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.
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.
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!
If you’re not affected by asthma, it’s likely that you have a friend or family member who is.While asthma severity and triggers may differ, there are common indoor culprits that can be helpful to identify and address. Read our guide below to learn how to improve your indoor air quality and make smarter choices around asthma (and allergy) triggers!
We’re excited to introduce ourIndoor Air Quality Program, designed to help you create a healthier home environment. In this blog series, we’ll share tips, resources, and program updates to help you improve the air quality in your home.
Salt Lake City is committed to protecting the public health and safety of its residents, including ensuring access to clean air, clean water and a livable environment. 🌏 This Earth Month, take some time to learn about how we’re working toward our Climate Positive 2040 Plan and tips you can start with today to make positive change in your life, community, and for a healthier planet.
We are excited to share Salt Lake City’s recently completed Community Electrified Transportation Study. The City initiated the study in 2023 and it was completed in January 2025 as a tool to inform an equitable transition to electrified transportation as part of our larger climate and air quality goals.
Why electric vehicles?
Salt Lake City faces significant and unique air quality challenges. In the winter, the Wasatch Front’s geography leads to periodic temperature inversions (cold air getting trapped underneath a layer of warm air) which acts like a “lid” on the Salt Lake Valley—causing particulate pollution to increase. In the summer, pollution from cars, industry, and a multitude of chemical products, combined with high temperatures and bright sunshine, lead to harmful ozone levels.
About 39% of pollution along the Wasatch Front comes from internal combustion engine vehicles. Transitioning the transportation sector to clean energy technologies, including electric vehicles (EVs), will provide a range of benefits including improved air quality, reduced carbon emissions, and enhanced public health.
We’re so excited to share the news that on Friday, January 24th, Rocky Mountain Power filed the Program Application with the Public Service Commission on behalf of the 19 local governments participating in Utah Renewable Communities (URC). Following nearly 5 years of negotiation and collaboration, this is our biggest milestone to date!
Over the next few months, the commission will review the application. Once approved, local communities will have the opportunity to adopt local ordinances to move forward.
We’re on our way, and we are thrilled to have 18 other communities along for the ride. Read the press release below and learn more about URC at www.utahrenewablecommunities.org.
Every year, we release a Year-in-Review featuring our high-level accomplishments as well as priorities for the year ahead. This is an important time and opportunity for us to take stock, learn from the experiences we had the previous year, and to continue to improve our programs, services, and operations.
While we engage with Salt Lakers mostly through recycling questions and efforts, we do so much more! Here are some highlights from 2024 and keep a lookout for more details in our 2024 Year-in-Review booklet coming soon. (Check out our full 2023 Year-in-Review booklet here!) Let’s take a moment to look back at what we’ve accomplished in just this year.
Top row, from left: Monica O’Malley (SLCgreen); Debbie Lyons (SLCgreen); Dan Milam (Information Management Services Department); Sophia Nicholas (SLCgreen). Bottom row, from left: Catherine Wyffels (SLCgreen) and Salvador Brown (SLCgreen). Missing: Jude Westwood and Brijette Williams.
We’re so excited to share the news that we received the Inaugural City Excellence for Human Rights Award! The Department of Sustainability (aka SLCgreen) received the award for creating and launching Clean Air SLC, an initiative to distribute equipment and information to help residents improve air quality in their neighborhoods and inside their homes. Staff focused on connecting to a diverse audience in outreach, with an emphasis on the City’s west side, and prioritized Spanish-language access. The spring landscaping equipment exchange resulted in an estimated 5,869 pounds of pollution being removed from our airshed.
We also launched the City’s first ever e-bike incentive pilot program in July 2024. We were able to fund 277 applications, equally dispersed across the seven City Council districts, to help people switch away from gas-powered vehicles for their short-distance commutes by lowering the upfront cost of an e-bike.
It almost goes without saying that improving air quality in Salt Lake City is a complex, multifaceted issue. There’s no single solution, but rather, a menu of solutions that each deserve their own consideration. Salt Lake City is committed to taking action in every way we can– with our internal operations and the creation of external policies and programs– to support improved air quality and reduce pollution across the community.
Want to learn more about local air quality issues and what Salt Lake City is doing to address them? Check out our air quality page. Read on to learn more about the 2024 Human Rights Day Celebration below and more amazing work happening for human rights in Salt Lake City.
