Tag Archives: sustainable

Sustainable City Dashboard

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Screenshot of the homepage of the Sustainable City Dashboard.

Today SLCgreen joined Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker to unveil a new and innovative tool to track our sustainability efforts and engage with the public.

The Sustainable City Dashboard website features over 100 different metrics from 12 core areas of livability: Air & Climate, Energy, Recycling, Transportation, Open Space, Water, Urban Forestry, Arts & Culture, Housing, Community Health & Safety, Food & Nutrition and Education.

“The Sustainable City Dashboard is an effort to openly engage with residents as we work toward our goals for the future,” said Mayor Becker. “The tool illuminates 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 dashboard also features a venue for residents to voice their ideas and concerns about all aspects of Salt Lake City life. The new format, facilitated through Open City Hall, provides the opportunity for two-way communication and enhanced idea sharing.

We hope that Salt Lake City residents will see the new dashboard as an opportunity to explore what their city is doing to improve our community, and become part of the process by sharing their own ideas on how we can reach our goals.

Start exploring the new Sustainable City Dashboard.  We can’t wait to hear your ideas!

Community Gardens are Sprouting!

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Do you dream of growing your own vegetables? Salt Lake City has some exciting news for you!

Eight City-owned or managed parcels of land have been identified for the development of community gardens.

Interested? Then head over to SLCgreen.com to review the eight available parcels, located in key areas throughout Salt Lake City. There you will also find the Green City Growers Application Packet, with information on the six step application process.

Applications are due by December 15, 2013. So get moving!

[10-18-2013] A special thank you to the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News for covering our October 17 event at Cannon Greens Community Garden!

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…

Enjoy a Green 4th of July!

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The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and SLCgreen staff have a few tips for residents who want to make their celebrations a little greener.

  1. Use durable goods instead of disposable. Please, just say “no” to disposable plates, cups and utensils. Instead, bring out the readily available dishes from your very own kitchen! Sure, they require more cleanup, but you’ll be saving money and reducing waste. If you need to use disposables:
    • Consider reusing disposable goods for another summer get-together to reduce your impact.
    • Please note that compostable plates and utensils are currently not accepted through Salt Lake City’s Curbside Compost Program (i.e. your tan can), so steer clear.
  2. Provide drinks in large dispensers. It’s going to be a steamy Fourth of July this year, but instead of offering bottled water (and all of the plastic waste that comes along with it), put out drink dispensers that can be used to fill up your guests reusable water bottles or recyclable cups. This concept can also apply to any other beverages offered at your celebration – fewer bottles means less waste!
  3. Skip the personal fireworks. A controversial suggestion, we know. But the air pollution from fireworks can be tough on our valley’s air quality. Even sparklers have high concentrations of air pollution (read the scientific study). Consider air-friendly decorations that can be stored and reused next year instead. Need inspiration? The Daily Green has some great ideas.
  4. Choose air-friendly transportation. Can you bike or walk to your 4th of July celebration, or your yearly neighborhood fireworks show? Many homes in Salt Lake City offer a nice view from the convenience of your very own roof! We suggest that you skip the headache of parking and help reduce air pollution on a holiday that is especially prone to it. At the very least – carpool!
  5. Use a gas grill instead of charcoal. Propane gas grills heat up faster and have a whole lot less polluting emissions than charcoal grills. Read on to learn more at Earth911.com.
  6. Recycle, of course!  When the party is over, be sure to recycle plastics, cardboard, cans and glass in the appropriate containers. Salt Lake City residents can put most recyclable materials into their blue curbside bin, and residents that subscribe to curbside glass service have an easy way to get the job done. Glass dropoff sites are also located throughout Salt Lake City.

More Resources

The Daily Green has a very comprehensive Fourth of July Green Guide available on their website. We particularly love:

While you are there, also take a look at their Declare Your Independence piece.

Green Guide to the Utah Arts Festival

It’s that time of year again! The 2013 Utah Arts Festival kicks off today, Thursday, June 20th and runs through Sunday, June 24th.

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We love this annual gathering in the heart of Salt Lake City that celebrates art in its many forms – from paintings to pottery, music to performance art, delicious food and drink and much much more!

The Utah Arts Festival places a priority on reducing its impact on the environment, with their eARTh Team spearheading this effort.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Last year the Festival recycled more than 18 tons of plastic and cardboard and 2 tons of glass! When you visit the Festival this weekend, be sure to look for the Waste Wise Stations located throughout the venue and dispose of your waste accordingly.

Getting There

We recommend leaving your car at home, or at the very least carpooling, to this wonderful event. Skip the traffic altogether with our favorite air-friendly options:

Public Transit: Use the Library Station on the TRAX Red Line or the Courthouse Station on the Blue and Green TRAX lines. The 2, 205 and 228 also access Library Square.

Bike: Ride your bike to the Festival and enjoy free bike valet parking and $2 off admission! The bike valet is located on 400 South next to the City-County Building, mid-block between State Street and 200 East. During the 2012 Festival, over 1,566 bikes were parked at the valet lot. That’s a lot of cars that stayed home!

Powering the Festival

This year Rocky Mountain Power and its Blue Sky customers will help “green” the Utah Arts Festival even more by supporting renewable energy equal to the energy used to power the event. Support from Blue Sky customers is making it possible for the Festival to avoid 87,398 pounds of CO2 emissions. That’s like planting 1,027 trees or taking seven cars off the road for a whole year.

Other Green Tidbits

  • The Festival sends vegetable oil used at their food booths to a local business that converts it into bio-diesel.
  • Compostable food waste is also captured from food booths, diverting 700 pounds from the landfill last year alone.
  • Electric plug ins on Washington Square make gas generators a thing of the past.

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Stop by to say “hello!”

SLCgreen will be at the Arts Festival, so keep an eye out for our booth and be sure to stop by. We will have a wide variety of helpful information about all things green in SLC!

Travel Green This Summer

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School is out and the weather is heating up — it’s summertime in Salt Lake City!

Summer heralds a season travel, whether it is a day trip up into the mountains, a family road trip, a flight across the country or even an international adventure. Whatever your plans, we’ve put together some tips to help you green your travels.

  • Just say “no” to bottled water. Bring a reusable bottle, we recommend stainless steel. If you are traveling by plane, leave it empty through airport security and fill up once you are through. Lots of airports, including Salt Lake International, now have easy-to-use water filling stations.
  • Leave no trace. When visiting natural areas, including state and national parks, leave nothing but your footprints. Pack out your trash and resist the urge to take any natural “souvenirs” — accept from the gift shop of course!

Hotels

  • Stay at a green hotel, if there is one available. Or choose to support a locally-owned business, which generally keeps more money in the community. A simple Google search is a great place to start.
  • Reuse your towels and linens when staying at a hotel. Just like you would at home – hang up wet towels to air dry and then use them again! Your small action will help add up to some big water and energy savings.
  • Know your hotel’s recycling policy and be sure to sort your trash accordingly.
  • When you leave your room for a day full of adventure, turn off the air conditioning, lights and any electronic devices.

Eat Green

  • Eat at a local restaurant when traveling. The same theory applies here as to staying at a local hotel. Many local restaurants also source local, and more sustainable, ingredients for their meals.

Alternative Transit

  • Choose a nonstop flight if you can. More airtime equals more fuel consumed and a larger carbon footprint.
  • Skip the rental car and rent bikes. Check out America’s top 50 most bike-friendly cities.
  • If you are headed to a larger city, explore available public transportation. You’ll be traveling like a local!
  • If you do need to rent a car, consider carsharing options (available in most large cities) or rent the smallest, most fuel efficient vehicle possible.

Save Big, Stay Put!

  • Embrace the simplicity of the staycation. There are some great ideas on Pinterest and family blogs, including spending the day at a city pool or creating a picnic adventure at a favorite park.

Do you have any tips of your own? Share them here!

Urban Garden & Farm Week

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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.

What’s Your Gardening Potential?

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Have you ever wondered how much food you could grow in your yard if you took the time to garden? Now you can find out your gardening potential with this nifty tool!

Through the Community Food Production Mapping Tool, you have the ability to find out an estimation of your property’s food production potential. We website also links users to resources that will educate and empower them to grow more food. Simply zoom in and click on your address to see the following informtion:

  • Address
  • Lot Area
  • Arable Area
  • Calories (calories per year)
  • Food Days (days per year)

It’s fascinating! And it’s time for you to give it a try. Instructions for using the Community Food Production Mapping Tool are available at SLCgreen.com. 

 

Energize 2013

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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.