Tag Archives: sustainability

Community Improvement Grants Available

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Salt Lake City has allocated $187,000 in grants for community nonprofits, neighborhood groups, and neighborhood business districts as part of the Community Improvement and Outreach Grant program.

This grant program is designed to quickly and efficiently improve the quality of Salt Lake City’s communities and neighborhoods.

With the help of residents and local organizations, these funds can be used towards public safety projects, recreation and education projects, sustainability projects, neighborhood improvements, neighborhood-school partnerships, local project developments, and more.

Applications will be accepted November 1-December 2, 2013 and are available online.

Net Zero Cities Conference

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As the world tackles the challenges of climate change, energy supply and water security, communities are taking the lead in finding solutions.

The Net Zero Cities Conference (October 23-24, 2013) will bring together thought leaders from around the globe to share their systems-based approaches, processes and examples of success in working towards net zero at the community scale.

Salt Lake City’s own Vicki Bennett, director of Salt Lake City Green, will speak on the plenary panel on the second day of the conference. She plans to discuss Salt Lake City’s new net zero Public Safety Building and policies surrounding net zero energy.

You can learn more about the Net Zero Cities Conference on their website, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Look for the #NetZeroCities hashtag to join the conversation!

Designing a Future with Nature in Mind

Our friends at the University of Utah’s Office of Sustainability made us aware of this exciting event tomorrow.

Designing a Future with Nature in Mind
George Bandy, Jr., Interface Inc. Vice President for Sustainability

Sept. 19, 2013, 11:30 am to 1 pm
Saltair Room, Union (200 Central Campus Drive, SLC).
Lunch provided.

George Bandy, Jr. looks for opportunities to develop a better future through environmental, economic and socially responsible solutions in his role at Interface. His knowledge includes eco-friendly business practices, greening the supply chain and social sustainability. He is currently Chair-Elect of the U.S. Green Building Council Board of Directors and works with The Natural Step, Second Nature, Natural Resource Conservation Commission, and others. An Office of Sustainability event.

Engage, Salt Lake City

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What’s your vision of the future of Salt Lake City? We have two unique opportunities for you to weigh in!

Airport

The Salt Lake City International Airport is building a new terminal, and they are looking for your best ideas! Explore the plans for the brand new terminal complex and tell them what you think they should focus on. 

One tidbit we learned from visiting their site – the new terminal will be designed to high environmental standards and will aim for meeting a LEED Silver Rating or better from the U.S. Green Building Council. Nice!

Plan Salt Lake

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Plan Salt Lake is a citywide vision that will help guide the City into the future, which will bring together all of the existing citywide policies and help residents, business owners, visitors and City decision makers make decisions today that will impact tomorrow.

Let them know what you value about Salt Lake City and be a part of this important conversation!

Psst… sneak preview

Salt Lake City Green is working on a Sustainable City Dashboard that will provide an opportunity for residents to engage in a multifaceted conversation about sustainability in our community.

The dashboard expands on the vision outlined in Mayor Becker’s Livability Agenda and Sustainable Salt Lake — Plan 2015. Stay tuned for the details…

Earth Day in SLC

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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.

  1. Avoid waste: recycle. Salt Lake City makes it easy to recycle common household waste with curbside mixed recycling and curbside glass.
  2. Give up plastic (and paper) bags. Bring your own reusable grocery bags and save money, energy and natural resources.
  3. Stop buying bottled water. Buy one reusable water bottle and save some serious cash. We recommend aluminum or stainless steel.
  4. Stop receiving unwanted catalogs. We have tips on stopping unwanted junk mail on our website.
  5. Give up conventional detergents. Natural cleaners have less chemicals and work effectively at cooler temperatures.
  6. 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.
  7. Give up the clothes dryer. Or optimize your dryer loads.
  8. Check for leaks in your toilet. Save water and money with a simple test.
  9. Use recycled toilet paper. It costs about the same as regular toilet paper.
  10. Give up paper towels. Invest in some reusable microfiber towels, which can be easily washed and reused again.
  11. Run a fully loaded dishwasher. Save energy and water when you skip partial loads.
  12. Lower the temp in your fridge. The fridge accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the average home energy bill each month!
  13. Give up 2 degrees. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or more during the summer months.
  14. Give up dry cleaning. Check the labels when you purchase new clothes.
  15. 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)

Earth-Day-2013

What’s the Deal with VOCs?

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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:

  • Cosmeticsspraycan
  • 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

Salt Lake City LogoFOR 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

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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.

Before “Recycle” Comes…

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Reduce and Reuse!

Did you know that over 1,300 tons of garbage is buried in the Salt Lake Valley Landfill every day?

Salt Lake City residents already have access to no less than four waste bins (garbage, mixed recycling, compost/yard waste and glass). Proper use of these bins is crucial to waste diversion, which is a technical term that basically means that the more waste we recycle in one form or another, the less garbage fills up the landfill.

But before recycling comes reduce and reuse. Everyone can reduce waste by incorporating some simple choices in their everyday shopping patterns.

Strategies include:

  • Reusing items more frequently
  • Buying items that last longer (skip the disposables)
  • Not buying items you don’t need (save waste AND money)
  • Paying attention to excessive packaging on items

We have some great tips on reusable products like water bottles and tote bags, reducing junk mail and environmentally preferable purchasing on our SLCGreen website.

Do you have any questions? Let us know!