Where have all the winters gone? Local consequences of climate change
Thursday, April 16 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Malouf Hall 201, Westminster College
Panelists:
SLCgreen Director Vicki Bennett was recently profiled by FOX 13 News during President’s Obama’s visit to Utah. Click on the screenshot above to view the video. Here is the transcript:
SALT LAKE CITY — Vicki Bennett has been with Salt Lake City for 14 years, and she said this city in particular has been on the forefront of sustainability.
The word sustainability can mean different things to different people, but for Bennett and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker’s administration, it comes down a pretty basic concept.
She said: “How do we ensure we keep Salt Lake City the best we can, for now and for our children? We want people to want to continue to want to live here, we want a healthy environment.”
During Becker’s nearly two terms, Bennett has helped lead the mayor’s sustainability team by developing solar energy projects, reducing carbon emissions and encouraging local business owners to meet air quality and energy targets by evaluating their building’s energy use, setting energy-saving goals, and conducting energy-saving improvement projects.
“And what’s so exciting is that Salt Lake’s sustainability program, if you talk to our peers, is considered one of the top 10 in the nation, for a small city,” Bennett said.
Those efforts have also been noticed by leaders in Washington D.C.
Mayor Becker and President Barack Obama share a similar vision regarding sustainability, and it has helped them forge a strong, working relationship. Bennett said that in turn helps the effort back in Salt Lake City.
“He’s been able to get us a voice in the White House,” she said. “Because of that, we’ve been able to get funding for grants that a lot of cities aren’t even invited to apply for.”
Bennett knows there will soon be a new mayor but said she believes Salt Lake City’s advances in walkable housing, transportation, solar power and recycling are here to stay.
“We always have to be improving our environment, we always have to be ensuring we have healthy air to breathe, that we have water quality and water quantity for our residents,” she said.
Bennett was able to briefly meet President Obama Thursday night during his visit to Utah, and she said the honor gave everyone on their staff a renewed sense of determination to move forward with sustainability efforts.
Exchange your old empty 2.5 or 5 gallon gas can for a free, brand new, environmentally friendly can of equal size!
UCAIR and Chevron are exchanging over 4,500 gas cans. That’s equivalent to eliminating 540 cars off Utah’s roads per day over the 5-year life of each gas can. Making this small change can have large impact on our air quality. Together we can make a difference in Utah’s air quality.
The Gas Can Exchange Program will be the first of its kind in Utah and help our state come into compliance with the EPA standard.
The event will be held on April 11, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the following locations:
Why exchange your old can? Old gas cans contribute to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by:
The new cans have several improvements including:
Please contact Angie at coordinator@ucair.org if you have any questions about the gas can exchange.
Source: http://www.ucair.org/hot_topics/ucair-chevron-gas-can-exchange/
SAVE THE DATE FOR A FREE FAMILY EVENT
Thursday, April 9 from 6-8 p.m. at the Sorenson Unity Center
The Grow West Garden Fest invites the public to learn about health, nutrition, and gardening resources available to westside Salt Lake City neighborhoods. These resources include community gardens, school gardens, workshops, youth activities, and organizations & businesses that support gardening practices. For attendees who participate in event activities, free food will be served by El Ranchero Chido, a local taco cart.
For more information, visit wasatchgardens.org or check out the Facebook event page.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9eO2iHG9cg]
Envision Utah needs 50,000 Utahns like you to help make history and participate in the Your Utah Your Future project. Over the past few months, they have been using your input from the BUILD YOUR 2050 UTAH WEB APP and working with more than 400 task force members to create a survey to find out what you want Utah to be like in 2050.
Take a few seconds now and reserve your spot in the survey. Envision Utah will send you a link to the online survey when it goes live this spring.
Learn more about the Your Utah Your Future initiative below, or visit EnvisionUtah.org.
The Salt Lake City Green team was honored to meet with Katharine Hayhoe, renowned climate scientist, communicator and educator, to kick off her week in Utah. We had a fascinating discussion about Salt Lake City, Utah and climate change, and explored the unique opportunities in our community to move forward on climate action.
Dr. Hayhoe (@KHayhoe) will be in Utah much of the week speaking about faith, science and climate action.
Monday, March 23:
Tuesday, March 24:
Thursday, March 26:
Today marked the first Salt Lake City e2 Business Best Practice lunch, hosted by Sustainable Startups and catered by Bud’s. The topic of discussion was incorporating new core values into existing business frameworks, and the group heard from eBay, USANA and Larry H. Miller Group about their sustainability initiatives, successes and missteps.
Ken Vance with eBay shared how they have used the core value of reuse to drive innovation, including building the country’s first LEED certified data center, and integrate with other businesses and nonprofits, Patagonia’s Common Threads program among them, to forward that goal.
Jeff Robertson with USANA shared how the company has been shifting from a traditional sales model to a more modern one based on the value of health promotion and better health outcomes. He shared that they have found most success with the “light and often” approach to talking about heavier issues like climate change and air quality.
Robert Bell with Larry H. Miller Group shared how their efforts to clearly define their core values has laid the groundwork for further sustainability initiatives in their growing company.
Thanks to Sustainable Startups for hosting us at your new location! Learn more about how Sustainable Startups is helping incubate new businesses in Salt Lake City.
The e2 Business program is a free program offered to Salt Lake City’s businesses. Participating businesses receive expert consultation and guidance in incorporating sustainable business practices that will save money and reduce their impact on the environment. The Best Practice Lunch Series takes place March-August and features in-depth discussions on a variety of topics pertinent to today’s business community.
Would you like to be a vendor at the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers Market? Are you a farmer or grower within 250 miles of Salt Lake City? Do you hand-make artwork or crafts? Are you a local musician? A non-profit organization? A volunteer? A sponsor?
For details about the application process and the link to apply, visit the Downtown Farmers Market application page.
The application period ends April 3rd. Secure your involvement in something sustainable, local, and beautiful today!
Clean water, open space, and the beauty of nature—the qualities valued most in the Central Wasatch.
This valuable and pristine natural resource is facing pressure from increasing population and visitation, sprawling development, and changing climate. On peak days, the Central Wasatch supports 50,000+ visitors. Annually, there are 5.7 million visitors—this is more than the annual number of visitors to the Grand Canyon and nearly twice the number of annual visitors to Zion National Park! Mountain Accord was established as a collaborative effort to make critical decisions and implement solutions to preserve the Central Wasatch and ensure long-term vitality for future generations.
Here are some of their ideas:
Over the last year, Mountain Accord has worked to develop goals and define an “ideal” future for each system: environment, recreation, economy, and transportation. Their plans are summarized in a blueprint that is open for public review and comment until March 16. The blueprint contains several links to more detailed documents. Consider reviewing these documents for additional information and to develop a comprehensive response.
Visit: mountainaccord.com/get-involved
Comments may be emailed to comment@mountainaccord.com or mailed to:
Mountain Accord
375 West 200 South, Ste. 275
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Please take the time to share this with others. It is the future of the Central Wasatch!
Little Cottonwood Canyon. Photo Credit: Arbyreed via Flickr.
With the warmer than normal temperatures at the beginning of 2015 and current snowpack levels below average, Mayor Ralph Becker and the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities remind residents to use water efficiently. While snow levels are below average, Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities does not anticipate a local water shortage this year.
This is the result of the proactive water resource stewardship approach Salt Lake City has taken, which includes investing in infrastructure to provide water storage and actively monitoring and managing water resources. The Salt Lake community’s pattern of improved water conservation is also a significant factor.
“We are always closely monitoring our water supplies,” said Jeff Niermeyer, Director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Public Utilities. “Salt Lake City’s infrastructure investments and forethought in planning, and our community’s continued water conservation efforts, should ensure an adequate supply of water for this year.”
Regardless of the current City water supply, weather variability can make predicting next year’s snowpack and precipitation difficult. There is never have enough water to waste, and therefore it is important that residents and business owners always use water wisely. Public Utilities will be posting periodic updates on local snowpack levels and the water supply outlook on its website at www.slcgov.com/utilities and at www.facebook.com/slcpu.
Even though recent record breaking warm temperatures made it feel like spring, the winter season is still upon us and the City does not recommend turning on lawn sprinklers. However, now is a good time to start planning for water efficient gardens.
Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities is pleased to announce a free online tool to help you achieve an enjoyable and water efficient garden. SLC Gardenwise is a new, interactive water-wise landscape website.
“SLC Gardenwise is an interactive website that includes virtual garden tours, an extensive plant database, watering how-to’s and other resources,” said Stephanie Duer, Water Conservation Manager for Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities.
Designed to provide information and inspiration for either the home gardener or landscape professional, the site provides a virtual tour of beautiful, water-wise landscapes, as well as technical information on site design, pest management, landscape maintenance and, of course, watering practices. Visit www.slcgardenwise for more information.