Fairpark Embraces SmartTrips

Last Friday, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Councilmember Stan Penfold, community members and the news media came together to celebrate the launch of the 2013 SmartTrips program in the Fairpark neighborhood.

FOX 13’s Ashton Goodell put together a fantastic story about SmartTrips, watch the video.

The first SmartTrips newsletter (PDF) went out last week to roughly 1700 households in the neighborhood. The newsletter included an order form offering customized information, resources and freebies to make it easier for residents to drive less this summer.

Sunday marked the official opening of the new Airport TRAX line, with community celebrations and free rides on Saturday. The line is now up and running every 15 minutes on the Green Line (transfers available at all downtown stops from the Blue and Red TRAX lines).

The Fairpark neighborhood is embracing the new TRAX line and North Temple “Complete Street” with vehicle lanes, transit, bike lanes and enhanced pedestrian access, making it the perfect neighborhood for SmartTrips 2013! Learn more. SmartTrips is also on Facebook!

The Return of the Salt Lake Streetcar

Streetcars are making a comeback across the country, and Utah will soon join the movement. The first phase of the Sugar House Streetcar project is set to open December 2013, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the first of what we hope will be several streetcar lines to Salt Lake City.

Well, we should say welcome back. Many years ago, Salt Lake City had an extensive streetcar network with lines stretching from Capitol Hill/The Avenues all the way into Sugar House.

Streetcar 101

It is easy to confuse the future streetcar with the TRAX system already in place. Streetcars move at much slower speeds, generally 7-12 miles per hour, while your average pedestrian travels at 3 miles per hour. Stations resemble covered bus stops and the rail lines are often integrated with existing roads.

One of Portland’s popular streetcars.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the Sugar House Streetcar project is currently under construction and will run from the 2100 South TRAX station along Sugarmont Avenue, ending at McClelland (roughly 1050 East). This section of the streetcar line will open December 2013.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the project will be the continuation of the streetcar line, which was the subject of an exhaustive study that considered land use, street amenities, housing and ridership.

The study was prepared over the course of 18 months, and recommends that the streetcar line extend from McClelland to Highland Drive along Sugarmont, and then head north to Monument Plaza and finally extend north on 1100 East to 1700 South to serve Westminster College. Both a technical analysis and community input were factored into this recommendation.

Also known as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), this plan draws the streetcar right into the heart of Sugar House and will further connect Westminster College as a community hub. Learn more about Phase 2.

Sugar House is coming back to life, thanks in part to the construction of the streetcar line, which helps spur local development and is a boon for the community.

Learn more

This is an exciting time for public transit in Salt Lake City. You can learn more about the Sugar House Streetcar project at SHStreetcar.com.

And if you are on Twitter, look for the #welove11th and #purplelineSLC hashtags to join the conversation!

Public Hearing

The Salt Lake City Council will be holding a public hearing on the future of the Sugar House Streetcar on Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. If you cannot attend, you can still weigh in on the Open City Hall online forum.

New Clean Glass Recycling Facility Opens

Today marked the opening of the a brand new clean glass recycling facility in Salt Lake City. The facility, operated by Momentum Recycling, will process glass waste from Salt Lake City and other cities in Utah and beyond.

“We are very excited to help Utah increase glass recycling,” says Justin Mills, Plant Manager at Momentum Recycling. “This facility is only the second of its kind in the US, and it results in very high quality cullet for our customers. This drives demand for more cullet, which in turn drives demand for post-consumer glass, and allows us to make glass recycling affordable for many cities and counties in Utah that have never had glass recycling.”

Salt Lake City’s partnership with Momentum Recycling has moved the city forward with glass recycling – a top priority for both Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and the City Council.

In November 2012, curbside glass recycling service was offered to roughly half of Salt Lake City households. The pilot project was an instant success, with thousands of households participating in the program. As of April 2013, the curbside program has expanded to offer a service to all city residents. Residents who would like to register for the voluntary program can do so at www.SLCGreen.com.

In attendance at today’s event were Salt Lake City Councilperson Jill Remington Love, Dan Velasquez with Salt Lake City Economic Development, members of the community and the entire Momentum Recycling staff. Every inch of the facility was on display, and a photo gallery from the event can be viewed on the SLCGreen Facebook page.

Salt Lake City Green was thrilled to be there to help celebrate this important step towards a more sustainable community!

SLC Schools Recycle!

Our friends at the Salt Lake City School District are leading the pack when it comes to school recycling.

Since 2009, Salt Lake City School District has recycled over 3.9 million pounds of paper and cardboard! By recycling that much paper, the district has saved over 30,000 trees, which is equal to over 6,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. To put it in terms that we can all visualize, that is like taking 1,258 cars off the road for one full year.

The district has reduced its landfill waste by over 1.5 million pounds per year through their recycling efforts. As a result, the district has reduced waste stream management expenses by more than 20%, keeping more taxpayer dollars in education and out of the trash. And that is something that we can all agree with.

Help your neighborhood school by recycling your paper!

Did you know? Schools earn money by recycling paper and cardboard. Since 2009, over $38,000 has been paid to schools, providing principals with a little extra discretionary spending money. Community members are encouraged to bring their paper recycling (only) to their neighborhood school GreenFiber container.

This is a great option for residents, especially those that live in multi-family units that do not offer on-site recycling.

Learn more

Learn more about the Salt Lake City School District’s recycling efforts on their new website. Information on their energy and water conservation efforts is forthcoming.

Live Green Returns to SLC May 4

Photo courtesy of Live Green SLC: http://livegreenslc.com

Mark your calendar to join us at next month’s Live Green SLC! Festival on Saturday, May 4th at the beautiful downtown Library Square!

Admission is completely free to this outdoor event, which showcases ideas for sustainable living. From cutting edge renewable energy to backyard food production – you’ll be able to explore everyday solutions that can be implemented in your own home!

There will be free green goodies to first 1,000 attendees, plus live bands, an Eco-Chic fashion show, kids’ activities, green auctions, interactive exhibits, a solar powered food and beer pavilion and much, much more!

Join the Online Super Green Contest for your chance to walk away with some super green prizes. More than $1,000 in prizes will be given away.

The festival is looking for volunteers, please let them know if you are interested.

Be sure to stop by the SLCGreen booth to say hello and get information on our programs, services and living green in Salt Lake City. We’ll see you there!

Open Streets

Enjoy 1.5 miles of downtown streets opened exclusively to walking, biking, and other activities on Saturday, May 4th from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on 300 South/Broadway.

Open Streets events temporarily open a series of city streets exclusively to walking, jogging, bicycling, rollerblading, and more. These events encourage new people to try walking and bicycling in a comfortable and fun environment. Supporting activities regularly include exercise classes, dance classes, yoga, aerobics, sports, and family-friendly games and activities.

Get the scoop at the Open Streets SLC Facebook page.

Bike Share Has Arrived!

What was once a dream of Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker became a reality today with the launch of the GREENbike program – Utah’s first bike share system.

Ten stations are now up and running with 100 bikes available in downtown Salt Lake. Another station is on the way, and plans to expand the program are already in the works. The University of Utah, 9th and 9th and Sugar House neighborhoods are all potential areas where GREENbike could appear.

Check out our other GREENbike blog post for details on this awesome new program.

Be sure to download the Spotcycle mobile app to view real time data on where available bikes are located.

And get biking, Salt Lake City!
(Well, maybe in a few days when the weather clears up)

Energize 2013

Next week, Salt Lake City Green will be attending the Energize 2013 Summit, hosted by the Energy Commercialization Center of Utah. The summit will be a a great opportunity to talk sustainable energy in Utah. Event details are below.

When: April 11-12, 2013
Where: Snowbird Ski Resort
Who: Rocky Mountain Region Industry: Academia, Entrepreneurs, Investment, Economic Development, State/Governmental Agency Leaders and Innovators
Visit: http://ecc.utah.edu/energize

2013 ECC Energy Innovators Summit
Energize 2013, brought to you by the Energy Commercialization Center at the University of Utah, brings together diverse and influential stakeholders from the sustainable energy community of the Rocky Mountain West for two days of thought leadership, collaborative problem solving, and inspiring dialogue on the emergence of a sustainable, carbon free energy economy.

SmartTrips Comes to Fairpark

Following a very successful pilot in the East Liberty Park neighborhood, the SmartTrips program returns for the 2013 summer season — this time to the Fairpark neighborhood.

A lot is happening in Fairpark, making it the perfect place to offer customized bike, walk and public transit information and resources to residents. The Airport TRAX line opens in a little over a week on Saturday, April 13^th. And the North Temple corridor has been improved to make it Salt Lake City’s first Complete Street – with infrastructure for public transit, personal vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

What is SmartTrips?

SmartTrips is a neighborhood-based program that encourages public and active transportation through free bike/walk/transit kits, coupons to local businesses, educational newsletters and collaborative community events.

The Salt Lake City SmartTrips program is modeled after similar programs in Portland, Oregon and other communities, which have all successfully reduced the number of vehicle trips.

How Do I Participate?

Fairpark residents will be receiving the first of three SmartTrips newsletters in the mail this week. Included in the newsletter is a program order form, which allows residents to choose from bike, walk and transit kits that include maps, pamphlets and freebies such as a bike light, pedometer and UTA passes.

Also included is a SmartTrips Coupon Book with discounts at a variety of retailers located in the Fairpark neighborhood. And for those who prefer it, there is an online order form as well.

More Information

Visit the SmartTrips website for more information on the program, including a community calendar of events. You can also check out SmartTrips on Facebook.

GREENbike Launches Next Monday (April 8)

Photo courtesy of GREENbike (Facebook)

Next Monday, April 8^th the highly anticipated bike share program lands in Salt Lake City! GREENbike stations officially go online in less than a week, and we wanted to give our readers a preview of the program so you can be as excited as we are.

Quick Facts

Program will launch with up to 120 bikes available
10 bike share stations are located at key spots in downtown Salt Lake City (see map below)
Projected to save 77,000 vehicle miles in the first year alone, including 20,000 “cold starts” (a key contributor to poor air quality)
Designed for short trips in the city by people wearing regular clothes and carrying ordinary stuff (no spandex required!)
There is a great mobile app available for download at the GREENbikeslc.org website (i.e. Spotcycle).

Short Trips

GREENbike is designed for short, 30 minute trips that get you from point A to point B downtown. Think of it as your “puddle jumper” that will get you from one downtown hot spot to another. For example —

Take a quick and direct route from the UTA Intermodal Hub to Gallivan Center or Library Square.
A quick lunch trip for downtown employees (stopping by Squatters, Harmons Grocery or a variety of other restaurants)
Getting to and from a downtown meeting.
Hopping from City Creek to The Gateway on a downtown shopping spree.
And any other short, downtown trip that you can dream up!

Membership

A 24-hour Access Pass ($5), 7-day ($15) or Annual Membership ($75) lets you take UNLIMITED 30 minute trips at no extra charge! Every time you dock a bike, you get a fresh 30 minutes. Get on board.

Launch & Party

The public is invited to attend the official GREENbike launch on Monday, April 8th at 10:30 a.m. at the west entrance to Gallivan Center. Join Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Salt Lake City Council Member and R.D.A. Chair Stan Penfold and other excited community members. SLCGreen will be there to cover the event too!

A fundraising launch party is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9th from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Squatters. Tickets are $50, and include all things needed for a very fun night — DJ, open bar, appetizers and a prize drawing for a $1,100 TREK bike at 8 p.m. Join the fun.

GREENbike Fact Sheet (PDF)

GREENbike Map (PDF)

What’s the Deal with VOCs?

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is proposing a new rule that would lower the volatile organic compound (VOC) content in dozens of common household products.

One of these products – hairspray – has been getting a lot of media attention over the past few weeks. But in the dozens of stories about the proposed rule, which was created to help reduce air pollution and improve air quality, we have noticed the absence of health information.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the following health effects tied to VOCs:

Eye, nose and throat irritation
Headaches
Loss of coordination
Nausea
Damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans

At present, not much is known about the short-term and long-term health effects of household VOC exposure. Breathing in low levels of VOCs may increase some people’s risk of health problems. Studies have found that levels of several organics average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors. Common household culprits that release VOCs when used include:

Cosmetics
Personal care products
Disinfectants
Laundry detergents
Air fresheners
Fabric softeners
Dryer sheets
Dish detergents
All-purpose cleaners
Soaps
Hand sanitizers
Lotions
Deodorants
Shampoos
Hair spray

DEQ’s proposed rule would limit the VOC content of these products – not prohibit them. Most manufacturers already offer lower VOC versions of their products to comply with similar rules in 16 other states and the District of Columbia. Learn more from DEQ.

Our two cents: If lower VOC products will reduce both indoor and outdoor air pollution – the health effects of which are not fully known – what is the downside?