From a backyard garden to classrooms in Glendale, Proyecto Xilonen (pronounced “shee-LOW-nen”) is growing more than food. They’re growing knowledge, resilience, and cultural pride. Thank you, Proyecto Xilonen, for showing Salt Lake City the power of honoring our roots to nourish our future. Read on to learn more about this community leader and a 2025 recipient of our Community Food Microgrant Program.
Continue readingby SLCgreen Intern Talea Steele
We all know air quality is a problem for Salt Lake City. We can see our poor air quality in the winter with smoggy inversions, but you may not realize that air quality is just as big of an issue during the warmer months!
Let me introduce you to… OZONE! Ozone is formed by pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds that interact with sunlight and heat. As temperatures rise across the valley, the formation of ground ozone rises as well, making us much more likely to breathe it in. Since ozone is odorless and invisible, we may not realize that breathing it in is damaging our cardiovascular systems and is like getting a sunburn to our lungs… ouch!
So, what can we do about ozone to help keep our air and communities clean? One important and easy thing we can all do is to be idle free!
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Salt Lake City invites residents to help shape its climate action plan, “Climate Forward SLC”
Sept. 15, 2025
While climate change is a global crisis, many impacts are being tackled on local, community levels. Salt Lake City has been a leader in Utah, first committing to climate action in 2002 with the Kyoto Protocol. Since then, the City has achieved a lot, but much has also changed and evolved.
To refresh critical future steps, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the City’s Sustainability Department recently launched Climate Forward SLC, a process to update the City’s climate strategy.
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September is Idle Free Awareness Month! As the temperatures start to cool, and inversion season approaches, we wanted to share some information about vehicle emissions from idling and its impacts on indoor air quality.
Every morning, cars idle in driveways, streets, and school zones. Exhaust drifts indoors—triggering asthma, worsening allergies, and affecting everyone in your home and community.
Vehicle exhaust makes up about 50% of the air pollution in Utah during a typical winter day, and unnecessary idling of cars and buses contribute a significant amount of emissions released into the air each day. That’s why we encourage drivers to “Turn Your Key, Be Idle Free”!
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As the summer heat continues, it’s important to understand how to deal with extreme temperatures and why they are becoming more frequent every year. We have seen Salt Lake County’s average summer temperature increase by 3.9° F since 1985, while the U.S. average has increased by 1.5°F.
What is the Urban Heat Island Effect?
Have you ever noticed how the city feels much hotter than surrounding areas? That feeling is thanks to the urban heat island effect. The heat island effect is a phenomenon that leads to higher temperatures in urban areas compared to rural areas. This temperature difference is due to the greater presence of heat-absorbing surfaces, like large buildings and pavement, and not as much vegetation and green space in a city. The high density of buildings within cities also makes it harder for temperatures to decrease at nighttime.
How is Heat Distributed in SLC?
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Wildfire season is here — and even if the flames are far away, the smoke can travel hundreds of miles and leak indoors. Smoke contains fine particles that can harm your lungs, worsen asthma, and make the air inside unhealthy to breathe — even when you can’t see it.
With your portable air purifier and a few simple steps, you can keep your home’s air cleaner and safer all season long.
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Cooking brings flavor—but also hidden air pollution. Whether you use gas or electric, how you cook impacts the air your family breathes. Even brief cooking sessions can spread pollutants throughout your home (not just the kitchen). But simple changes can greatly enhance your indoor air quality!
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The New American Goat Club was a 2023, 2024, and 2025 community organization recipient. Photo credit: Ashley Detrick
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June 26, 2025
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Salt Lake City continues to increase residents’ access to fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food by funding 12 community food projects through the Sustainability Department’s 2025 SLC Food Microgrant program.
This year, over $56,500 in funding was granted to community-led projects aligned with recommendations from the City’s Resident Food Equity Advisors Program.
“We often talk about building a more resilient Salt Lake City, and this is one way we’re doing it—by supporting neighbors and community groups who grow food, share knowledge, and improve access to locally sourced, culturally meaningful foods,” said Mayor Mendenhall. “These microgrants are small investments with big returns for our health, our environment, and our connection to one another.”
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June 16-24th marks this year’s Waste and Recycling Workers Week! These essential workers keep Salt Lake City clean and sustainable, rain or shine (even through the pandemic, earthquake, and wind storm!) every weekday of the year except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Our Waste & Recycling Division does some of the most time-sensitive, important work in the entire city! There’s all kinds of things you probably didn’t know about this crucial City division, such as:
