why we should compost organics. Each year,...

Planet Friendly Puppers
As the snow is melting you have may have noticed may…smelly presents… on the sidewalk from our furry friends. It can be easy to assume that taking a little less time in our winter walks won’t make a big impact. However, in addition to stinky surprises, dogs can have significant carbon footprints,...

Developing Community Based Climate Solutions
Roughly a year ago, I suggested several tips for taking climate action to readers looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Along with contacting elected officials and joining an environmental group, I recommended attending Climate Action Week 2022. Last year’s Climate Action Week was a ringing...

Become a Green Commuting Hero
Whether you like it or not, spring is right around the corner. Warmer weather, longer days, and mashed potato snow means we’re only weeks away from float trips and mountain biking.