A Toxic-Free Future For All Children

by Tera Clausen

Have you ever heard the saying, “Behind every great kid is a parent who is sure they are doing something wrong”?

I remember when my twins were born and I became a mom. As many new parents do, I always erred on the side of caution. I wanted them to be safe, healthy and happy. Living in a world that feels so big and scary at times, it can be a daunting task to protect our children. Even if you are not a parent yourself, most people have children in their lives that they care for and want to keep safe. Child safety is a common goal we can all agree on.

It can be overwhelming to think that every little thing could be a danger to your child – whether it’s the safety rating of a car seat or the toxicity levels in everyday household items. Sometimes it is hard to know which dangers merit caution and which ones are due to overactive paranoia.

This is why I was so excited for Salt Lake City to partner with Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), earlier this year.

HBBF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work towards a toxic-free future for all children. Continue reading →

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: Natural Lands Outreach and Education Specialist

Salt Lake City’s Open Space Lands Program seeks a highly motivated individual with background in environmental education and/or youth and outdoor leadership, to develop and administer outreach and education activities that connect diverse communities to urban natural lands.

The position is an individual placement Americorps Member position through the Utah Conservation Corps (UCC) – www.usu/edu/ucc/. The individual must complete 1,700 hours of service; the position requires 30-40 hours of service work per week and terminates no later than December 31, 2017. Salt Lake City is accepting applications through November 18, 2016, and will interview candidates and hire for the position in early December 2016. Job duties will begin approximately December 31, 2016.

Continue reading →

PCE Superfund Community Meeting on October 26, 6:30 pm

On October 26, the EPA and Veterans Administration will be speaking at a community meeting to update residents about the PCE Superfund plume at 700 South 1600 East.

Background is available here: http://pceplume-700s1600e.net/
A Map of the plume site is available here: http://www.slcdocs.com/ced/plume.pdf

At this time, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the site’s potentially responsible party, is headed into a critical step of the Superfund process called the Remedial Investigation Report. Two critical assessments for the community—a Public Health Assessment (PHA) and Risk Assessment (RA)—will be included in this report. Attend the Wednesday, October 26th PCE Plume meeting to become informed and engaged at this critical juncture. Learn, recommend and have questions answered about:

• What is a Superfund Public Health Assessment and Risk Assessment?
• Why is a public health assessment required?
• When the Public Health Assessment will be conducted
• Site specific information on Risk Assessment
• How Risk Assessment factors into project decisions and,
• Differences between the Public Health Assessment and Risk Assessment

Project Presenters
Mr. David Dorian – Environmental Health Scientist – Regional Representative for Region 8
Mr. Mike Novak – Senior Technologist at CH2M

HOSTED BY: Advocates for VA Groundwater Plume Resolution – a COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP (CAG) for 700 South 1600 East Federal Superfund Site. Barbara Jones, Chair.

Questions? Contact Robin Carbaugh, 801.870.1428

“Leave your Leaves!” This Fall, try mulching your leaves at home

Recycling? Check!

Bringing your reusable bag? Double-check!

Proudly displaying your idle-free sticker? Yup!

Mulching at home? Huh??

Did you know that one of sustainability’s best practices is to “leave leaves alone”?

In the fall, when autumn brings a chill to the air, and Salt Lake’s oaks and elms and other deciduous trees drop their leaves, many of us turn on the blowers, haul out the rakes, and get ready for some serious work.

But—have you considered an alternative? Using some or all of your leaves to mulch your yard or garden?

We’d like to invite you to do just that.

Feeding leaves back into your soil is a cost-effective and natural way to enrich your yard, as well as to protect fall plants and vegetables from the cold.

Curious? Here are some tips for making the most of our autumnal deluge:

Continue reading →

Glass Recycling: Providing Possibility

by Tera Clausen

There is no such thing as away when it comes to waste. It is out of sight out of mind, but it is never truly gone. When things are thrown away, they go to a landfill to pile up in a heap. Some of the items will eventually break down, while many others will not. The reality of the trash heap can be summed up in a word: hopelessness. It is the end of the road, and the possibilities of re-creation and re-purposing are gone. However, recycling brings back possibility.

As the newest intern at SLC Green, my first official order of business was to tour some of the recycling facilities for Salt Lake City. This tour was a front row seat to possibility. One of the stops for the SLCgreen crew was Momentum Recycling. Momentum was founded in 2008, and in 2012 became the exclusive glass recycler for Salt Lake City.

In 2012, Momentum was bringing in about 200 tons of recycled glass. In the past four years, since expanding their curbside services, they now bring in approximately 1,000 tons per month! I will be honest, it was overwhelming to see how many glass bottles were waiting to be sorted and recycled, but the beauty of possibilities also struck me. Instead of hopelessly ending in a landfill, these items could become something new and useful.

Continue reading →

Salt Lake City and Rocky Mountain Power reach agreement on ambitious clean energy goals for city

Today, Mayor Jackie Biskupski sent to the Salt Lake City Council for their consideration the franchise agreement between Salt Lake City and Rocky Mountain Power, the City’s electricity provider. The franchise agreement has been under negotiation for more than a year, and complements a Clean Energy Cooperation Statement that the Administration and utility signed a few weeks ago.

The Clean Energy Cooperation Statement between Rocky Mountain Power and Salt Lake City lays out how the utility and the City will work together to reach ambitious clean energy goals, and pave the way for the adoption of the new five-year Franchise Agreement between Salt Lake City and Rocky Mountain Power. The previous 25-year Franchise Agreement expired in January 2016. Continue reading →

Salt Lake City Community Members Launch U Drive Electric

In a joint press conference, the University of Utah and Salt Lake City today announced the launch of an electric vehicle purchase program extending discounts on multiple makes and models of vehicles. The second round of U Drive Electric offers U community members and Salt Lake City community members the opportunity to purchase or lease electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles at discounted prices through Oct. 31, 2016.

This joint program is aimed at improving air quality and community health both today and for future generations. With almost 50 percent of Utah’s urban air pollution coming from tailpipe emissions, electric vehicles represent an important tool for improving air quality along the Wasatch Front.
Continue reading →

A Visit to Rocky Mountain Recycling

Written by Lancee Whetman

Soda bottles, boxes, and aluminum cans…oh my! What you throw in your blue bin actually matters and will likely end up at facilities like Rocky Mountain Recycling (RMR) to be processed, sorted, and sent to companies for reuse.

With locations spanning across 11 states, RMR has a reputation for excellence in their field, as they recycle tens of thousands of tons each month and have continually achieved awards for Best of State in Utah. They provide innovative recycling services to commercial and industrial companies all over the United States as well as curbside recycling for Salt Lake City Residents.

As an intern with Salt Lake’s Department of Sustainability, I had the opportunity to visit and tour RMR’s facility in Salt Lake and inquire about what occurs behind the scenes in our city’s day-to-day recycling operations. RMR does not usually give tours due to safety concerns, so with my closed-toed shoes, neon colored vest, and protective eyewear, I was ready to get my sneak peak of where the city’s recycling goes.

Continue reading →

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

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