Tag Archives: utah

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.

Sugarmont Plaza Grand Opening

A new community gathering space is coming to the heart of Sugar House!

The Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City (RDA) invites the public to attend the grand opening celebration of Sugarmont Plaza this Friday, June 14 from 6-9 p.m. at the former Deseret Industries Sugar House location, 2227 S. Highland Drive. The family-friendly event will feature music and food, as well as tours of the project.

Sugarmont Plaza is a new urban gathering spot that features a colorful plaza surface, murals, tables, chairs and umbrellas available to the public.

What’s in store for the space? Food truck rallies, music events, free movie screenings and casual gatherings are all planned in the coming months.

“Sugarmont Plaza activates a part of Sugar House currently undergoing significant change,” said Mark Morris of the nonprofit Friends of the South Salt Lake and Sugar House Streetcar. “We hope many events will be held here this summer, encouraging community members to consider how valuable public space is to them.”

Check out the Salt Lake Tribune story on the project. 

Consider taking public transit to the plaza opening (RideUTA Blog)

Do you live within walking distance? Take a look at this awesome map and consider leaving your car at home!

UCAIR Tackles Clean Air in Utah

UCAIR_landscape

Today Salt Lake City Green joined with many of its community partners to attend the 2013 kick-off event for the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR). The UCAIR initiative was first launched by Governor Herbert during the winter of 2012 in an effort to tackle Utah’s poor air quality days.

UCAIR is a statewide clean air partnership created to make it easier for individuals, businesses and communities to make small changes to improve Utah’s air. One of the program’s main messages is that every small change adds to a collective bigger step toward better health, a better economy and better overall quality of life for all of us.

Today a refreshed and revised UCAIR was unveiled, including:

Learn more about what UCAIR does, and why they do it. 

Utah Bike Week

Utah Bike Week has arrived! And Utahns all along the Wasatch Front and beyond are celebrating the joys of traveling by two wheels.

This week is packed with events designed to celebrate biking, connect you with the biking community and reward you for leaving your car at home!

A few of our favorites:

  • Gallery Roll Art Show (May 17) – Meet at 177 East 200 South to take part in a fun art gallery “roll”
  • National Bike to Work Day w/SLC Commuter Pit Stops (May 17) – Look for bike-friendly “pit stops” on your way into work for free snacks, bicycle lights, beverages, stickers and other items.
  • Bike Bonanza (May 17, 4-8 p.m. @ Gallivan Center) – Join UTA for entertainment, prizes, booths and more. This is a great, family-friendly event!

You can learn more about all of the exciting Bike Month events at UtahBikeMonth.org.

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Be a Bicycle Ambassador

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Exciting news from Salt Lake County! Earlier this week, they introduced the first county-wide Bicycle Ambassador program in the United States.

Salt Lake County’s Bicycle Ambassadors will provide bicycle outreach and education to all 17 cities and unincorporated areas throughout Salt Lake County.

SLCo Bicycle Ambassadors are a group of outgoing and informed bicycle commuters in Salt Lake County. They travel by bicycle, promote bicycle use, serve as positive examples of responsible bicycling and serve as community resources for bicycle commuting support and guidance.

Become an Ambassador

Salt Lake County residents of all ages are encouraged to apply to become Bicycle Ambassadors. A successful candidate will be passionate about bicycles and knowledgeable of bicycle commuting in Salt Lake County.

More Information

Get more information on their website, and don’t forget to “like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

Media Coverage

Fox 13

The Salt Lake Tribune

Deseret News

DEQ Launches Air Quality Video Contest

Our friends at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality recently launched a video contest. They are looking for creative, 30 second public service announcements that can be used to educate Utahns about ozone and give them ideas to help improve our summer air quality.

Watch the introductory video to learn more about the contest:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L27dtwQuFw?rel=0]

Prizes are at stake! First place will receive $500, with additional cash prizes for second and third place winners. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28th, so you have just a few weeks to get your award-winning video together!

Remember, this contest is specific to summer air quality, which comes in the form of ozone pollution. Learn more about the contest on the DEQ website. 

Earth Day in SLC

Green Grass

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

The Return of the Salt Lake Streetcar

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Streetcars are making a comeback across the country, and Utah will soon join the movement. The first phase of the Sugar House Streetcar project is set to open December 2013, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the first of what we hope will be several streetcar lines to Salt Lake City.

Well, we should say welcome back. Many years ago, Salt Lake City had an extensive streetcar network with lines stretching from Capitol Hill/The Avenues all the way into Sugar House.

Streetcar 101

It is easy to confuse the future streetcar with the TRAX system already in place. Streetcars move at much slower speeds, generally 7-12 miles per hour, while your average pedestrian travels at 3 miles per hour. Stations resemble covered bus stops and the rail lines are often integrated with existing roads.

One of Portland's popular streetcars.

One of Portland’s popular streetcars.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the Sugar House Streetcar project is currently under construction and will run from the 2100 South TRAX station along Sugarmont Avenue, ending at McClelland (roughly 1050 East). This section of the streetcar line will open December 2013.

Phase 2

Phase 2 of the project will be the continuation of the streetcar line, which was the subject of an exhaustive study that considered land use, street amenities, housing and ridership.

The study was prepared over the course of 18 months, and recommends that the streetcar line extend from McClelland to Highland Drive along Sugarmont, and then head north to Monument Plaza and finally extend north on 1100 East to 1700 South to serve Westminster College. Both a technical analysis and community input were factored into this recommendation.

Also known as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), this plan draws the streetcar right into the heart of Sugar House and will further connect Westminster College as a community hub. Learn more about Phase 2.

Sugar House is coming back to life, thanks in part to the construction of the streetcar line, which helps spur local development and is a boon for the community.

Learn more

This is an exciting time for public transit in Salt Lake City. You can learn more about the Sugar House Streetcar project at SHStreetcar.com.

And if you are on Twitter, look for the #welove11th and #purplelineSLC hashtags to join the conversation!

Public Hearing

The Salt Lake City Council will be holding a public hearing on the future of the Sugar House Streetcar on Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. If you cannot attend, you can still weigh in on the Open City Hall online forum.

SLC Schools Recycle!

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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.

Salt-Lake-City-DistrictHelp 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.

Live Green Returns to SLC May 4

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Photo courtesy of Live Green SLC: http://livegreenslc.com

Mark your calendar to join us at next month’s Live Green SLC! Festival on Saturday, May 4th at the beautiful downtown Library Square!

Admission is completely free to this outdoor event, which showcases ideas for sustainable living. From cutting edge renewable energy to backyard food production – you’ll be able to explore everyday solutions that can be implemented in your own home!

There will be free green goodies to first 1,000 attendees, plus live bands, an Eco-Chic fashion show, kids’ activities, green auctions, interactive exhibits, a solar powered food and beer pavilion and much, much more!

Join the Online Super Green Contest for your chance to walk away with some super green prizes. More than $1,000 in prizes will be given away.

The festival is looking for volunteers, please let them know if you are interested.

Be sure to stop by the SLCGreen booth to say hello and get information on our programs, services and living green in Salt Lake City. We’ll see you there!

Open Streets

Enjoy 1.5 miles of downtown streets opened exclusively to walking, biking, and other activities on Saturday, May 4th from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on 300 South/Broadway.

Open Streets events temporarily open a series of city streets exclusively to walking, jogging, bicycling, rollerblading, and more. These events encourage new people to try walking and bicycling in a comfortable and fun environment. Supporting activities regularly include exercise classes, dance classes, yoga, aerobics, sports, and family-friendly games and activities.

Get the scoop at the Open Streets SLC Facebook page.

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