Tag Archives: #TeamPollinators

Don’t Miss “Bee Fest” on June 16!

Welcome to SLCgreen Connections, an occasional series highlighting SLCgreen’s fantastic local partners—the people and organizations with whom we work closely to make Salt Lake City a greener, more vibrant, and sustainable city!

CATALYST Magazine is a long-time community asset in Salt Lake City, featuring frequent news and tips for sustainability-minded folks. After recently receiving their 501(c)3 status, CATALYST now helps organize community events, including the upcoming Bee Fest.

By Ardyn Ford, SLCgreen intern

Mark your calendars for the 8^th Annual Bee Fest in Salt Lake City on June 16!

Organized for the first time by the team at CATALYST Magazine, this year the festival will celebrate all pollinators, including bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and the plants that they love.

For the past seven years, Bee Fest has been organized by the folks at Slow Food Utah. However, change was afoot and Greta deJong, the editor and publisher of CATALYST, decided to take it on. Coincidentally, Greta had been in the process of planning a Dandelion Festival, so agreeing to take on Bee Fest was only natural.

After all, the golden flower is one of the first sources of food for bees in the spring. Continue reading →

Organic Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides

by Sydney Boogaard, spring intern

Why use alternatives to pesticides?

If you have the privilege of having a lawn or garden, you aim to keep it lush, green, and pest free. In order to obtain this, many resort to the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. While these products may be effective, they are also harmful, not only to the ecosystem, but our own human health. Most fertilizers and pesticides are manufactured with chemicals that can hurt human health; as research has shown even regulated pesticides cause damage, and all the effects have not yet been studied.

Fortunately, there are cost-effective natural alternatives to pesticides and fertilizers that will help you attain that healthy pest free yard, all while being pesticide free. Join our #PesticideFreeSLC campaign and pledge to keep our yards healthy and our bodies safe! Continue reading →

Use Native Plants, Strengthen Your Landscape

by Sydney Boogaard, spring intern

Why choose native?

Many of us will soon be planting new perennials, lawn, vegetables, or fruit trees. Like most, we want our yards to look lush, healthy, and happy. This too often means the use of fertilizers and pesticides. But if you choose the right plants and grasses your need for those harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers will dwindle.

Choosing native plants can make a difference. Because they evolved in this environment, they’re not only tougher, they help maintain healthy soil composition; increase your yard’s biodiversity; prevent water runoff; attract native species and pollinators; and resist drought, freeze, disease, and pests.

By using native plants and site-adapted grasses we can reduce our use of unsafe pesticides and fertilizers, becoming pesticide free! Join our #PesticideFreeSLC campaign and pledge to keep our yards healthy and our bodies safe.

Today we’ll talk specifically about grasses, alternative lawn covers, and native plants.

Continue reading →