In 2003, Northern Plains’ board of directors decided that – after 30 years of renting – we would purchase our own office space. We bought an old neighborhood grocery on Billings’ south side, a building that had stood vacant and attracting graffiti for several years. As an organization that works for conservation of natural resources, we made the decision to renovate the building in a way that would reflect our values. Construction began in 2005, and our staff moved in to the building – joined by the staff of WORC – in 2006.
"Home on the Range" is the first building in Montana to qualify for "platinum" certification, the highest rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Photo by Bob Zellar/Billings Gazette
Our building is called “Home on the Range.” Hundreds of volunteer hours went into the project, and 470 different donors contributed financially to make it possible.
In the course of the renovation, we kept 92% of the construction waste out of the landfill. The building is filled with recycled and salvaged materials, as well as energy-saving construction techniques and technologies. Those techniques range from a 9.9 kilowatt photovoltaic array, to waterless urinals, to a parking lot made of pulverized glass. Home on the Range uses just 21% of the energy used by a comparatively-sized office building built to today’s code.
Home on the Range was certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum building by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2007. It was the 41st LEED Platinum building in the United States, and the first in Montana. Other builders have since followed suit and, as of 2010, there are three additional LEED Platinum buildings within eight blocks of Home on the Range.
Advancing the use of clean energy became a high priority at Northern Plains after the completion of our new office. We see many opportunities for Montana such as promoting local foods and sustainable oilseed biodiesel, both of which would reduce carbon use while helping Montana farmers and ranchers. In 2009, Northern Plains began a campaign to reform rural electric cooperatives in order to make their operations more transparent, more democratic, and more receptive to members who want to use renewable energy.
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