Tag Archives: community

Fairpark Promenade: Not to be missed!

fairpark_promenade

Salt Lake City’s SmartTrips program, in collaboration with the Fairpark Community Council, will host one last community event this weekend to bring the community together for some good old-fashioned community appreciation!

Residents are invited to join their neighbors on a friendly ~1 mile exploration around a couple of local blocks. Kids, red flyers, wheelchairs, broad-brimmed hats and parasols welcome!

Ever wondered when that old building on the corner was built? Imagined what your neighborhood looked like 50 years ago? Or speculated who the green thumbs are behind those beautiful community garden vegetables?

The two block area of this first Fairpark Community Walk Around the Block is surprisingly rich in history, cultural centers and urban gardens—each with current and/or historical special meaning to residents old and new.

Don’t miss the Fairpark Promenade: A Community Walk Around the Block this Saturday, September 21st from 4-6 p.m. Fun!

Mark your calendar! Fall Plant Sale

tomatoes

Our friends at Wasatch Community Gardens invite you to join them for their 3rd Annual Fall Plant Sale and (yum!) Tomato Sandwich Party.

Keep your garden alive! Purchase vegetable starts and seeds that can produce crops into the early winter months.

Both the Fall Plant Sale and Tomato Sandwich Party will take place on Saturday, September 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Grateful Tomato Garden (800 S 600 E).

The promise of unique heirloom tomatoes, homemade pesto and fresh, locally made bread is more than enough to get us on board!

More information is available on the Wasatch Community Gardens website. 

SLCgreen in the Community

Every spring through fall, SLCgreen takes advantage of event season to engage with the community and spread the word about all things green in Salt Lake City.

Here are a few shots of where the SLCgreen booth has landed so far — keep your eyes peeled for our logo at your next community event. Do you have one we should know about? Email us!

Urban Garden & Farm Week

urban garden and farm logo-300x285

After seven successful years of chicken empowerment, Wasatch Community Gardens’ annual Chicken Week is growing up!

Say hello to the very first Urban Garden and Farm Week, which runs June 16th through June 22nd.

Whether you are a budding gardener, a seasoned grower, a backyard poultry keeper, or an urban dweller with herbs in a window, the Urban Garden and Farm Week has an event for you.

Urban Garden and Farm Week, which uses the motto “make, raise, grow,” will highlight unique, innovative and traditional growing techniques and lifestyles. You will have the opportunity to see and discuss urban homesteads, rainwater catchment, intensive gardening techniques, backyard livestock, bee keeping, season extending, unique garden spaces, permaculture and more.

A few of the events you can look forward to (we certainly are!)

Stop by the Wasatch Community Gardens website and Facebook page to learn more. And check out this recent story from Salt Lake Tribune.

Sugarmont Plaza Grand Opening

A new community gathering space is coming to the heart of Sugar House!

The Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City (RDA) invites the public to attend the grand opening celebration of Sugarmont Plaza this Friday, June 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the former Deseret Industries Sugar House location, 2227 S. Highland Drive. The family-friendly event will feature music and food, as well as tours of the project.

Sugarmont Plaza is a new urban gathering spot that features a colorful plaza surface, murals, tables, chairs and umbrellas available to the public.

What’s in store for the space? Food truck rallies, music events, free movie screenings and casual gatherings are all planned in the coming months.

“Sugarmont Plaza activates a part of Sugar House currently undergoing significant change,” said Mark Morris of the nonprofit Friends of the South Salt Lake and Sugar House Streetcar. “We hope many events will be held here this summer, encouraging community members to consider how valuable public space is to them.”

Check out the Salt Lake Tribune story on the project. 

Consider taking public transit to the plaza opening (RideUTA Blog)

Do you live within walking distance? Take a look at this awesome map and consider leaving your car at home!

Community Food Assessment

Community Garden Bed

How does the availability of wholesome and affordable food impact the health of our community? This is the question that Salt Lake City Green and the Mayor’s Food Policy Task Force took on when they began the Community Food Assessment.

The food assessment provides a basis for developing strategies to support local food enterprises, foster rural/urban food links (farm to plate) and expanding access to healthy and nutritious food.

“Gaining a firm understanding of Salt Lake City’s current food system is necessary to assist Salt Lake City and it’s Food Policy Task Force in creating strategic planning, policy and action steps to strengthen local urban agriculture,” states an excerpt from the report.

Food Snapshot Highlights:

  • From 1997 to 2007, Utah Certified Organic operations increased from 3 to 48.
  • Salt Lake City is home to more than 22 community, school and neighborhood gardens, providing fresh, healthy food for hundreds of residents.
  • Salt Lake City is home to eight farmers markets, providing a direct link between residents and the people growing their food, and providing more convenient, fresh, local food while growing our local food economy.
  • Approximately 20% of Salt Lake City’s residential waste is food scraps.

Stayed tuned for more in depth coverage of key findings from the report, including next steps.

In the meantime, read the draft report.

DRAFTCFAReport