Innovators in Rural Community Economic Development

USDA

Yellow Wood brings a special combination of content and process expertise to our work.

We invite you to explore our work.  Recent projects and presentations are listed below.  You can explore additional work using the various tags in the right hand column.

National Climate Assessment Rural Communities Workshop, February 2012, Charleston, SC

Shanna Ratner was an invited participant in National Climate Assessment Rural Communities workshop, which provided input for the Rural Communities chapter of the 2013 Synthesis of the National Climate Assessment.

Wholesale and Regional Food Hub Conference

Yellow Wood worked with the National Good Food Network, in partnership with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Project for Public Spaces, and the National Association for Produce Market Managers, to facilitate a meeting at the Wholesale and Regional…

Value Chain Write Shop 2 - Sponsored by USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and Wallace Center at Winrock International in partnership with National Good Food Network

Shanna Ratner facilitated the second of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The Value Chain Research Collaboration Project, a partnership between the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace…

Value Chain Write Shop 1 - Hosted by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace Center

Shanna Ratner facilitated the first of two values-based value chain writeshops for the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The purpose of the writeshop was to develop content for tools to assist intermediaries in building value chains so that…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Improving Decision-making for Sustainable Infrastructure

Yellow Wood worked with 9 communities throughout New England on inventory and assessment and research on alternative technologies.

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Hancock, NH

Yellow Wood worked with the Town of Hancock to complete a General Accounting Standards Board 34 (GASB 34) Municipal Asset Inventory.

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, New Gloucester, ME

Yellow Wood worked with the Town of New Gloucester to consider alternative approaches to handling municipal solid waste including recyclables. We examined waste reduction, collection, and disposal strategies.

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Westford, VT

Yellow Wood worked with Stone Environmental to assess options for water supply and wastewater treatment in the rural town of Westford, Vermont's town center. Yellow Wood prepared a Wastewater Feasibillity Study Survey for landowners in the town center…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Barnstable County, MA

Yellow Wood worked with Barnstable County officials to create an Asset Inventory of the County’s buildings, vehicles and parking. County officials closest to each piece of infrastructure worked on completing customized forms to gather information.…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Franklin, NY

The Town of Franklin engaged with the Green Community Technologies® process as a way to help determine how to proceed with its buildings in a manner that would meet the immediate and longterm needs of the community while addressing regulatory compliance…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Litchfield, ME

Yellow Wood worked with the Town of Litchfield to complete a municipal infrastructure inventory and assessment.

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Richmond, MA

Yellow Wood worked with the Town of Richmond to complete a municipal infrastructure inventory and assessment.

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Thetford, VT

Yellow Wood worked with the Town of Thetford to complete a municipal infrastructure inventory and assessment.

Clean and Green: 5th Annual Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition, "Cost-effective Green Technologies for Communities"

Shanna Ratner presented “Cost-effective Green Technologies for Communities” on October 12, 2005, at the 5th Annual Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition in Saratoga Springs, New York.  Towns and villages are greening up.  Governments…

2005 Vermont Planning Celebration, “Building Healthy Communities” Session, Presentation on Green Community Technologies

Melissa Levy presented on Green Community Technologies® as part of the "Building Health Communities" session at the 2005 Vermont Planning Celebration.  The presentation discussed identifying new technologies and sustainable approaches to managing community…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase II, Hinesburg, VT

The Town of Hinesburg asked Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. to research alternative ways of increasing their wastewater capacity beyond expanding the plant, using their Green Community Technologies process. Hinesburg, Yellow Wood, and Stone Environmental…

27th Annual Municipal Officers' Management Seminars, Fall 2004, "Assessing Rural Community Infrastructure to Cut Costs and Protect the Environment"

Yellow Wood presented "Assessing Rural Community Infrastructure to Cut Costs and Protect the Environment" at the 27th Annual Municipal Officers' Management Seminars in October 2004. Participants learned about the range of alternative technologies available…

Clean and Green: 4th Annual Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition, "Greening Government Operations"

Shanna Ratner presented "Greening Government Operations" on October 12, 2004, at the 2004 Empire Energy and Environmental Exposition in Saratoga Springs, NY.  This presentation showed the usefulness of considering tradeoffs between deferred maintenance…

Workshop on Participatory Community Problem-Solving, 11th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks

Shanna Ratner presented a workshop on Participatory Community Problem-Solving at the 11thAnnual Conference on the Adirondacks.  The workshop topics included everyday research, the National Community Forest Center initiative and how participatory…

National Community Forestry Center Northern Forest Region

Citizens and communities of the Northern Forest region have demonstrated the power of local knowledge and participatory research thanks to a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of four years, the National Community Forestry…

Workshop on Participatory Research presented in cooperation with the Middlebury College Alliance for Civic Engagement and Vermont Campus Compact

Shanna Ratner presented a participatory research workshop at Middlebury College on November 20th, 2003. The workshop was presented by the National Community Forestry Center Northern Forest Region in cooperation with the Middlebury College…

Workshop in Participatory Community Problem-Solving, 10th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks

Shanna Ratner presented a workshop on Participatory Community Problem-Solving at the 10th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks.  The workshop topics included everyday research, the National Community Forest Center initiative and how participatory…

Green Community Technologies®: Phase I, Alternative Technology Assessment for Rural Communities

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. conducted research to determine how, and whether, Vermont municipalities can use alternative technologies to save money, create jobs, and reduce negative environmental impacts. Our research focused on alternative approaches…

USDA Rural Development Best Practices Net Meeting Facilitation

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. facilitated nine net meetings with USDA State Rural Development staff to share stories about projects/activities that have contributed to community capacity building, leveraging, and partnerships, and that represent a new…

USDA Rural Development Office of Policy and Planning

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. co-delivered a training with Daryl Hobbs of the University of Missouri Office for Social and Economic Data Analysis using Yellow Wood Associates, Inc.’s measurement process to over 120 USDA Rural Development staff from…

See The Forest

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. worked with conservation commissions in Starksboro and Huntington, Vermont to develop a community-based education program designed to help communities appreciate forests as economic, environmental and social assets. The…