Tag Archives: environment

Earth Day in SLC

With Earth Day right around the corner (Monday, April 22nd) we wanted to share a few tips and events to help our residents green their lifestyle and commemorate this special day in Salt Lake City!

15 Earth Day Tips that Really Make a Difference

We spotted this excellent article on The Daily Green, and thought we would share their 15 tips to a greener lifestyle. We love how simple their recommendations are, and the fact that each of them can have an impact! Get the full scoop on The Daily Green.

Avoid waste: recycle. Salt Lake City makes it easy to recycle common household waste with curbside mixed recycling and curbside glass.
Give up plastic (and paper) bags. Bring your own reusable grocery bags and save money, energy and natural resources.
Stop buying bottled water. Buy one reusable water bottle and save some serious cash. We recommend aluminum or stainless steel.
Stop receiving unwanted catalogs. We have tips on stopping unwanted junk mail on our website.
Give up conventional detergents. Natural cleaners have less chemicals and work effectively at cooler temperatures.
Give up hot water (at least in the clothes washer). About 90% of the energy used during a wash cycle is to heat the water.
Give up the clothes dryer. Or optimize your dryer loads.
Check for leaks in your toilet. Save water and money with a simple test.
Use recycled toilet paper. It costs about the same as regular toilet paper.
Give up paper towels. Invest in some reusable microfiber towels, which can be easily washed and reused again.
Run a fully loaded dishwasher. Save energy and water when you skip partial loads.
Lower the temp in your fridge. The fridge accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the average home energy bill each month!
Give up 2 degrees. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or more during the summer months.
Give up dry cleaning. Check the labels when you purchase new clothes.
Stop wasting gas! Be idle free, avoid jack rabbit starts and stops and check your tire pressure.

Earth Week @ The U

The University of Utah is celebrating Earth Week with a variety of events. View the Earth Week schedule.

Get Involved in SLC

Service in the City has created an excellent handout that outlines a variety of events and other opportunities in conjunction with Earth Day 2013. Check it out and get involved! (PDF)

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.

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.

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?

City Releases Sustainability Roadmap for 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2013
Contact: Kate Lohnes
801-535-7755

City Releases Sustainability Roadmap for 2015

SALT LAKE CITY – In a continued effort to enhance the long-term vitality of the City, Salt Lake City Green, the outreach arm of Salt Lake City’s Sustainability Division, has made strides to enhance community engagement by offering new resources and services to residents.

With the release of the Sustainable Salt Lake City – Plan 2015, Salt Lake City has created a living document that serves as a roadmap for how to enhance the sustainability, livability and resilience of the community.

The comprehensive plan outlines goals and strategies to achieve increased community sustainability, social justice and neighborhood and downtown vitality by the end of Mayor Ralph Becker’s second term in 2015. City departments will track appropriate metrics to show progress towards accomplishing their goals.

“As we look ahead toward 2015, we envision continued progress to a new kind of urbanism that embraces accessibility, sustainability, diversity and culture,” said Mayor Ralph Becker. “Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015 reflects a broad and ambitious agenda to protect our resources, enhance our assets and establish a path toward greater resiliency and vitality for every aspect of our community.”

In addition to the release of the sustainability plan, Salt Lake City Green has updgraded several of its outreach tools, including a re-launch of a comprehensive sustainability website (www.slcgreen.com), an active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, and a new blog that highlights information about living sustainably in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City continues to attract national attention for its sustainability efforts. The most recent accolade was delivered in Bill Moyers’ “Top 12 Cities Leading the Way in Sustainability” list. The ranking listed the top 12 American cities with innovative sustainability initiatives. Salt Lake City was awarded the eighth spot on the list.

Salt Lake City Green website:www.slcgreen.com; Blog:www.slcgreen.wordpress.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/saltlakecitygreen; Twitter: www.twitter.com/slcgreen;

Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015:www.slcgov.com/slcgreen/sustainableslc2015

Report: Intermountain Sustainability Summit

Last week Sara Rose Tannenbaum with SLCGreen headed up to the Intermountain Sustainability Summit. Here is her first-hand account of her experience there:

At the Intermountain Sustainability Summit there were four session tracks to sample from or follow throughout the day. The one geared towards students engaged with the emerging Fossil Free Campus Divestment campaigns and explored how to pursue sustainability as a profession.

The other three session themes highlighted current issues and innovation within water, energy and recycling sustainability.

The Intermountain Sustainability Summit theme of recycling began even before setting foot into Weber State University’s Shepherd Union Building. Lining the pedestrian entrance to the conference was a veritable display of recyclables: not bins of beer cans or a cluttered collection of office papers, but huge blocks— bigger than 90 gallon recycle bins—of compressed cardboard, deflated plastic and squashed metal.This nonverbal presentation made transparent the usually unnoticed side of recycling. Just like we break down our cardboard, it’s important to dissect and try on the many dimensions and disciplines of sustainability.

Keynote speaker L. Hunter Lovins (pictured above) made the case for innovation and sustainability from a business perspective. Lisa Skumatz, an economist, used statistical analysis to highlight efficiency of cost-effective approaches to recycling. It was the variety of perspectives present at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit that made it a valuable learning and networking experience. We’re lucky to have so many exciting initiatives, businesses and leaders fighting on the green front.

Check out some great photos from last week’s event.

The Code Revision Project

Several years ago, Salt Lake City embarked on a ground-breaking initiative to incorporate sustainability provisions into zoning and subdivision ordinances. The project set out to revise and expand upon existing ordinances that were out of date and/or put up barriers to sustainable city practices.

The topic areas considered include:

Transit-Oriented and Mixed Use Development (Ordinance adopted)
Urban Agriculture (Ordinances adopted)
Renewable Energy (Ordinances adopted)
Accessory Dwelling Units (Ordinance adopted)
Street, Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity
Water Efficient Landscape
Tree Protection
Recycling and Waste Reduction
Transportation Demand Management
Outdoor Lighting

Several ordinances have already been adopted by the Salt Lake City Council, with a the rest making progress along the approval process. Get a complete update on the project on the SLCGreen website.

Questions? Let us know!

We ♥ Compost

Seriously. We do.

The ability to take a large segment of Salt Lake City’s waste, prevent it from filling up our landfill, and then use it to make gardens thrive, is a miraculous thing in our eyes.

Composting is nature’s way of recycling. You can turn fruit, veggies, grass, branches and leaves into dark, crumbly and sweet-smelling soil amendment. It saves you money by lowering your garbage bill (switch to a smaller waste bin and save) and helps you avoid purchasing expensive commercial fertilizers.

Salt Lake City residents have two great options – curbside compost or home composting.

Curbside Compost: Also known as the yard waste program, or the tan can, curbside composting is made easy with a 90 gallon bin picked up weekly. Currently the tan can is “vegan” – meaning it only accepts green waste. The wheels are in motion to expand curbside composting to accept more forms of food waste, so stay tuned! In the meantime, maximize your curbside bin with tea bags and coffee grounds.

Home Compost: Enjoy the spoils of your composting efforts at home! Build your own composting bin and watch your garden thrive. More home composting tips.

With two easy ways to get the job done, we bet you will ♥ compost too!

SLC’s Commitment to Clearing the Air

With so much talk about Salt Lake City’s poor air quality, it might feel like everyone else is telling you what to do—drive less, walk more, don’t idle, stay inside, think green. While individual actions play a crucial role in reducing the pollutants that get trapped in our valleys, you’re not the only one who can and should make a difference.

At SLCGreen, we recognize that only through collective action at every level and in every sector can we see real change.

Here are just some of the things the City of Salt Lake has been doing to reduce its own emissions in an effort to clear the air:

LEED Silver Standards for all new city buildings and major renovations. Meeting these minimum standards reduces the impacts of construction, sources more sustainable materials, and improves water and energy consumption throughout the life of the building. The latest example is the new Public Safety building on 500 South, which will generate as much electricity as it consumes, making it the first public safety building of its kind in the nation.

City and County Building Efficiency Upgrades. Recognizing that much of our electricity comes from burning coal, we’ve been working over the last decade to reduce the electricity consumed by our existing buildings. The City-County building downtown, home to the Mayor’s office, has reduced its electricity consumption by 840,000 kilowatt hours per year thanks to upgraded lighting and building systems. This is a reduction equivalent to the electricity consumed by 89 homes in one year.

Solar installation on the top of The Leonardo, with a view of the Salt Lake City-County Building.

Fuel Efficient City Vehicles. The city has a lot of vehicles out on the streets that contribute green house gas emissions along with everyone else. To curb our carbon, we’ve introduced 16 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to replace diesel sanitation trucks, added 5 hybrids and 2 rechargeable electric cars to the Police Department fleet, and changed over 25% of the Airport’s vehicles to CNG.

Thanks to the Sustainable SLC Plan 2015, this is just the beginning. Read more about doing your part.

Sustainable Salt Lake — Plan 2015

Over the last five years, Salt Lake City’s pursuit of success in sustainability, social justice, and neighborhood
and downtown vitality has helped shape the collective vision for how we live, work, recreate and
grow in Salt Lake City.

The Sustainable Salt Lake – Plan 2015 reflects a broad and ambitious agenda to protect our resources, enhance our assets, and establish a path toward greater resiliency and vitality for every aspect of our community.

The plan is an extension of Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker’s visionary Livability Agenda. The agenda was crafted to guide policies during Mayor Becker’s second term.

Learn more about how sustainability is an important part of the future of Salt Lake City.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZHwT76phKM]

Explore the Sustainable Salt Lake — Plan 2015.

Let us know what you think about Salt Lake City’s plans to increase the long term sustainability of our community.