Tag Archives: 2014

Your Trash is Beautiful – Why Waste It?

Have you spotted the new truck wraps on Salt Lake City’s Sanitation vehicles?

Yes, your trash is beautiful!

We’re asking Salt Lake City residents to take a second look at the things they are throwing in the trash. Did you know that 60% of your household garbage… isn’t?

Curbside Recycling

Let’s get real, we all know that cardboard and plastic bottles should be recycled. But what about that Styrofoam, plastic bag, plastic utensils and juice carton? Well, they ALL can go in your curbside recycling bin in Salt Lake City!

Once you explore all the items that should be recycled, you’ll realize just how little should be going into your curbside garbage bin.

Here’s a fun little rhyme about the big plastic question…

Plastic number make you wonder? Throw it in the big blue bin!

Seriously, if it is made out of plastic — recycle it.

Explore all the items that can be recycled in your blue bin.

Curbside Compost

Otherwise known as the yard waste bin, or the tan can, the brown bin accepts grass clippings, twigs, branches, raw fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds, eggshells and tea bags.

Think of it as your friendly backyard compost bin, but picked up weekly!

Explore the items that can be composted in your brown bin.

The City is currently exploring our options to expand the materials excepted in the curbside compost bin, so stay tuned…

Bin Guides — Learn What Goes into Each Bin (w/pictures!)

Here are some handy flyers that outline what should go in each curbside bin. Any questions? Just ask us!

Get Inspired with Urban Garden & Farm Week

Wasatch Community Gardens is excited to host the 2014 Urban Garden and Farm Week — taking place all this week!

Urban Chicken Keeping Workshop. Join the fun on Wednesday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Grateful Tomato Garden for a workshop that will help you understand how to be a successful chicken keeper in the city.

Don’t miss out on the famous Urban Garden and Farm Tour. This self-guided tour takes place on Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and features chickens, sustainable lifestyles, small space gardening, rainwater catchment, and more.

Wasatch Community Gardens hosts the Urban Garden and Farm Tour in order to gather energy, raise awareness, and share ideas about urban gardening in the Salt Lake Valley.

The tour will inspire you to create a growing space of your own in order to provide healthy, real food and an educational experience for the entire family.

So whether you are a budding gardener, a seasoned grower, a backyard poultry keeper, or an urban dweller with herbs in a window, Urban Garden and Farm Week will have an event for you.

Learn what is happening in Salt Lake and with our local food movement, and how you can become a part of it!

Art Fans Unite! Festival Runs June 26-29

It’s time for the annual Utah Art’s Festival!

Spanning four days from June 26-29, this momentous event attracts the entire city to enjoy live music, unique film performances, endless art displays, and of course, incredible food. The Arts Festival is an opportunity for everyone to explore, engage, and appreciate the vibrant city culture within Salt Lake.

The festival schedule this year offers everything from beginner’s drawing workshops and comic book creations to epic concert performances and the “Fear No Film” series of unique and impactful independent films. And of course, how could you forget the food? Between Thursday’s Chef Competition, the Leo Libations Wine Pairing workshop, and the numerous booths providing delicious eats, this annual celebration will undoubtedly be a memorable crowd-pleaser.

If you’re still in need of reasons to attend, more good news awaits: this year, the festival is going above and beyond to “green” up the four day celebration.

As in past years, the Festival is offering FREE bike valet services along 400 South in the sponsored Blue Sky Bike Lot. As we all know, downtown parking can be nothing short of a crowded nightmare; do yourself AND the environment a favor and bike down for free! Worried about the trek back? The Library TRAX station is located just outside the festival and can take you safely where you need to go. Additionally, the 228 and 205 buses run directly by the heart of the festival; you, your friends, and your bike can catch a hands-free ride home after a day of artistic enjoyment.

The Arts Festival is also proud to announce this year’s recycling opportunities for plastic bottles, cups, aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, food scraps, and even vegetable oil. Be sure to keep an eye out around the tents for designated garbage, recycle, and compost bins throughout the plaza. Our beautiful city will thank you!

Even more exciting news: Rocky Mountain Power, in partnership with Blue Sky, will be transforming the festival into an entirely “green” event by supporting renewable energy equivalent to the amount required to fuel the four-day celebration. To put this in numbers, the Festival will be preventing the potential emission of 87,398 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. With the additional help of all the attendees who will spend the days enjoying the outdoors rather than driving around, it’s safe to say that the Utah Arts Festival is officially a notable step towards a greener Salt Lake!

If you’ve ever doubted joining in on this annual event, 2014 is certainly the year to hop on board and let loose for a weekend of great food, incredible art, lively performances, and now more than ever, the chance to help keep our beautiful environment clean. See you all there!

This post was written by SLCgreen intern Lauren Mills.

Utah Breaks Into Top Ten of Bicycle Friendly States

The League of American Bicyclists‘ 2014 ranking of Bicycle Friendly States, released today, names Utah the eighth most friendly state for biking. This is Utah’s highest ranking to date. In last year’s assessment, Utah was No. 14, and in 2011, it was number 31.

“We’ve made tremendous gains, and our No. 8 ranking validates everyone’s hard work,” said Phil Sarnoff, executive director of Bike Utah, the advocacy group working to improve bicycling conditions in the state. “There’s no way to credit one organization or entity with our improvement in the rankings. It’s truly a collaborative effort.”

Evelyn Tuddenham, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for Utah’s Department of Transportation, echoes Sarnoff. “There are two reasons Utah moved forward so dramatically in the rankings. First, many groups and individuals have worked together in a cooperative manner, much in line with Utah’s culture of collaboration. Second, there’s been a positive change in attitude within UDOT towards active transportation solutions.”

“The population in Utah, especially along the Wasatch Front, is expected to double within the next few decades,” explained Sarnoff. “Fortunately, state planners recognize that we can’t build our way out of this challenge by only considering cars. We need an integrated plan including both cars and active transportation like biking and walking.”

In 2013, Sarnoff and Bike Utah partnered with the Utah Department of Transportation to create the Statewide Active Transportation Coordinating Committee, which brings together all groups that have a vested interest in improving transportation alternatives, from state and local governments to advocacy groups, health organizations, businesses, colleges and universities, and more.

“The Committee is still growing and includes five unique subcommittees,” said Sarnoff. “We formed it to advance our active transportation efforts inclusively and to give all key players a voice. If we collaborate with each other, we can magnify our impact, learn from each other, and use resources in a thoughtful manner.”

The Bicycle Friendly States assessment, now in its seventh year, is a League of American Bicyclists program that comprehensively evaluates each of the 50 states in five categories: legislation and enforcement, policies and programs, infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, and evaluation and planning.

Utah’s most significant improvements between 2013 and 2014 were in policies and programs, and education and encouragement. Click here to see Utah’s 2014 Bicycle Friendly State Report Card.

“We are excited and encouraged to see real progress in states like California, Minnesota and Utah,” summarized Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “Overall, we still see a lot of opportunity to realize the huge potential of bicycling to promote health, economic development, and quality of life.”

For more information about the BFS program, visit www.bikeleague.org/content/states. To learn more about Bike Utah, visit www.bikeutah.org.

Earth Day Impact: Reduce & Reuse

Are you wondering what you can do to reduce your impact this Earth Day — and every day?

More than 1,300 tons of garbage is buried in the Salt Lake Valley Landfill every day. Here are a few simple things you can do to limit your impact.

Reusable Products

reusable bagDitch the disposables! Embrace reusable bags when you go to the grocery store.

Say goodbye to expensive and wasteful plastic water bottles. Instead, swap in a reusable glass or stainless steel bottle. You can even purchase an insulated version to keep your drinks cool on hot summer days. Salt Lake City’s TapIt program boasts a network of businesses that will refill your bottle with fresh water, too!

And speaking of drinks, bring a reusable coffee mug to your local coffee shop. You’ll even get a discount on your next latte!

Avoid Overpackaging

Sure, those individually packaged mini carrots may save you a few seconds when you are packing lunches in the morning, but is that worth the extra money and wasted material?

Save some green and reduce your weekly waste by buying a large package instead, and placing them in reusable containers each day. More tips to green your lunch.

Reduce Junk Mail

We all get it, and we all hate it.

GlobalStewards.org has some tips to reduce the amount of unwanted mail you receive. In a few simple steps, you can cut out mass marketing mailers, catalogs and credit card offers!

You can also reduce your impact by going “paperless” for your monthly credit card, bank and utility statements.

Just getting started? Get more tips at SLCgreen.com.

We stopped by KUTV2 News on Earth Day to share these tips. Watch the video of the segment!

 

Annual Wasatch Plant Sale Scheduled for May 10

SLCgreen note: We received this email from Wasatch Community Gardens, and were so excited that we had to share it with you! Mark your calendars for the 2014 Plant Sale on Saturday, May 10!

Dear Friends,

It’s starting to feel like spring, and that means Wasatch Community Gardens’ Plant Sale is just around the corner! Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 10 and don’t miss this opportunity to buy plants for your whole yard while also supporting your favorite community gardening organization.

We will have a selection of more than sixty beautiful, organic varieties of tomatoes, so you don’t need to worry about us running out.

And tomatoes are just the beginning.We will also have an outstanding variety of perennials, including unique edibles, sun and shade loving varieties, Utah natives, and ornamental grasses.

We will have our famous organic heirloom veggie seedlings and annual flowers for companion planting. And, there will be a huge selection of organic herbs including basil, rosemary, oregano, and more. Last but not least, we will be selling bags of compost.

It’s easy to get an invite to our Friday night pre-sale. Just sign up to volunteer, or consider making a gift of $250 or more to Wasatch Community Gardens in support of our gardening and education programs. This is a great way to ensure that you get the first pick of all of the tomatoes, perennials, and other garden goodies available.

We also have a fantastic line-up of educational workshops and Food Talks in the coming month. And, as always, we have plots available in many of our community gardens.

Already looking forward to my first homegrown, heirloom tomato,

Ashley Patterson
Executive Director

P.S. Are you busy on May 10? Again this year we are offering home delivery of hand selected packages from our team of WCG plant experts. Check out the options to see if one meets your needs and we’ll deliver your order to your porch or driveway on May 10.

LiveGreen SLC! Festival: May 3, 2014

LiveGreenSLC2013

Spring is here, and the annual LiveGreen SLC! Festival is on the horizon.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 3rd at Library Square from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Salt Lake City, Utah’s 2014 annual Live Green SLC! Festival, presented by ReDirect Guide, showcases a full spectrum of sustainable green products, services and ideas from cutting edge renewable technologies to everyday solutions that can be implemented in the home.

At this outdoor event, held in the beautiful downtown Library Plaza, attendees will enjoy features such as interactive and educational exhibits, local and organic foods and goods, live auctions, a children’s area, eco-carnival games, music, entertainment and much more.

There are three great ways to get involved:

  • Exhibit! Host a booth to present your green products or services and connect with a great community of green-inspired people. Salt Lake City e2 Businesses get 25% off booth space.
  • Become a sponsor. Let your organization benefit from the good will and strong media outreach and promotional efforts associated with the LiveGreen SLC! Festival.
  • Volunteer. Get involved and experience amazing opportunities to lend a hand, make connections, and have some fun!

SLC Embraces Earth Hour

This year, Salt Lake City will participate in Earth Hour, turning off the lights of the Salt Lake City & County Building at 8:30 p.m. next Saturday, March 29th.

Check out the FAQs below to learn more about this effort, and find out how you can get involved!

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet, and is organised by WWF. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

When does Earth Hour take place?

Earth Hour 2014 will be held on Saturday, March 29th between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. in your local time zone. The event is held worldwide towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. Earth Hour 2015 will take place on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in your local timezone.

What does Earth Hour aim to achieve?

Earth Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world.

How can I get involved?

The first thing anyone can do to get involved is to turn off their lights on Saturday. But there’s much, much more. Our full ambition is for people to take action beyond the hour. Whether it’s supporting a crowd-funding or crowd-sourcing campaign on www.earthhour.org or starting the movement in their own community. The vision is always to do more, so make the light switch the beginning of your journey.

Get inspired to take action at SLCgreen.com.

Air Quality Bills: 2014 Legislature Wrap Up

clouds

The community had high hopes for meaningful action during the 2014 Utah Legislative Session on air quality. With the session now at an end, our friends at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality posted a nice summary of the bills that passed.

Here’s a quick overview, head over to their newsletter for the full story.

State Fleet

Legislators directed the Division of Fleet Operations to ensure that 50 percent or more of the state vehicles used to transport passengers will be alternative fuel or high-efficiency by August 30, 2018. View the bill.

Electric Vehicles

A House bill amended the current definition of public utilities to encourage businesses to provide charging stations for electric cars. Another bill provides a state income tax credit of $1500 for the purchase or lease of a new electric vehicle and a tax credit allowance for a plug-in electric hybrid. View the bill. Legislation modified The Clean Fuels and Vehicle Technology Act to allow electric-hybrid vehicles to qualify for funding for alternative refueling infrastructure. View the bill.

Wood Burn Program

The Division of Air Quality received funding to educate the public about the dangers of wood smoke and help convert homes whose sole source of heat is wood to natural gas or other clean fuels. View the bill.

Medical Waste Incinerators

A Senate bill banned the incineration of medical waste within close proximity of a school or residential subdivision. View the bill.

Retrofit and Replacement Program

This program will help small businesses and individuals by providing grant and loan funds for emission-reducing technologies, including retrofits, repowers, and replacements. The program will also encourage replacement of snow removal, landscaping, and other yard equipment with cleaner alternatives. View the bill.

Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Funding

The Department of Air Quality (DAQ) received a one-time, $1.4 million grant that allocated $1 million for Utah-specific air quality research, $300,000 for an inventory and photochemical modeling study in the Uinta Basin, and $100,000 for volatile organic compound (VOC) infrared testing equipment. DAQ also received $400,000 in ongoing funding for four full-time employees to work on Uinta Basin oil and gas permitting and compliance.

The legislature appropriated $500,000 to DEQ for an air quality public awareness campaign in partnership with existing clean air programs such as UCAIR and TravelWise. DAQ received a one-time, $500,000 appropriation to help convert homes that burn wood as their sole source of heat and a one-time, $250,000 grant to educate the public on the hazards of wood smoke. The Clean Air Retrofit, Replacement, and Off-road Technology (CARROT) program received a one-time grant of $200,000 for grants and loans to small businesses and individuals seeking to reduce the emissions from their heavy-duty diesel or small-engine equipment.

Get the DEQ Newsletter

Get the full scoop from the DEQ newsletter and join their email list.