Utah Environmental Resources

ENERGY use
There are all sorts of things we can do to save energy. First of all we should know where our energy comes from. Coal? Solar? Hydro-electric? Reducing electricity consumption from a coal fired power plant can have an impact on global warming if we all act collectively. Turn off lights, unplug appliances you are not using, use energy star certified appliances, clean the back of your refrigerator regularly, find programs that support alternative energy such as wind or solar. You can also simply lower your thermostat and put on a sweater in winter or open a window in summer. When you have your own place, look into passive solar design, double and triple pained windows, and solar panels. And of course, hold your elected officials accountable, and put pressure on them to support a green economy.
Links:
http://www.utahcleanenergy.org/
WATER use
If you live in the West, chances are your water is coming from a long distance away. In Utah, we depend on giant reservoirs and catchments of water up Provo and Rock canyons for our water. This water has been diverted from natural hydrological cycles to water lawns, agricultural fields and fill bathtubs. Of course it isn’t wrong to use water, but the more conscientious we are about our use, the more the water can stay in the rivers, stream and lakes. Limit shower time, REPLACE lawns with native and drought tolerant vegetation, don’t wash drive ways sweep them. And of course, hold your elected officials accountable, and put pressure on them to support a green economy.
Links:
http://www.utahrivers.org/
http://www.slowtheflow.org/
http://www.conservewater.utah.gov/
http://www.cuwcd.com/ (Central Utah Water Conservancy District)
FOOD and General consumption
This, in my humble opinion is the most important! What we eat and what we consume are intimately connected to the ecological and social problems we face. Our cheap food is heavily subsidized by fossil fuels and drenched with fertilizers and pesticides that affect our water ways and drinking water. That inexpensive t-shirt you’re wearing was probably produced in China for a pittance, at the expense of US manufacturing jobs. On average, the food on our table comes from about 1,200 miles away! These are usually called FOOD MILES. This combined with toxic and destructive industrial food production practices are wreaking havoc on our earth and our health. Buying organic and fair trade food and products is a great step to reducing out impact, but it is even more impactful if we buy LOCAL organic food. Local food is usually grown by small farmers, who use fewer chemicals, and who have a stake in the local economy. Supporting them means they won’t have to sell their land to a sub-divider! So start small, buy more organic products at the store, DO NOT shop at Wal-Mart, patronize farmers markets and support local farmers before buying store bought organics.
Another thing we can do is reduce or stop our meat consumption. Meat production in the US is both unethical and environmentally destructive. Another thing we can do is reduce, reuse and recycle our waste. Provo and Utah generally are not the best recyclers, if you are dedicated, there are ways to recycle most things.* And of course, hold your elected officials accountable, and put pressure on them to support a green economy.
Links:
http://www.100milediet.org/
http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.factoryfarms.com/
http://www.sustainabletable.org/
http://www.themeatrix.com/
http://attra.ncat.org/farm_energy/food_miles.html (food Miles)
http://www.coopamerica.org/
http://www.foodfirst.org/
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Transportation
This one is pretty obvious, when we drive we emit all kinds of bad stuff, this not only affects the climate, but also our local air quality and water ways. Utah has what are called inversions, which trap all the pollution from cars in the valley, causing serious respiratory problems for children and elderly. So, use public transport, drive less, bike and walk more, plan errands around a single trip. Or you can offset your emissions with a reputable NGO like Carbon Fund. And of course, hold your elected officials accountable, and put pressure on them to support a green economy.
Links:
http://www.carbonfund.org/
http://www.rideuta.com/
Ecological Literacy/sense of place
In reducing our impact on the planet it is also ESSENTIAL that we acquaint ourselves with the natural systems and beings that surround us. Ecological Foot Print can be measured quantitatively, but literacy is a qualitative impact that each of us has to find for ourselves. Understanding the basics of the hydrological cycle, carbon cycle, learning to identify local flora and fauna, volunteering with invasive plant removals or river clean ups, hiking, camping, hunting responsibly, etc. These are only a few ways in which we can reconnect to the land, gaining a better understanding of why all the other things are necessary in the first place. And of course, hold your elected officials accountable, and put pressure on them to support a green economy.
http://www.earthday.net/ (Ecological Foot Print Quiz)
http://www.ucweeds.org/
Political Engagement and awareness
Lastly, it is ESSENTIAL that we are engaged with the ongoing debates on the local, state, and national political stage. There are very real differences in how candidates approach the environment; research each and come up with your own conclusions about who might be the best candidate to guide us to the green economy. Stay up with news, and read books and articles about relevant issues, then write editorials, articles, emails, or letters to appropriate representatives about your concerns.
http://www.enn.com/
http://www.npr.org/
http://www.globalissue.org/

A few General Organizations:
http://www.sierraclub.org/
http://www.greenpeace.org/
http://www.wiserearth.org/

BYU and Utah Organizations
Eco-Response BYU- BYUecoresponse@gmail.com The Utah Valley Sierra Forum- http://uvsf.blogspot.com/ The June sucker recovery project- http://www.junesuckerrecovery.org/ The Utah Native Plant Society- http://www.unps.org/
Tree Utah- http://www.treeutah.org/
Slow Food Utah- http://www.slowfoodutah.org/
Utah Rivers Council- http://www.utahrivers.org/
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance- http://www.suwa.org/
Salt Lake Sierra Club-http://utah.sierraclub.org/saltlake_group.asp
Wasatch Community Gardens- http://www.wasatchgardens.org/
Post Carbon Salt Lake- http://www.relocalize.net/groups/saltlake
Nature Conservancy Utah - http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/utah/
HEAL Utah (nuclear waste Issue) – http://www.healutah.org/
Mormons for Equality and Social Justice – http://www.mesj.org/
University of Utah Office of Sustainability – http://www.sustainability.utah.edu/
On World Café – http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.org/
Save Our Canyons – http://www.saveourcanyons.org/
Utah Environmental Congress – http://www.uec-utah.org/
Utah Vital Signs Report - www.utahpop.org/vitalsigns/
Utahans for better transportation - http://www.utahnsforbettertransportation.org/
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment - http://www.uphe.org/
Friends of the Great Salt Lake – http://www.fogsl.org/
Utah Back Country Volunteers- http://www.utahbackcountry.org/
Utah Society for Environmental Education – http://www.usee.org/
Utah Moms for Clean Air – http://www.utahmomsforcleanair.org/

*Recycling in Utah
Waste Management is pretty much the only local recycler, but it’s tough to get apartments to sign up with them, there is no city mandate for recycling. So you can either take your recyclables to the city drop off @ 1625 South Industrial Parkway This the Provo city Compost station, which is open Spring/Summer/Fall Monday - Friday 8 am -6 pm, and Saturdays 8 am - 5 pm. Winter hours are Monday - Thursday 8 am - 6 pm. Its basically a big space to dump organic waste, but there is a large green waste management bin a the far end.
You can recycle-Paper, cardboard, 1 & 2 plastic, aluminum and tin cans: NO GLASS
You can also recycle paper, aluminum cans, and cardboard at BYU campus.
There is one place in Salt Lake that recycles glass, if you ever want to make the trip:
Rocky Mountain Recycling Inc (801) 975-1820 2950 W 900 S Salt Lake City, UT
Other Utah Recycling Organizations:
http://www.recycleutah.org/
http://www.utahrecycles.org/
If you would like a tour the Waste Management Recycling Facility in West Jordan call: (801) 280-8200 press zero and ask to talk with Troy Larson

Vignette

I just started working at the Provo City Water Sources Department. Every Morning we stop at a gas station, Mavericks. There are usually a lot of people there, getting gas for the day, buying coffee. I see coke trucks and other mechanical beasts of burden. There is a gaggle of sea gulls that circle overhead. One day a man in a taxi drove off with the pump in the tank. He stopped suddenly and ran out shaking his head to put the pump back. As we drove away, we passed a McDonalds with a DVD rental machine outside, there was already a man standing confused in front of it, getting his media fix for the day. We pass a large truck with a Lexus add on the side, a car in nature, whizzing down a country road. A car in its natural habitat. Our foul attempt to reconnect to the nature we destroy at 60 MPH. On the radio, the report talks about the recent Starbucks share holder conference, a gathering of the faithful in times of trouble. The audience erupts in applause as the CEO takes center stage and prophesies of future growth and innovation. I feel comforted that their stock has fallen 45% in the last year. The quicker the economy crashes the sooner we can get back to what matters most. The announcer’s voice explores the idea of an ethical stock market that would not invest in Sudan for example. A glossy stock broker’s voice chimes in with a sneer at how ridiculous it would be for a stock person to have to think about morals AND profits.

Aprovecho Internship Manifesto

In unity and solidarity with all those who are working toward an earth worth living on, a culture worth celebrating, and a philosophy worth sharing.

A personal manifesto, a declaration of independence and of interdependence. I declare independence from the life that is being sold to me in the media and by my peers. I declare a life of interdependence with my fellow beings.

Independence from agriculture, from oil, from clear cuts, from suburbs, from toxic chemicals, from war, from malls, from cars, from a culture of death.

In solidarity with Frankie, Phoebe, Alex Hessler, Alex, Mat, Abi, Emily, Mellissa, Nathan, Sam, Angie.

With the rough skinned newt, the spotted owl, salal, Douglas fir, and the white tailed deer.

I declare to you all that I will not stop working until we have created the world we envision. It will not be perfect, nor necessarily achieved in our lifetimes, but perhaps the saplings that are just now beginning to emerge out of the moist forest floor, will witness the great change, when they reach their branches far into the air, 5 or 600 years from now. They will see a humanity that has lost its poison, its oil, one that lives simply, in harmony with its surroundings.

Sometimes I catch myself getting excited about the ideas of Permaculture, that upon further examination seem as old as time and as simple as could be. Are we really fighting an uphill battle to keep poison out of our food and homes, to maintain our communities, traditions and cultures, protecting the life support system we call earth from degradation, poisoning, and extinction?
It will be a long and tired battle. But we must keep fighting.

I will learn to grow food, to prepare it, preserve it. I will learn to plant trees and harvest them. I will learn the names of the life forms that are in my bioregion, and make sure that they have a home here in perpetuity. I will lessen my dependence on cars and fossil fuels. I will put down roots in a place, learn its history and become a part of its history. Know my neighbors and community. I will renounce war and proclaim peace.

Mom and Dad, this is not a hobby. It’s not a phase. It’s not even a career. This is life, as it should be lived. In community, in sweat, in laughter.

I am far from perfect, and embrace my challenges and weaknesses. I am not very good at living with others yet. I am selfish. I have so much to learn about myself, about how to be part of a family, a village, a bioregion. I admit the fear I feel of my own body, of work, of sweat, and will continue to work toward the synchronizing of my body and mind into a soul.
I will live in a village, even if I live in the city. A place of Human scale, a natural habitat for humans.

I will work in defense of the Forests for they are our greatest ally. They create abundance without a drip of human toil, and yield generously to us air, water, and medicine. I will fight the WOPR. I will fight the old paradigm of forestry that seeks to maximize profit at the expense of the whole. Sustained yield is not ecologically sustainable. I will work for a paradigm shift.
The movement of which we represent is not new, it is timeless, we are but its current stewards.
When it is done we will be better people for having fought the fight. And even if we lose, the spaces we create will be refuges for the Spirit, for culture, happiness.

I will continue to struggle with methods. I will ask myself what the appropriate role is of militancy, activism, violence, non-violence, working within the system and outside it. These are questions that are not readily answerable in my mind. But I declare that I will do anything and everything I must to win. Even if that means after much thought picking up a weapon, god willing my weapon will be my words.

I pray for the humility to stay focused on my core values, and to not dogmatize my solutions. Care for people, care for the earth. I must have faith in and love people.

This is my declaration! In defiance of those who would profit from the destruction of earth and the exploitation of her creations!