Category Archives: Sustainable Food

Our 2025 Year in Review

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.

Press Release: Salt Lake City launches fourth year of grants to increase food access, gardening in the community

A close-up of beekeeper, Alex Wonder, wearing protective gear as she checks the health of her bees and their hive.
Alex Wonder checks on the health of her bees and their hive during a Rose Park Bee Club meeting in Salt Lake City. Photo by Ashley Detrick/Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office

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.

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SNAP Benefits Changes: A Time for Community Support

Orange pumpkin on the ground in an empty garden.
Photo from Unsplash.

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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Community Food Microgrant Spotlight: Proyecto Xilonen: Cultivating Culture

From a backyard garden to classrooms in Glendale, Proyecto Xilonen (pronounced “shee-LOW-nen”) is growing more than food. They’re growing knowledge, resilience, and cultural pride. Thank you, Proyecto Xilonen, for showing Salt Lake City the power of honoring our roots to nourish our future. Read on to learn more about this community leader and a 2025 recipient of our Community Food Microgrant Program.

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Press Release: Salt Lake City supports community-led organizations to increase healthy food access

Children and staff from The New American Goat Club, a community group grant recipient, interacting with their goats outdoors.

The New American Goat Club was a 2023, 2024, and 2025 community organization recipient. Photo credit: Ashley Detrick/Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office

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June 26, 2025

Para leer este comunicado de prensa en español, oprima aqui

Salt Lake City continues to increase residents’ access to fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food by funding 12 community food projects through the Sustainability Department’s 2025 SLC Food Microgrant program. 

This year, over $56,500 in funding was granted to community-led projects aligned with recommendations from the City’s Resident Food Equity Advisors Program.  

“We often talk about building a more resilient Salt Lake City, and this is one way we’re doing it—by supporting neighbors and community groups who grow food, share knowledge, and improve access to locally sourced, culturally meaningful foods,” said Mayor Mendenhall. “These microgrants are small investments with big returns for our health, our environment, and our connection to one another.” 

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Happy Earth Month from SLCgreen! 🌏

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.

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Our 2024 Year-in-Review Highlights

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.

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Getting A Fresh Perspective on Farmers’ Markets 

By SLCgreen Intern Kate Kuwahara

Photo credit: Downtown SLC Farmers Market

The holiday season is upon us! This can be a time to gather with loved ones and enjoy some great food, often bringing recipes we only enjoy once or twice a year. Holidays can also be a great place to start when rethinking long-held traditions, habits, and how our actions can impact our community. Food waste is a major issue in the U.S. even outside of the holiday season. About 40% of all food produced in the U.S. never gets eaten, and this amount increases by an additional 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s!  

However you celebrate, we encourage sustainable habits around gathering for the holidays, from food waste to decorations. And what better place to start than buying local food! Salt Lake City’s Winter Farmers’ Market returns on Saturdays beginning November 9th and will operate weekly from 10AM to 2PM through April 19th (closed November 30th and March 15th). SLCgreen’s summer intern Kate Kuwahara visited the Downtown Summer Farmers’ Market for the first time and shares her new perspective on farmer’s markets and learning more about our food systems. 

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Healing and Building Community Through Food: The Food Justice Coalition

By SLCgreen Intern Frances Benfell

Jeanette Padilla Vega, Food Justice Coalition’s Founder, teaches a cooking class as part of community enrichment programming.

According to Jeanette Padilla Vega, the founder and CEO of the Food Justice Coalition (FJC), humanity’s greatest unifier is food. As she put it, her organization is “trying to change the world one rice bowl at a time.” As I observed her community cooking class and the aromas of her vegan chicken curry filled the air, I believed in her food’s world-changing power.  

The FJC was one of 13 community organizations awarded a Salt Lake City Food Equity Microgrant this year.  

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Saving Waste with Waste Less Solutions 

By SLCgreen Intern Iris Tang

The holiday season is upon us, and Thanksgiving is already around the corner. This can be a time to gather with loved ones and enjoy some great food, often bringing recipes we only enjoy once or twice a year. Annual traditions can also bring them long-held habits that can bring about excess food and plastic waste.  

Food waste is a major issue even outside of the holiday season—about 40% of all food produced in the US never gets eaten. This amount increases by an additional 25% between Thanksgiving and New Years!  

Reducing food waste is an often-overlooked way to reduce the impact of potent methane emissions on the planet and to help others, but our food choices are important. In Utah, food choices contribute about 25% of the household carbon footprint. This is a result of the growing, harvesting, transportation, packaging, and cooking processes involved with getting our food to our tables. 

But holidays can be a great place to start when rethinking long-held traditions and habits and how our actions can impact our community. So no matter how you celebrate, we at SLCgreen want to encourage sustainable habits around gathering for the holidays, from food waste to decorations. With Thanksgiving being such a food-focused holiday, here are some tips to make the most of your meals and waste less food. 

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