Status:
It’s complicated
Likes:
Nighttime, bedrooms, soft linens
About:
Sleep well last night? Well, that’s because of me. If you’re moving and you can’t take me with you, or you’re upgrading a new mattress, it’s time for you to take care of me. If I am in good condition, donate me! If I’ve seen my last slumber party, bring me to Spring Back Utah, which is a local business that specializes in keeping me out of the landfill.
Don’t forget to bring along my other half; the box spring!
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.
Donate old toys to a local charity. Photo credit: David Zellaby via Flickr.
[We stopped by KUTV 2News to share these tips. Watch the segment!]
Spring is in full swing in Salt Lake City. If you’ve caught the spring cleaning bug, we’ve got some tips on how to clean out your clutter without sending items to the landfill.
Books
Before tossing them, check to see if they are in relatively good condition. If so, donate them to a local charity for resale. If your books are beyond repair, put them in your curbside recycling bin.
Toys
If you have toys that are in good condition, considering posting them on KSL.com or Craigslist for some extra cash.
Or give them away to a family with young children — you might even be able to arrange a swap! And you can always donate them to a local charity so they can find new life.
Toys that have seen their last playtime can often be recycled. A great example — any toys made entirely of plastic.
Electronics
If your old TV, computer, mobile phone, etc. is still in working order, donate it!
If these items are no longer functional, recycle them responsibly at one of SLCgreen’s e-waste recycling events this summer. All events run from 8 a.m. to noon at the following Smith’s Food & Drug locations:
More information, including a list of acceptable items.
Furniture
Furniture in good condition can be sold on KSL.com or Craiglist. Donation is another excellent option.
If your furniture is broken, it is an acceptable item to place on the curb during your Salt Lake City Neighborhood Cleanup Day.
Cleaning Supplies
After you clear out your clutter, it’s time to clean things up! We recommend using green cleaning alternatives. Check out this blog for more details, including recipes to make your own green cleaner.
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:
Medellin, Colombia. Photo BorisG via Flickr
Salt Lake City is excited to participate in the World Urban Forum, hosted by UN-Habitat this April in Medellin, Colombia.
The City will participate in a special networking session called “Clean Energy and Transport Solutions in an Urban Hemisphere: Lessons from the Americas.”
Over the past few months, Salt Lake City has been collaborating with San Jose, Costa Rica to share experiences & lessons learned from the two cities’ alternative transportation programs. During the session, the City will share our lessons learned from running the Clear the Air Challenge and the “twinning” process with San Jose.
The session is the result of a partnership between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Organization of American States (OAS). Learn more about the forum below, or on the OAS website.
We’ll be updating the @SLCgreen Twitter feed live from the World Urban Forum (#wuf7) from April 7-11. Stay tuned to stay in the loop!
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.
It’s time for the annual SLCgreen Drinks event!
Join SLC Green Drinks and SLCgreen for a special evening at the Hotel Monaco on February 24th from 6-9 p.m.
You’ll have a chance to meet Salt Lake City businesses who have made a commitment to sustainability with the support of SLCgreen’s e2 Business Program.
The evening will feature appetizers from Bambara restaurant, beer from Uinta Brewing, wine from Kiler Grove Winery and a short update from SLCgreen members.
This is a great opportunity to meet the e2 businesses that are strengthening the sustainable business community in Salt Lake City.
Come show your support!
SLCgreen e2 Business + SLC Green Drinks
Monday, February 24th
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Hotel Monaco (15 W 200 S)
$5-10 suggested donation
Please note that Hotel Monaco is located on the TRAX line.
Mayor Ralph Becker invites residents to join him and a panel of local policymakers for an informal community conversation about air quality issues on Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 6-8 p.m. at Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S. 900 West.
Mayor Becker reiterated his commitment to working toward addressing the region’s ongoing air quality issues in his recent State of the City Address and outlined air quality-focused work Salt Lake City has accomplished during his administration, City efforts planned for the year ahead and the critical areas that require action by Utah state leaders.
Attendees will have an active role in the discussion as Mayor Becker and panel members answer questions, outline what is happening at the local level to improve air quality and what community members can do to help make a difference.
Joining Mayor Becker will be Salt Lake City Councilman Kyle LaMalfa, Salt Lake City Councilwoman and Breathe Utah Executive Director Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake City Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett.
“I look forward to this opportunity to explore air quality issues with our residents and brainstorm on ways we can work together toward positive change,” said Mayor Becker. “Improving our dreadful pollution problem is going to require a wide-ranging collaborative effort that includes definitive action by state government in addition to ongoing efforts by municipal entities and all of us who call Utah home.”
This event is the first in a series of monthly gatherings at Sorenson Unity Center focused on issues important to Salt Lake City residents.
EVENT: Community Conversations with Mayor Becker
WHO: Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker
Salt Lake City Councilman Kyle LaMalfa
Salt Lake City Councilwoman and Breathe Utah Executive Director Erin Mendenhall
Salt Lake City Sustainability Director Vicki Bennett
WHERE: Sorenson Unity Center
1383 S. 900 West
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 5
6-8 p.m.
Salt Lake City’s FruitShare program is growing leaps and bounds! Last year the program collected over 10,000 pounds of fresh local fruit from residential trees and put it into the hands of individuals with low access to healthy produce.
Even though the temperatures are brisk and your trees are bare, now is the time to think about participating in FruitShare in 2014!
Register new trees or volunteer to harvest (& enjoy a share of the bounty!)
Here is a timeline of 2014 FruitShare events and opportunities:
February – March:
Fruit Tree Pruning — If you’re interested in having your tree(s) pruned/trimmed, please send an email by February 15th and you will be added to our trimming list. Please note, we may not be able to get to some trees due to resources and or eligibility. Adding your tree to our list does not guarantee trimming service. We will inform you whether or not you will receive trimming service. A suggested donation of $25 is requested for this service to help cover the cost of providing this service.
March:
Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop — March 29, 2014 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Join Wasatch Community Gardens and Tree Utah for a lesson on fruit tree care. In this hands-on workshop you will learn about how to use your pruning tools. And, you will learn all about pruning and caring for your fruit trees. Attending this workshop or another fruit tree pruning class will make your tree(s) a priority on our harvest list.
May – June:
Thinning — Larger healthier fruit comes from coaxing the tree to put more energy into fewer of them – and therefore pulling off good fruit when they are small. Fruit thinning channels more of a tree’s attention to the fruit that remains. Thinning lessens weight on branches and helps manage pests and diseases that prefer fruit bunched close together. Thin the crop when developing fruits are about an inch in diameter. We need volunteers to help thin fruit trees. If you are interested in volunteering, please send us an email.
June – October:
Harvest time!
