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Posts tagged ‘school’

Oct 24

Community Improvement Grants Available

CIO-Grant-Flyer-1

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.

Aug 26

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Tips to Green Your Lunchbox

Fall is in the air!

With kids heading back to school, Salt Lake City parents will once again be packing lunches for them. Which makes it the perfect time for SLCgreen to share our tips for a healthy and waste-free packed lunched!

[VIDEO: Check out our segment with KUTV 2News This Morning]

1. Food First

ChooseMyPlate.gov has a lot of helpful advice on food groups, including suggestions on variety and tips to help you (and your kids) eat more fruits and vegetables. Check out the fantastic 2013 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook containing 54 winning recipes from America’s junior chefs (PDF).

Did you know that the average meal travels 1500 miles to reach your plate? Local food travels shorter distances and therefore has a lower environmental impact. Consider sourcing your ingredients from local producers – Farmers Markets are a great place to start.

2. Ditch the Disposables & Save Money

Let’s compare the cost of a reusable lunch versus one that uses disposable goods. Learn more from WasteFreeLunches.org.

A Disposable Lunch

1 egg salad sandwich $1.25
1 yogurt .85
1 granola bar .45
1 apple .30
1 package of carrots and dip .65
3 plastic bags .12
1 juice pouch .35
1 plastic spoon .04
1 paper napkin .01
TOTAL $4.02
A Waste-free Lunch

1 egg salad sandwich $1.25
1 serving of yogurt .50
1 serving of granola .35
1 apple .30
1 serving of carrots and dip .25
water 0
cloth napkin 0
stainless steel spoon 0
packaging 0
TOTAL $2.65

With a waste free lunch, you can save $246.60 per person per year!

3. Get the Gear

Our friends at Earth Goods General Store have all the supplies you need to gear up for your reusable lunch. Their store has moved to a new location on 327 E 300 South in downtown Salt Lake City. You can also find them on Facebook. 

Here’s our suggested shopping list:

  • Lunch tote
  • Cloth napkins
  • Water bottle (we prefer stainless steel)
  • Glass, plastic or metal bento box-type containers in a variety of sizes for veggies, dips, etc.
  • Reusable sandwich bags
  • You can even pick up a book or two full of healthy lunch ideas!

Apr 10

SLC Schools Recycle!

education

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.