Indoor Air Quality: Microplastics in Indoor Air?

Microplastics in Indoor Air: What We Know & What You Can Do

February is a time when we spend more time indoors, making indoor air quality especially important for your health and comfort.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters. Indoors, they are most found as microscopic synthetic fibers shed from materials like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and polypropylene. Research shows these particles occur widely in indoor air and are inhaled during everyday activities.

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Our 2025 Year in Review

Whew! What a year. We knew going into 2025 that people felt discouraged and worried about climate action with a new federal administration. But have hope! Because there is meaningful, sustained action taking place right here — action we could not have accomplished without your support.

You showed up for our Climate Plan survey, supported renewable energy options for Salt Lakers, recycled tons of material (9 million tons, actually) and exchanged a lot of gas-powered yard care equipment for electric instead. All this will keep adding up to solutions for a healthy, sustainable future.

Visit our website to check out our 2025 recap and the exciting work we’ve got on deck for 2026.

Press Release: Salt Lake City launches fourth year of grants to increase food access, gardening in the community

A close-up of beekeeper, Alex Wonder, wearing protective gear as she checks the health of her bees and their hive.
Alex Wonder checks on the health of her bees and their hive during a Rose Park Bee Club meeting in Salt Lake City. Photo by Ashley Detrick/Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office

Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake City’s Sustainability Department opened applications for the SLC Food Microgrant program to increase Salt Lakers’ access to fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food.

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Let’s Talk EVs

By SLCgreen intern Wiley Speckman and staff Jude Westwood

Electric car at a charging station on a city street with trees and buildings in the background.

Thinking about a new car? Gas feels familiar and reliable, but if you care about climate change and air quality you may want to consider an electric vehicle (EV) instead. Here’s what you need to know.

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Indoor Air Quality: Test Your Home for Radon

January is Radon Awareness Month

January is recognized nationwide as Radon Awareness Month, a public health initiative led by federal and state agencies to encourage radon testing and mitigation in homes and buildings.

Winter conditions often increase indoor radon levels due to reduced ventilation, making this month especially important for awareness and action.

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Indoor Air Quality: It’s Inversion Season: What You Need to Know

🌫️ It’s Inversion Season: What You Need to Know

Each winter, the Wasatch Front experiences a natural weather pattern called an inversion — when a layer of warm air traps colder air (and pollution) near the ground. With nowhere for pollutants to go, our valley becomes a smog-filled bowl.

This impacts outdoor air and can affect indoor air quality, especially during long-lasting inversion events. As we enter peak inversion season, here’s what you need to know to keep your home healthy, safe, and breathable.

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Indoor Air Quality: No Burn Days: Small Choices, Big Impact on Our Winter Air

🔥 Winter Air Quality Alert: Know the Rules, Protect the Air

Winter brings one of Utah’s biggest air quality challenges — inversions. But what exactly is an inversion? This natural phenomenon occurs when a high-pressure system is setting up, trapping cold air on the valley floors with warmer air above it. This warm air also traps all our pollution with the cold air, keeping it contained in the valley until the inversion breaks. 

To help keep our air healthy when it matters most, the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) created the Mandatory No Burn Program.

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SNAP Benefits Changes: A Time for Community Support

Photo from Unsplash.

As Salt Lake gardeners know, the cold is settling in and the growing season has just come to a close. We are all gearing up for holiday season – a time when food is more than just a meal. It is central to cultural celebrations and community connections.

This is an especially hard time for food insecurity.

In our city, about 1-in-4 (25%) residents are food insecure. Thousands of our neighbors rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called “food stamps,” to make ends meet. Even when the benefit program is operating normally, families often must make difficult choices between necessary expenses like healthcare, childcare, paying rent, or putting food on the table. That is why recent developments around SNAP have been so concerning.

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Indoor Air Quality: Fall Cleaning & Healthy Lungs: Your Indoor Air Reset

🍂 Back Indoors: Fall Cleaning & Air Quality Reset

It’s hard to believe we’re already six months into the Indoor Air Quality program!

October is Healthy Lung Month — the perfect time to give your lungs and your home a fresh start. As cooler weather moves in and we spend more time indoors, a quick “Air Quality Reset” now can help you breathe easier all season long.

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Community Food Microgrant Spotlight: Proyecto Xilonen: Cultivating Culture

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.

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