By Chris Barker, Waste & Recycling Division Community Engagement Manager
When it comes to garbage carts in bike lanes, how you feel can be determined literally by where you’re coming from (or going to!).
If you bike commute or even just regularly go out for a quick spin before work in the heat of the summer, there’s a good chance you’ve encountered garbage carts right smack in the marked bike lane.
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In the past 11 months, we’ve explored simple ways to improve the air inside your home. We’ve looked at topics from better ventilation to reducing everyday pollutants. Thanks for joining us on this journey!
As we wrap up this program, we want to leave you with something lasting: a simple, practical guide you can use year round to keep your indoor air clean and your household healthy.
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February is a time when we usually spend more time indoors, making indoor air quality especially important for your health and comfort.
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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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.
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.
Continue readingBy SLCgreen intern Wiley Speckman and staff Jude Westwood
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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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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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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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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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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