Author Archives: slcgreen

Earth Day Impact: Reduce & Reuse

Are you wondering what you can do to reduce your impact this Earth Day — and every day?

More than 1,300 tons of garbage is buried in the Salt Lake Valley Landfill every day. Here are a few simple things you can do to limit your impact.

Reusable Products

reusable bagDitch the disposables! Embrace reusable bags when you go to the grocery store.

Say goodbye to expensive and wasteful plastic water bottles. Instead, swap in a reusable glass or stainless steel bottle. You can even purchase an insulated version to keep your drinks cool on hot summer days. Salt Lake City’s TapIt program boasts a network of businesses that will refill your bottle with fresh water, too!

And speaking of drinks, bring a reusable coffee mug to your local coffee shop. You’ll even get a discount on your next latte!

Avoid Overpackaging

Sure, those individually packaged mini carrots may save you a few seconds when you are packing lunches in the morning, but is that worth the extra money and wasted material?

Save some green and reduce your weekly waste by buying a large package instead, and placing them in reusable containers each day. More tips to green your lunch.

Reduce Junk Mail

We all get it, and we all hate it.

GlobalStewards.org has some tips to reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive. In a few simple steps, you can cut out mass marketing mailers, catalogs and credit card offers!

You can also reduce your impact by going “paperless” for your monthly credit card, bank and utility statements.

Just getting started? Get more tips at SLCgreen.com.

We stopped by KUTV2 News on Earth Day to share these tips. Watch the video of the segment!

 

[VIDEO] Years of Living Dangerously

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvhCnYvxQQ?feature=player_embedded]

James Cameron’s new documentary series, YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, explores the human impact of climate change.

From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, the series combines the blockbuster storytelling styles of top Hollywood movie makers with the reporting expertise of Hollywood’s brightest stars and today’s most respected journalists.

The first episode features Harrison Ford investigating deforestation in Indonesia, Don Cheadle learning about the drought in Texas, and Thomas Friedman examining how climate change can be a stress point in a volatile political situation.

You can watch the entire series premiere (roughly 1 hour in length) for free on YouTube.

 

Purge Your Spurge & Annual Plant Sale

Got myrtle spurge? Get rid of it!

It’s time to Purge Your Spurge!
Saturday, May 3
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
REI (3285 E 3300 S)

Participate in a Purge your Spurge community weed pull, and receive a voucher good for 5 free native plants and 2 raffle tickets. Enter to win awesome prizes from our donors.

This year’s donations are from: Alta Ski Area, Snowbird, Black Diamond Equipment, Ace Hardware, Christy Sports, and Beans and Brews.

This nasty non-native weed has invaded our foothills and canyons. Purge spurge from your garden, or join us for a community weed pull to make an even bigger dent in the invasion.

Bag up your spurge, bring it down to the Salt Lake REI, and get free plants.

Need more plants? Don’t forget to stock up and support a good cause by purchasing from our waterwise plant sale! We’ll have a great selection of low cost perennials and grasses again this year.

Review the guidelines for collecting your myrtle spurge at PurgeyourSpruge.org.

Questions? Contact Salt Lake County Operations (385) 468-6101.

Photo Credit: Tony Frates

2012 Purge Your Spurge event. Photo Credit: Tony Frates

City Council Accepts Mayor’s Hive Pass Challenge

Salt Lake City Council members on Thursday officially accepted a challenge from Mayor Ralph Becker to compete in a two-month competition to see which of the representatives could sell the most Hive Passes-the City’s new, resident transit pass.

The City’s seven Council members, and the residents in their districts, will vie to sell as many of the newly available resident transit passes as they can from April 3-June 1, with the winning district and Council member in line for bragging rights, the pride of making an impact on air quality issues and a fabulous prize package that includes tickets for Hive Pass holders in the winning district to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game.

“Council Members are excited to help build the buzz about the Hive,” said Salt Lake City Council Chairman Charlie Luke. “The competition among Council Districts is a great way to remind people the eco-friendly mass transit pass is now available. Of course, the free Bees tickets for the winning District with the most sales doesn’t hurt the competitive spirit either.”

The new Hive Pass is a pilot program created through a partnership between Salt Lake City and UTA that is initially only be available to Salt Lake City residents. The one-year pass is good on all UTA TRAX, Frontrunner, bus and S-line Streetcar services and available for an up-front payment of $350 or for $360 in twelve monthly installments.

“We’ve already seen over 1,000 people in our community take advantage of this great new program,” said Mayor Becker. “We’re excited to see which district will ‘bring it’ and work to put a Hive Pass in every one of their neighbors’ pockets. I know we can count on our Council members to find very creative ways to get passes sold in their districts.”

For more information on the Hive Pass visit RidewithHive.com

Annual Wasatch Plant Sale Scheduled for May 10

SLCgreen note: We received this email from Wasatch Community Gardens, and were so excited that we had to share it with you! Mark your calendars for the 2014 Plant Sale on Saturday, May 10!

Dear Friends,

It’s starting to feel like spring, and that means Wasatch Community Gardens’ Plant Sale is just around the corner! Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 10 and don’t miss this opportunity to buy plants for your whole yard while also supporting your favorite community gardening organization.

We will have a selection of more than sixty beautiful, organic varieties of tomatoes, so you don’t need to worry about us running out.

And tomatoes are just the beginning.We will also have an outstanding variety of perennials, including unique edibles, sun and shade loving varieties, Utah natives, and ornamental grasses.

We will have our famous organic heirloom veggie seedlings and annual flowers for companion planting. And, there will be a huge selection of organic herbs including basil, rosemary, oregano, and more. Last but not least, we will be selling bags of compost.

It’s easy to get an invite to our Friday night pre-sale. Just sign up to volunteer, or consider making a gift of $250 or more to Wasatch Community Gardens in support of our gardening and education programs. This is a great way to ensure that you get the first pick of all of the tomatoes, perennials, and other garden goodies available.

We also have a fantastic line-up of educational workshops and Food Talks in the coming month. And, as always, we have plots available in many of our community gardens.

Already looking forward to my first homegrown, heirloom tomato,

Ashley Patterson
Executive Director

P.S. Are you busy on May 10? Again this year we are offering home delivery of hand selected packages from our team of WCG plant experts. Check out the options to see if one meets your needs and we’ll deliver your order to your porch or driveway on May 10.

Bike Love at the Utah Bike Summit

The sixth annual Utah Bike Summit will be held Friday, April 25, and will gather citizens, riders, cycling advocates, government officials and representatives from some of the world’s biggest bike brands to discuss, plan and promote the efforts to make Utah the most bike-friendly state in the country.

The Summit will take place at the University of Utah Guesthouse in Salt Lake City, and is open to the public. Attendees can register online at www.utahbikes.org/SummitRegistration.

This year’s keynote speaker is Sarai Snyder, founder of the women’s cycling blog Girl Bike Love and the global CycloFemme ride. The goal of both of these efforts is to grow and empower the future of women in the sport of cycling. Sarai also sits on the Women Bike Advisory Board for the League of American Bicyclists.

In addition to this year’s keynote address, the Summit will host two round table discussions featuring leaders from UDOT, UTA, WFRC, MAG, as well as Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Odgen Mayor Mike Caldwell and Provo Mayor John Curtis.

The afternoon agenda is packed with breakout sessions addressing a variety of Bike Friendly advocacy topics and a post-summit reception closes out the day’s activities at Contender Bicycles.

To highlight some of the cycling opportunities that can be developed through community and interagency cooperation, a group ride is planned the next day following the Summit on the Murdock Canal Trail. The ride will depart from the Orem FrontRunner Station at 9:05 a.m.

“We invite anyone and everyone, cyclists and those interested in how cycling can be integrated into Utah’s transportation infrastructure, to attend this year’s Bike Summit,” said Phil Sarnoff, executive director of Bike Utah. “After attending, we hope attendees will be inspired and return home with information and new skills to work with their friends, co-workers, families and local government officials in supporting Utah-based cycling programs, events and outreach activities.”

More Information

Friday, April 25th
8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
University of Utah Guest House
See the full agenda
Visit BikeUtah.org

bikesummitposter

About Bike Utah

Bike Utah is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization made up of recreational and commuter cyclists, bicycle manufactures and retail shops, and transit advocates working to improve bicycling conditions throughout the State of Utah. The mission of Bike Utah is to integrate bicycling into the everyday culture of the state.

LiveGreen SLC! Festival: May 3, 2014

LiveGreenSLC2013

Spring is here, and the annual LiveGreen SLC! Festival is on the horizon.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 3rd at Library Square from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Salt Lake City, Utah’s 2014 annual Live Green SLC! Festival, presented by ReDirect Guide, showcases a full spectrum of sustainable green products, services and ideas from cutting edge renewable technologies to everyday solutions that can be implemented in the home.

At this outdoor event, held in the beautiful downtown Library Plaza, attendees will enjoy features such as interactive and educational exhibits, local and organic foods and goods, live auctions, a children’s area, eco-carnival games, music, entertainment and much more.

There are three great ways to get involved:

  • Exhibit! Host a booth to present your green products or services and connect with a great community of green-inspired people. Salt Lake City e2 Businesses get 25% off booth space.
  • Become a sponsor. Let your organization benefit from the good will and strong media outreach and promotional efforts associated with the LiveGreen SLC! Festival.
  • Volunteer. Get involved and experience amazing opportunities to lend a hand, make connections, and have some fun!

The Woman Leading SLC’s Transportation Revolution

Photo Credit: Ben Bolte

Photo Credit: Ben Bolte

Recently, The Atlantic Cities profiled Salt Lake City’s Transportation Director, Robin Hutcheson, shining a light on the woman who has been leading our city’s transportation revolution over the last few years.

Here’s an except from the article. We recommend heading over to The Atlantic Cities article ASAP.

SALT LAKE CITY—Here are a few things to know about Robin Hutcheson. She’s a Connecticut native who came to Utah in 1994 for the skiing, and except for a few years in Europe, has lived here ever since. Since 2011, she’s been head of the transportation planning division of Salt Lake City, the state’s capital and biggest metropolis, often commuting by bike, at other times running one way and taking public transit on the return trip. Also, as you have noted by now, she is a woman.

That last part shouldn’t be a big deal. And most of the time, it isn’t. Every now and then, though, as the 43-year-old Hutcheson has climbed the ranks of her chosen profession, she gets a reminder: being a woman in a leadership position in American transportation is not the norm.

Read the full article on The Atlantic Cities.