Author Archives: slcgreen

Utah & Climate Change 2015 Series

Clark Planetarium and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby are hosting the Utah & Climate Change series in 2015. Utah & Climate Change is a multi-disciplinary panel discussion series on climate change in Utah, and its role in science, the economy, media and religion featuring experts in these areas.

The series kicks off with The Science & Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Thursday, January 29 at 7:00 p.m. The panel discussion will feature:

Rob Davies, a physicist with Utah State University
Maura Olivos, sustainability coordinator with Alta Ski Resort
Gabriel Lozada, an economist with the University of Utah
Laura Briefer, water resource manager with Salt Lake City

Get up-to-date information on the series, including how to get tickets.

Mayor Becker’s 2015 State of the City Address

Today Mayor Ralph Becker visited Whittier Elementary for the presentation of his 2015 State of the City Address.

Mayor Becker was joined by Whittier students from grades 3-6 and aimed his speech at these future leaders with a focus on themes including air quality, the outdoor environment, mobility, housing, economic prosperity and civility.

“When I spoke to the adults last year about air quality, they weren’t very good listeners,” quipped Mayor Becker. “So, I thought maybe talking with the kids about the important issues facing our city might help bring more positive progress.”

At last year’s State of the City address, which focused on air quality and called on the Utah Legislature and Governor to take five specific actions to address the issue, students from Whittier’s fourth grade ELP class attended and sang a song they’d written about cleaning the air.

“Since the class took transit and trudged through a big snowstorm last year to attend my State of the City speech, I thought the best way I could repay their effort and commitment this year was to bring the speech to them,” said Mayor Becker.

And to keep things interesting, throughout the State of the City Address Mayor Becker encouraged students to growl whenever he said “bear”, gave everyone a “wiggle break” halfway through the address and read out wishes that the students had written on slips of paper. Wishes ranged included several for cleaner air, that everyone would have a home, and that no child would go hungry.

Mayor Becker explored themes of fairness, education, mobility and access to transit, civility and environmental protection. To learn more about Mayor Becker’s Livability Agenda, please visit http://www.slcmayor.com/#home

The complete text of Mayor Becker’s 2015 State of the City speech can be viewed at http://goo.gl/bvGgL3.

Project Skyline: BOMA Utah Launches Kilowatt Crackdown

SLCgreen applauds Project Skyline partner BOMA Utah on bringing building efficiency awareness to their members statewide.

BOMA Utah, which represents over 50 million square feet of commercial buildings in the state, wants to do its part to support ambitious carbon reduction goals from both the State of Utah and Salt Lake City. BOMA Utah members with portfolios in Salt Lake City are also encouraged to join the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Skyline Challenge.

Read on to learn more about the Kilowatt Crackdown!

BOMA Utah launches 2015 “Kilowatt Crackdown”

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Utah is launching its 2015 Kilowatt Crackdown competition as part of Gov. Gary R. Herbert’s Utah Energy Efficiency & Conservation Plan, as well as Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker’s Project Skyline.

BOMA Utah, which represents over 50 million square feet of commercial buildings in Utah, wants to do its part to support ambitious carbon reduction goals from both the State of Utah and Salt Lake City.

“Utah’s large commercial buildings consume considerable amounts of energy and many could use energy-efficiency upgrades”, said BOMA Utah President Lorrie Ostlind, Senior Portfolio Manager at Commerce Real Estate Solutions. “We’ve assembled a great partnership to create valuable opportunity for Utah’s building owners to save energy, save money and improve their buildings.”

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, buildings in the United States account for more than 40 percent of total energy consumption and about 72 percent of electricity consumption. If current trends continue, it is estimated that buildings will be the largest global energy consumers by 2025.

“The Kilowatt Crackdown” competition supports voluntary benchmarking of energy use that is evaluated based on real data and allows us to maintain a leadership position in energy reduction”, said BOMA Utah Vice President Justin Farnsworth, Vice President of Asset Services at Newmark Grubb ACRES.

Participating buildings will benchmark energy performance through ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager Tool and seek to improve their performance over time.

“Prospective tenants demand efficient, environmental-friendly buildings and are willing to pay for it”, said Ostlind. “Benchmarking for improved performance keeps us competitive in the marketplace, and will help us deliver on our economic development goals to foster the next wave of innovation in sustainable buildings”.

About the Kilowatt Crackdown Competition

Kilowatt Crackdown is the energy-saving competition where “every building wins” and offers participants the following:

A promotional package from our valued partners offering various discounts on energy related products and services, including engineering certification for properties that qualify for the ENERGY STAR label – a score of 75 or more.
Advertising and recognition of your participation in the contest.
Assistance with identifying ECMs through ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager.
Technical support and data review of your ENERGY STAR benchmarking profile.
Satisfaction from being a leader in the Utah market.

Participants wishing to enter their buildings into the TOBY Awards program can utilize their Energy Star ratings and reports for the International requirements.

Community Incentives for Energy Efficiency

Our friends at the USGBC Utah are hosting a Community Incentives for Energy Efficiency event on Thursday, January 15, 2015 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. And you’re invited!

Register now.

The one and a half hour presentation will include presentations on energy efficiency incentives, solar programs, cost saving activities home owners and renters can implement, and updates on Utah laws. The presentation will also include a highlight of Salt Lake City’s Project Skyline.

Community Incentives for Energy Efficiency is an education program from the LIVE Team of the US Green Building Council – Utah Chapter.

Community Incentives for Energy Efficiency
Thursday, January 15, 2015
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Wasatch Retreat and Conference Center
Register.

SLCgreen Highlights from 2014

Happy New Year! It’s been a busy year for the Salt Lake City Green team, and we look forward to an exciting 2015 with your ongoing support. Since we’re in a reflective mood, take a look at some of our highlights from 2014.

Climate Task Force

We started the year with Mayor Ralph Becker’s appointment to the White House’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. Both Mayor Becker and Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett attended a series of round tables throughout the year, which culminated in the presentation of recommendations to the President in Washington D.C.

Project Skyline

In May, Salt Lake City hosted EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for a historic visit. In addition to a round table discussion with key partners, Administrator McCarthy joined Mayor Becker to kick off Project Skyline and the Mayor’s Skyline Challenge, a new initiative to curb energy waste from our city’s commercial buildings. SLCgov.com/ProjectSkyline

SmartTrips Sugar House

During the summer, we kicked off a new year of SmartTrips in the Sugar House/S-Line neighborhood. The program focused on encouraging residents to walk, bike and take public transit to reduce their vehicle trips and impact on air quality. It was a great success! Over 500 households participated, increasing their alternative transit trips by 46% during the height of the program. SmartTripsSLC.com

SLC Goes Solar

In June, we flipped the switch on Salt Lake City’s new solar farm. The farm produces 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually for our net zero Public Safety Building. We also celebrated two other important solar projects at the event, rooftop installations on the Public Safety Building and Plaza 349. Over 4,000 solar panels were installed on the three project sites, which will generate 1.7 million kilowatt-hours annually. SLCgreenBlog.com

Popperton Plots Community Garden

In August we celebrated the successful opening and dedication of the Popperton Plots Community Garden in the Avenues. Popperton is one of the first community gardens to open on a parcel of city-owned land, made available through an expanded Green City Growers program. Popperton was also the receipient of a Partners for Places grant to support their development. It was a wonderful harvest celebration and an important milestone! More plots are available for development: SLCgreenblog.com

Sustainable Business Leadership Award

In November, Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett was recognized by Utah Business Magazine with a Sustainable Leadership Award, and the whole SLCgreen team was there to help her celebrate! Vicki has led Salt Lake City’s award-winning Salt Lake City Green program for 13 years, spearheading initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and divert waste from the landfill. Congratulations, Vicki! SLCgreenblog.com

3rd Annual Idle Free Fleets Conference

You’re invited!

The Third Annual Utah Idle Free Fleets Conference will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hale Center Theatre.

Register online.

Questions? Contact Sophia Jackson at (801) 535-7736 or sophia.jackson@utahcleancities.org.

Green Your Holiday Celebrations This Season

Photo Credit: m01229 via Flickr

Despite the unusually high temperatures, holiday season is upon us. Instead of being bogged down by the “buy, buy, buy,” we’re offering suggestions to help green your holidays.

Here are tips on creating your own gifts and reducing waste.

Gifts: ‘Tis the season for spending. But you can still give amazing gifts without draining your bank account. Consider donating to a non-profit organization on behalf of a loved one, upcycle items into trendy new gifts, or make your own lotions or soaps. From “Do It Yourself” green gifts to sustainable wrapping, our Green Holiday Pinterest board has suggestions to help create a more sustainable holiday season.

Another idea, create a SoKind Registry, which allows you to ask for secondhand, gently used and handmade items, you can even request something as simple as a helping hand. SoKind has a fun tagline to keep in mind this holiday season – “More fun, less stuff!”

When you do head out to the stores, make a point of supporting local businesses. When you shop local, more of your dollars stay in the community. Local First Utah has a wonderful directory of Utah businesses on their website. Check out our list of Salt Lake City e2 businesses and consider supporting both a local AND green business!

Holiday Meals: The principles are evergreen, so check out our “recycled” Five Quick Tips for A Greener Thanksgiving blog post and our Green Thanksgiving Pinterest board to green your holiday meals.

Additionally, our Green Holiday Pinterest board has pins for minimizing the use of meat in recipes — vegetarian dishes have a lower environmental impact. And buy local! Pick up your local fresh vegetables from the Winter Farmer’s Market on December 20th, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Setting Your Table: Resist the urge to purchase single-use table settings. After their one use, they go right to the landfill where they take years to degrade (if they ever!) If you’re hosting, ask your guests to pitch in to help wash dishes. If you’re headed to a celebration away from your home, pack up some silverware, plates, and cups (or a water bottle) and bring them along. The extra ten seconds it takes to pack up your own dishes saves landfill space and energy.

White House Recognizes Salt Lake City as Climate Action Champion

Earlier today, the White House and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized Salt Lake City as a Climate Action Champion for showing leadership on climate change. A total of 16 U.S. communities were recognized as inaugural Climate Action Champions.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as a one of the top U.S. communities leading out on climate change and climate action,” said Mayor Ralph Becker. “Over the past seven years, we have focused on developing a comprehensive portfolio of programs and policies that will cut carbon pollution and increase community resiliency in the face of our changing climate.”

In response to recommendations presented by the White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, of which Mayor Becker was an integral member, the White House launched the Climate Action Champions competition earlier this fall to identify and recognize local climate leaders and to provide targeted Federal support to help those communities further raise their ambitions.

Salt Lake City was recognized for the development of a comprehensive and well-integrated portfolio of programs and policies, including renewable energy, transportation, code revisions, water systems and building policies as priorities. The City established a joint resolution to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and 50 percent below 2020 levels by 2040. Learn more about Salt Lake City’s commitment to climate action at http://dashboard.slcgov.com.

In addition to being designated as the first cohort of Climate Action Champions, the selected communities will benefit from facilitated peer-to-peer learning and mentorship and targeted support from a range of Federal programs. A coordinator will be provided to each Climate Action Champion to foster coordination and communicate across the Federal agencies, national organizations, and foundations in support of the Champions. The coordinator will also assist efforts to raise awareness of funding and technical assistance opportunities that are available specifically for Climate Action Champions.

More information on the first cohort of Climate Action Champions is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/03/fact-sheet-16-us-communities-recognized-climate-action-champions-leaders.

Salt Lake City Receives UCAIR Grant to Educate about Idle Free Ordinance

Salt Lake City Green is excited to announce that we are a recipient of a Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) grant to refresh our outreach and engagement efforts for the City’s Idle Free Ordinance!

When Salt Lake City passed the Idle Free Ordinance in late 2011, a concerted effort to engage local businesses and the community to educate about the new ordinance and place idle free signs at key locations throughout the city was undertaken. Air quality is a top priority for Mayor Becker and the residents of Salt Lake City and the time is right to refresh our education and engagement efforts.

As we head into inversion season, Salt Lake City is thrilled to receive the generous grant from UCAIR, which will allow us to refresh our materials (website, handout, signs) and engage once again with the local business community and community at large to make sure everyone understands the benefits of being idle free, the limitations of the ordinance and how they can have a positive impact on our air quality by simply turning their key!

Look for more information soon at SLCgov.com/idlefree. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions about the ordinance.

If you would like to report an idling complaint in real time, please call (801) 535-6628. A Salt Lake City compliance officer will be dispatched to investigate.

Input Needed: SLC’s New Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan

Salt Lake City’s updated Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan is now available in draft form for public input!

The draft plan, developed over the past two years with input from thousands of residents and stakeholders, is available for review online at www.slcgov.com/opencityhall and the project website www.walkbikeslc.com. Download your copy. A hard copy is also available at the Transportation Division, please call (801) 535-6630 for details.

The City would like to hear from you to know to how well this plan reflects your vision, goals, and recommendations for the City’s walking and bicycling initiatives over the next 20 years. Are there things you would like us to change? Let us know!

The review period is open until Wednesday, December 17.