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Posts tagged ‘salt lake county’

Jul 9

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Staying Cool this Summer and as the Climate Warms

Photo of Salt Lake City looking towards east-bench foothills on sunny day.
Summer in Salt Lake City can be beautiful, but rising temperatures make staying cool a challenge.

Staying cool during Utah summers is always difficult when the thermometer climbs above 90, 95, and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

This year it’s even more challenging with the necessity of staying home, and the closures or limitation on public swimming pools, splash pads, and some cooling centers.

With more people spending more time at home, utility bills and household waste have spiked.

As the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) points out, there are other ways to stay cool than by cranking up the A/C. Here are a few ideas that work especially well in our desert climate:

  • Stay Hydrated! Staying hydrated will help you stay cool and healthy, even when it’s hot! Read more about the signs of dehydration here.
  • Use your windows! Windows can be your best friend. Try to open things up at night to help cool your space down, but close the blinds or use window coverings when it starts to get hot our during the day.
  • Fans: Be strategic about box fans or overhead fans – they can help keep things cool and reduce the need for AC. But save energy by turning them off before you leave the house!
  • Optimize Space: Keep doors shut to areas you’re not using – that way you’ll be cooling a smaller space, which is more energy efficient!
  • Cook Carefully: Opting for recipes that don’t use the oven or require a long time on the stove will help keep your kitchen cooler – and may even help with your indoor air quality.
  • Switch to LED lights: Using more efficient lighting will help you save energy and money. LEDs, and other home energy efficiency improvements, can help you cut your energy bills and keep space cooler. Typical incandescent lights also put off more heat, so switching to LED reduces the heat burden in your home.

Salt Lake County Opens Two Cooling Centers this Weekend

The National Weather Service – Salt Lake City tweets about the heat risk forecast for July 11 and 12, 2020.
Read more

May 23

Interested in Joining a New Community Garden?

Growing fresh greens at the Gateway Community Garden, which opened in 2018.

Community gardens provide Salt Lake City with fresh, locally grown food and a vibrant space to connect with our neighbors. Salt Lake City’s community gardens are popular locations for everything from volunteering to learning about urban farming. Indeed, in conjunction with Wasatch Community Gardens (WCG), Salt Lake City has successfully developed seven community gardens in almost every corner of the city through our Green City Growers program.

These gardens include the Off Broadway Community Garden, Liberty Wells, Rose Park, Cannon Greens, 9-Line, Popperton Plots, and the Gateway Garden. Not only do these gardens support Salt Lake City’s dedication to increase local food production, they invigorate our neighborhoods by putting vacant lots to use in ways that support community engagement and biodiversity — all while limiting our communities’ carbon footprints.

Salt Lake City’s community gardens activate our neighborhoods, giving residents a space to engage with friends and neighbors and to grow fresh produce. And we just can’t get enough of them!

In order to continue to make community gardens accessible and ensure that locally grown food stays a priority, both Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County have proposed new community gardens to be built in 2020.

But the City, County, and WCG can’t do it alone. We need a strong show of support from nearby residents, indicating that the gardens will receive enough use.

Salt Lake City is working with WCG to establish Richmond Park Community Garden. Similarly, Salt Lake County and WCG are collaborating on a new garden in Sugar House Park. You can read more about the gardens below. If you would be interested in gardening at either of these parks, sign the petitions below to show your support.

Richmond Park

Salt Lake City highlighted Richmond Park for a potential garden. The park, which already has a fantastic playground, is nestled between 500 and 400 East along 600 South in downtown Salt Lake City.

Read more

Dec 27

Skip the Wood Burning, Be a #CleanAirChampion

Adobe Spark (9)

Did you know? One wood fireplace emits the same amount of particulate pollution as 90 SUVs and one wood-burning stove pollutes as much as 3,000 natural gas furnaces.

This week’s Clean Air Champion tip is about wood burning.

Even though burning wood is festive at this time of year, it’s a significant polluter (estimated to contribute 5-26% of total pollution on a winter day, according to a presentation from Dr. Kelly Kerry to UCAIR).

Before you burn, make sure to check to see if it’s a no burn day.

The Salt Lake County Health Department prohibits burning solid fuel in fireplaces or wood burning stoves and bans outdoor fires (including bonfires, patio pits, and charcoal grill fires) on days that the State of Utah designates as either mandatory or voluntary air action (no burn) days.

Read more

Mar 25

City Invites Residents to Discuss Future Improvements to Foothill Drive

Salt Lake City’s Transportation Division, along with several partner organizations, invite residents and area stakeholders to meet and discuss the future of the Foothill Drive corridor at an open house to be held Thursday, March 31, at 5 pm located at Hillside Middle School, 1825 Nevada Street in Salt Lake City.

The open house marks the beginning of Foothill Drive Implementation Strategy, which will identify short term and long-term priorities to address traffic congestion, improve neighborhood connections, enhance safety, and provide transportation options.

Foothill Drive has long served as a vital urban thoroughfare linking I-80, I-215, and Parley’s Way at the City’s Southeastern border to the Foothill Cultural District and the University of Utah, and eventually Downtown via 500/400 South.

The street also serves as a neighbor commercial corridor and regular users have expressed interest in enhancing the safety, efficiency and aesthetics of the corridor for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and transit riders.

To learn more about the project and to share your ideas, visit the project website at www.foothilldrive.org, email the project team at foothilldriveslc@gmail.com, join us at the upcoming open house or call the project hotline at 801-535-7130 to provide comment.

 

Who: Salt Lake City Transportation Division, University of Utah, Utah Department of Transportation, Wasatch Front Regional Council, Salt Lake County, Utah Transit Authority

Where:
Hillside Middle School
1825 Nevada Street
Salt Lake City, Utah

When: Thursday, March 31st from 5 p.m. -7 p.m.

 

People with disabilities who would like to request reasonable accommodation to attend this event should provide 48 hours advance notice. Accommodations may include alternate formats, interpreters, and other auxiliary aids. For questions or additional information, please contact Christine Passey, Coordinator for Disability Rights/Special Projects, at christine.passey@slcgov.com, 801-535-7110, or TDD 801-535-6021.

Jan 20

Salt Lake County To Lease Land for Urban Farming

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Salt Lake County’s Urban Farming program has just released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to lease three parcels of County land to local farmers (3-10 acres).

All three parcels are located in the Salt Lake Valley and come with canal water access. Farmers can bid on one or all of the parcels.

Sealed proposals must be logged, stamped and received before 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at Contracts & Procurement, 2001 South State Street, Room N4-600, Salt Lake City, Utah 84190-3100.

Explore the RFP.

 

Jun 2

Salt Lake County Launches Farmlink Pilot Program

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Salt Lake County Urban Farming is piloting a Farmlink program that aims to link available land in Salt Lake County with interested growers.

If you or someone you know is interested in finding land to farm, or if you have questions about our program, please contact Aaron Barlow by email at abarlow@slco.org, or by phone at 385-468-1824. You can download the Farmlink application online.

Some land may be owned by public entities such as Salt Lake County or a municipality, while some may be privately owned. Private landowners are motivated to lease land for commercial farming because the Utah Legislature has provided an opportunity for property tax reduction, given certain circumstances.

Salt Lake County Urban Farming website.

Oct 31

Urban Farming Open House

Are you interested in gardening and farming? Do you want to know where your food comes from? Would you like to start a community garden in your neighborhood? Are you interested in leasing land for small plot farming? Do you care about local food?

You’re invited to attend Salt Lake County’s Urban Farming Open House!

What: Urban Farming Open House

Where: 2001 South State Street, South Building Atrium

When: November 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Learn more at SLCo.org/urbanfarming.

UF Open House Flyer

Jun 12

Sugar House Welcomes “The Draw”

Last week, SLCgreen attended the grand opening of The Draw, a tunnel constructed under 1300 East connecting Sugar House Park to Hidden Hollow. An extension of the Parley’s Trail, The Draw allows pedestrians and bikers to bypass busy 1300 East and easily access all Sugar House has to offer.

Bottom line: The Draw is awesome. Check it out this weekend!

Jun 2

“The Draw” Opens this Friday!

TheDrawGrandOpeningWe’ve got good news for bikers and pedestrians in Sugar House! “The Draw” — the tunnel that goes under 1300 East to connect Sugar House Park to Hidden Hollow — is opening this Friday, June 6.

You are invited to attend the grand opening and ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. this Friday at Sugar House Park.

You can learn more about this exciting project via Salt Lake Magazine.

Mar 27

Spring is Here! Think Green.


sprouts

Spring is here! Now is a great time to think green. Your backyard is a great place to grow a variety of fresh and delicious fruits and veggies this spring, summer and fall. Check out the resources below to make the most of the 2013 growing season.

What is your potential?

SolarContourMapBook_Page_07

Have you ever wondered how much food you could grow in your yard if you took the time to garden? Through the Community Food Production Mapping Tool, you have the ability to not only click on your property to find out  an estimation of its food production potential, but you will also be linked to resources that will educate and empower you to grow more food.

Salt Lake City can also provide an annual calendar of solar radiation for your property. Sample solar book (PDF). Residents are encouraged to use the grid lines to plan their garden beds for optimal sun exposure. Simply email slcgreen@slcgov.com to request your book.

Understand your soil

The heart of your garden is the soil. Whether you garden succeeds or fails, is directly related to your soil, the micro-organisms that live in it, and the organic matter they feed off of. Join Wasatch Community Gardens for their ‘Know your soil’ workshop in April, or get some tips from Organic Gardening.

Grow your own seedlings

Many gardeners have never tried to grow their own starts from seed. Here are some tips  from Organic Gardening to simplify the process.

Fruit trees

Our friends at the USU Extension in Salt Lake County have two upcoming classes that will help you learn how to make the most out of your fruit trees:

Do you have excess fruit every year that inevitably ends up in the compost? Sign up for the Salt Lake City Fruit Share Program and volunteers will help you harvest your fruit. You will keep 1/3 of the harvest, the volunteers will take 1/3 and the final third will be donated.

Gardening Workshops

Whether you are a beginning gardener just getting started, a seasoned grower looking to learn some new organic techniques, or practically a professional looking for something new to grow, Wasatch Community Gardens has a class for you.

Some upcoming April classes include:

Learn more

Salt Lake City Green has a wide variety of resources on sustainable food in Salt Lake City available at www.SLCGreen.com.