Category Archives: Living Green

Mayor Biskupski and local gardeners celebrate Liberty Wells Community Garden’s first harvest

Photo by Kyle Strayer

Mayor Jackie Biskupski commemorated the first season of the new Liberty Wells Community Garden on 1700 South and 700 East in a press conference with Wasatch Community Gardens and local gardeners on Tuesday, August 30th.

As the latest addition to Salt Lake City’s Green City Growers program, the Liberty Wells Garden is run by the non-profit Wasatch Community Gardens on city-owned land and provides plots for 44 gardeners to grow vegetables.

“Liberty Wells neighbors, including some of our newest resident refugee families, have come together to share knowledge and friendship, which produced this beautiful and sustainable garden,” Mayor Biskupski said. “We have put vacant land to good use while improving the community and good will at the same time.”

The Liberty Wells Garden broke ground in April, after site selection and approval from the city. The plot now has 44 gardeners, with a wait list of 29.

“We’ve been amazed to see the enthusiasm and positive energy put forth by the gardeners who make up our new Liberty Wells Community Garden,” said Ashley Patterson, Executive Director of Wasatch Community Gardens.

Britt Vanderhoof spends hours at the Liberty Wells garden each week. “As an avid gardener, I’ve enjoyed the health benefits of eating fresh, organic, locally grown food. But as much as I love the taste of food fresh from the garden, I have enjoyed even more seeing the community around the Liberty Wells Community Garden come together to help grow this amazing garden into what it is today.”

Salt Lake City’s Green City Growers Program began in 2013 to support local food production on city property. The city continues to evaluate parcels for potential garden sites as demand increases.

News stories:

Salt Lake Tribune

Deseret News

For more information please visit:

www.slcgreen.com/communitygardens

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH-pp1RhPvM&w=560&h=315]

Mayor Biskupski launches a new mobile farmers market in Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods

VIDEO :[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jemBO0NnXXc&w=560&h=315]

PRESS:

sltrib.com

deseretnews.com

utahpolicy.com

Mayor Jackie Biskupski will officially launch a new program on Monday, June 27, to help some west side communities access more affordable and healthy food. The kick-off event and press conference begins at 10 a.m. at the Sorenson Unity Center. The Mayor and community partners will describe the new “Urban Greens Market,” then open the market for immediate business.

The Urban Greens Market is a creative concept to bring farm-fresh food to Glendale and Poplar Grove—neighborhoods classified as “food deserts” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Both Salt Lake City and the USDA found these areas lack grocery stores, have some of the lowest vehicle ownership rates in the country, and are home to an abundance of fast food outlets and convenience stores—all factors leading to the “food desert” designation.

To tackle this problem, in October 2015, the City’s Sustainability Department partnered with local non-profits Green Urban Lunch Box, Real Food Rising, a program of Utah Community Action and Utahns Against Hunger to win a USDA grant to create the Urban Greens Market.

“Ensuring that all Salt Lake City residents have access to healthy and affordable food is a major priority for my administration,” Mayor Biskupski said. “This can be a real challenge for our Glendale and Poplar Grove communities, which are situated in the largest food desert in Salt Lake City. The Urban Greens Market will make affordable, local produce more accessible to our residents in these neighborhoods.”

From now through November 14, the market will rotate through several locations every week in Glendale and Poplar Grove, providing locally grown and harvested produce. Each location will accept food stamp benefits and Double Up Food Bucks — a nutrition incentive program run by Utahns Against Hunger. The Double Up Food Bucks program will match food stamp benefits spent at the Urban Greens Market, up to $10 per market day, for fresh Utah-grown produce.

“We’re thrilled that Urban Greens Market is participating in the Double Up program this season. Double Up Food Bucks is a win-win-win for everyone. The program helps low-income families take home more fruits and vegetables, supports Utah farmers with new customers and more income, and strengthens the local economy by keeping food dollars circulating in the community,” said Brian Emerson, with Utahns Against Hunger.

The Market also provides practical job-training skills by employing teens from the Utah Community Action’s youth development program.

“If you visit an Urban Greens Market farm stand this summer, you may have a chance to meet one of our youth who are gaining skills in job readiness, communication, positive relationships, and healthy living as part of the Real Food Rising team,” said Haley Eckels, with Utah Community Action.

The produce is grown locally by farmers working with Green Urban Lunch Box (GULB) and Real Food Rising. Providing another venue for farmers to sell their produce is an important feature of the Urban Greens Market, which supports GULB’s incubator farm program.

“As we work to increase the number of farmers in the Salt Lake area,” said Shawn Peterson of Green Urban Lunch Box, “It’s very important to also increase the number of customers buying their produce. We hope this gets people hooked on delicious farm fresh food, creating more demand for new urban farmers, and, ultimately, driving up consumption of local food.”

The Urban Greens Market will be hosted by Sorenson Unity Center, Glendale-Mountain View Community Learning Center, Hartland Partnership Center, Neighborhood House, and Sherwood Park from now until November 14.

For more information on the program’s locations and hours please visit:

www.SLCgreen.com/urbangreens

Or register for text alerts by texting MARKET to 51555.

New “Mobile Farmers Market” to Open June 17

Salt Lake City is launching a new initiative, dubbed the “Urban Greens Market,” to bring healthy, affordable food to the Glendale and Poplar Grove neighborhoods.

After winning a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant in October 2015, SLCgreen partnered with local non-profits Green Urban Lunch Box, Real Food Rising, a program of Utah Community Action and Utahns Against Hunger to implement this creative approach to providing farmers-market-fresh food to the Glendale and Poplar Grove communities.

These areas, in particular, need better access to healthy food. In fact, the USDA classified the Glendale/Poplar Grove neighborhoods as “food deserts” because of low supermarket access and some of the lowest vehicle ownership rates in the city.

That’s where the Urban Greens Market comes in.

Over the course of the summer and fall, it will make the rounds with fresh produce for sale, grown and harvested locally by farmers working with Green Urban Lunch Box and Real Food Rising.

Beginning Friday, June 17, the City’s Urban Greens Market program officially kicks off, with the first market located at Sherwood Park (1400 W 400 South 84104).

“Ensuring that all Salt Lake City residents have access to healthy and affordable food is a major priority for my administration,” says Mayor Jackie Biskupski “This can be a real challenge for our Glendale and Poplar Grove communities that are situated in the largest food desert in Salt Lake City. The Urban Greens Market will make affordable, local produce accessible to our residents in these low access neighborhoods.”

The Urban Greens Market begins on June 17 and runs until November 14 and will be hosted by Sorenson Unity Center, Glendale-Mountain View Community Learning Center, Hartland Partnership Center, Neighborhood House, and Sherwood Park.

Thanks also to the Poplar Grove Community Council, Comunidades Unidas, and Community Health Centers for supporting our grant application to make this program happen!

For more information on the Urban Green Market’s locations and hours visit www.SLCgreen.com/urbangreens or sign up for text alerts by texting MARKET to 51555.

Please share widely!

New Sustainability Program Begins at Salt Lake City!

Salt Lake City Green recently launched Empower SLC, an in-house sustainability training platform available for all City employees. The twelve-month program will cover a variety of sustainability-related topics, including energy use at home, water conservation, renewable energy, and food. Empower SLC is designed to motivate behavior change at the individual level in order to reduce pollution, save resources, and enhance Salt Lake City.

Every week, short lessons are released under a larger monthly theme topic. Users can earn points by completing lessons, taking quizzes, and committing to actions each week. To encourage participation amongst all users, employees will earn a sustainability certification based on their level of participation. The Empower SLC certificate will be endorsed by the Mayor and the Sustainability Director at three levels: Basic, Gold, and Platinum.

To date, over 400 employees have registered with Empower SLC! The first month’s theme, Water Free SLC, covers waste management, recyclable materials, and hazardous and electronic waste, with simple tips on how to green your lifestyle at home and in the office. For a closer look into how each department is participating, check out the chart below.

Fruit Tree? Don’t Let It Go to Waste!

Across Salt Lake City, SLC FruitShare is building a network of neighborhood fruit trees. Instead of going to waste, FruitShare harvests the city’s residential fruit trees. Harvested fruit is donated to local food assistance programs, so our community can benefit from local, fresh and free produce. We’ve pulled together these helpful tips to ensure you have a healthy and productive year with your fruit tree.

Thinning Fruit

Fruit thinning channels more of a tree’s attention to the fruit that remains. Thinning lessens weight on branches and helps manage pests and diseases that prefer fruit bunched close together. Thin crop when developing fruits are about an inch in diameter.

Larger healthier fruit comes from coaxing the tree to put more energy into less fruit.

To avoid damaging branches, twist fruit off gently rather than pulling. Thin:

apples to 6 to 8 inches apart;
apricots to 2 to 3 inches;
peaches and nectarines to 6 to 10 inches;
Japanese plums to 4 to 6 inches.
Cherries, pears and other kinds of plums usually do not need thinning.

U.C. Davis online guide to thinning fruit trees.

Organic Fruit Production

Organic practices benefit the environment by reducing pollution and conserving water and soil quality. Pesticides are not only harmful to pollinators, they contribute to a range of health issues for us too. Babies are especially vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects in their first 1000 days of development. Luckily, there are some great ways to organically care for your trees, and eliminate pests. You can help support a healthy and sustainable community by using compost rather than chemical fertilizer, and adopting organic pest management rather than pesticides.

Organic Pest Management

Tip #1: Thin apples to prevent fruit from touching. This prevents larvae from boring into adjacent fruit.

Tip #2: Band corrugated cardboard around the tree trunks when larvae begin crawling down trunks. Check the banded cardboard weekly for hiding larvae and pupae then crush and destroy these inhabitants.

Tip #3: Mix molasses and water using a 1:10 ratio in a wide-mouth container. Suspend this homemade trap in the tree to catch adult moths.

Tip #4: Protect your fruit trees from insects with a homemade organic pesticide. Vegetable or canola oil works by suffocating small insects, insect larvae and eggs, preventing infestation. One cup of is mixed in one gallon of water. For additional repellent power, add one tablespoon of cinnamon oil, and ¼ cup of liquid dish detergent. Cinnamon oil will keep insects at bay and the detergent works as an emulsifying agent to bind together the oils and liquids in the homemade pesticide.

Fruit Tree Care

Fruit trees require a balance of water, food, sun and ventilation to grow healthy fruit and build resistance against diseases.

The following practices will help prevent diseases and pests;

basic maintenance
proper pruning and thinning
cleaning up debris around trees

Need help with your fruit tree? Register your tree or volunteer for events.

Salt Lake City contracts with Green Urban Lunch Box to run the SLC FruitShare program.Real Food Rising is a supporting nonprofit partners.

Salt Lake City Announces New Partnership To Protect Children’s Future

Today Salt Lake City launches a new partnership with Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) to become one of the organization’s first cohort of Bright Cities. The Bright Cities program is designed specifically to help reduce or eliminate neurotoxic chemical exposures in children when they are most vulnerable.

Exposure to toxic chemicals is so widespread and the impacts on brain development are so severe that leading scientists and doctors call it “a silent epidemic.” When exposure to neurotoxic or “brain drain” chemicals is higher, so are incidences of ADHD, behavioral problems, cognitive delays, and low birth weight.

Studies also show that disproportionately high exposure to these chemicals is one important reason why children below the poverty line are more likely to have intellectual disabilities. While toxic chemicals are not the sole cause for these lifelong effects, they are among the most preventable.

“Through our partnership with Healthy Babies Bright Futures, Salt Lake City is making a commitment to improve the health of our children and our entire community,” says Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “The positive steps we take today to protect our children will last a lifetime and ensure a healthier and brighter future for all.”

Today Salt Lake City will begin phase one of the program, called the Beacon City phase. With support from HBBF, the City will complete an assessment of the current risks, priorities and opportunities related to neurotoxic chemical exposures. The City will also engage in a public process to educate the community and gather stakeholder input on a final plan to reduce or eliminate the impact of these dangerous chemicals on babies’ brains.

For more information on Salt Lake City’s involvement contact Bridget Stuchly at bridget.stuchly@slcgov.com or (801) 535-6438.

Healthy Babies Bright Futures is an alliance of non-profit organizations, philanthropies and scientists that designs and implements projects to reduce babies’ exposure to toxic chemicals during the most vulnerable and significant periods of development: in utero and from birth to age two. M.ore information at https://hbbf.org/

Announcing New Community Solar Programs

Utah Clean Energy is thrilled to announce the launch of not one, but two more Community Solar programs; Mountain Town Community Solar and U Community Solar.

Community Solar makes putting solar on your roof simple and streamlined by helping neighbors team up and take advantage of a community network and volume pricing. See below for details of the two distinct Community Solar programs and find out which one will work for you.

Mountain Town Community Solar Launch Event, March 28

Summit and Wasatch Counties are giving new meaning to the phrase power in numbers. Community volunteers have come together with non-profit organizations Summit Community Power Works and Utah Clean Energy to launch Mountain Town Community Solar – a program to help residents tackle the solar process as a team, realize cost savings through bulk purchasing power, and energize their communities with clean energy.

Mountain Town Community Solar will host its launch event on Monday, March 28th at 6:00 pm at the Jim Santy Auditorium (1255 Park Ave., Park City, UT, 84060). RSVP here.

Workshop for U Community Solar, March 30

Back by popular demand, the University of Utah is once again partnering with Utah Clean Energy to bring members of the campus community in Salt Lake, Summit, and Davis Counties the opportunity to go solar.

Members of the University of Utah campus community (including alumni, faculty, staff, students, and campus guests) are eligible for a substantial discount on the cost of rooftop solar and a streamlined, simplified solar installation process.

The first workshop for U Community Solar will be held on Wednesday, March 30th at the A. Ray Olpin University of Utah Union, Union Theater, Salt Lake City, UT 83112. RSVP here.

Climate Variability & Health Symposium and Open House – April 6-7, 2016

Salt Lake County Health Department is hosting a free Climate Variability and Health Symposium on April 6&7. The event is brings together a diverse audience of health professionals, climate experts, and the general public to study and discuss the local impacts of climate variability. The symposium will focus on the threat climate variability poses to human health, and the disproportionate impact those changes could have on vulnerable populations.

Presenters will cover a broad range of topics relevant to climate variability and public health, including the impact of changing temperatures on our food supplies, water availability (and quality), insect populations, air quality, and how best to protect our most vulnerable constituents. The symposium’s goal is to increase understanding of the public health issues climate variability presents, and encourage discussion on how to build a healthier, more resilient community.

For more information and to register, visit the Symposium event page.

In addition to the academic portion, the symposium will also include a public open house on Thursday evening, April 7, that includes family-friendly activities for all ages. Salt Lake County Health Department’s Climate Adaptation and Health Open House brings together members from many different parts of the community—scientists, skiers, students, families, and public health professionals—to learn and share knowledge about the local impact of climate variability.

With fun activities, educational booths, games, and engaging speakers, this event will have something for everyone. The goal is to educate and inspire the public to leave thinking how they can participate in climate adaptation and mitigation.

Presentations and activities:
-Utah Climate Action Network presentation
-Presentation on Salt Lake County’s Climate Adaptation Plan for Health
-CNG Batmobile
-Panel discussion with local business, scientific, and faith leaders
-Climate change displays by high school students
-Tracy Aviary
-Clark Planetarium
-Education stations for kids

For more information, visit the Open House event page.

Sustainable Living Solutions and Inspiration, Winter Market at Rio Grande

March is Sustainable Living Solutions and Inspiration month at the Winter Market. Meet with Utah business owners and organizations who inspire environmentally friendly living solutions. A handful of local agencies, including SLCgreen, will be in attendance at the Winter Market on March 12 and March 26 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to discuss what services are available to you and how you can reduce your ecological footprint.

Did you know that electronic waste (e-waste) is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States? Valuable precious metals can be salvaged from recycling e-waste and toxic chemicals are prevented from entering the landfill and ground water. Good news — Recycle Solutions will be onsite at the March Winter Markets collecting electronic waste from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm! Below is a list of acceptable goods.

Please note CTR TVs (tube TVs) or refrigerators will NOT be accepted at this collection event.

Accepted Items:
Batteries
Cameras
Cell Phones
Communications Equipment
Computers Fax/Copy Machines Ink/Toner Cartridges
Keyboards & Accessories
Laptops
Office Machines Monitors
Network Devices
Hand Held Devices
Printers & Scanners
Returned or Unwanted Products
Servers Stereos and Audio Equipment
Telephones
Televisions (No CRT TVs)
VCR’s & DVD Players
Washers & Dryers
Paper
Plastic

For more information visit the SLC Downtown Farmers Market website or Facebook page.

2016 Utah Bike Summit: Shifting Into High Gear

The 2016 Utah Bike Summit: Shifting Into High Gear will take place April 5th at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. The Utah Bike Summit is the statewide bicycle conference. The summit brings together everyday riders, bicycle and trail advocates, representatives from Utah’s bicycle industry, planners, engineers, representatives from Utah’s tourism industry and health fields, and local and state government officials in order to make Utah more bicycle friendly. Regardless of your interest in bicycling (transportation, recreation, road, mountain, commuter), the Utah Bike Summit is for you and all are encouraged to attend.

This year’s keynote speaker is Danish bicycle transportation expert Mikael Colville-Andersen. Here is a link to one of Mikael’s TED Talks. There will also be a closing address from Andy Clarke who served as the president of the League of American Bicyclists for 12 years before stepping down last year. In addition, there will be an update from UDOT Deputy Director Shane Marshall. The remainder of the day will be filled with breakout sessions that cover a wide variety of subjects related to increasing and improving bicycling across Utah.

Registration includes:

All educational/breakout sessions and keynote address
Networking opportunities
Catered lunch

Regular registration rates are available through March 18th.

For more information and to register, visit : http://bikeutah.org/utah-bike-summit/utah-bike-summit-2/