Photo: Buck Island Ranch by Carlton Ward By Amber Aumiller, graduate assistant, Sustainability Office For many of us, it is hard to envision a role for cows in land conservation. Out here in the West, cattle ranging has completely reorganized ecosystems over the last couple hundred years, and there are strong and complex opinions regarding […]

The inversions that occur annually in many of Utah’s valleys are a natural outcome of our topography. However, the pollutants emitted into the air aren’t natural. In fact, they are dictated by our decisions and actions. No one wants bad air, but unfortunately our lifestyles and transportation choices add particulate matter to the inversion, resulting […]

This article, originally published in @theu, January 16, 2020, was written by Lisa Potter, science writer, University of Utah Communications Charred koalas, acres of burning forest, families hiding in the ocean—images of the Australian bushfires are disturbing. The latest estimates say that over 25 million acres have burned. For context, the famous “Black Saturday” bushfires […]

This article, originally published in @theu, January 7, 2020, was written by Nick Thiriot, communications director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has released a breakthrough report designed to inform Utah’s efforts to improve air quality and address a changing climate. The report, called “The Utah Roadmap,” was requested by […]

by Amber Aumiller, graduate assistant, Sustainability Office While many of us are aware of some of the federal environmental protections that became law and policy in 1970 thanks to pressure from an increasingly aware and concerned citizen population, as well as the recent rollbacks of environmental protections attempted under the Trump administration, not many people […]

by Amber Aumiller, graduate assistant, Sustainability Office Growing our climate literacy empowers us to take steps to help ourselves, help others, and broaden our impact toward sustaining our world, but learning about the complex multitude of mounting problems can also tumble us into deep feelings of stress, fear, anxiety, and grief.  A growing part of […]

Do you want to improve your health by getting more exercise in the new year? Is it difficult to find the time to exercise during your busy day? Activate your commute and you’ll do both! Make walking or biking a part of your commute to the U and your physical health will improve – and […]

This article, originally published in @theu, December 5, 2019, was written by Onsoo Kim, assistant director of PR & marketing, University of Utah Asia Campus. On Oct. 21-25, 2019, urban ecology students at the University of Utah Asia Campus (UAC) presented to international leaders at the Global Green Growth Institute’s flagship conference. The aim of the […]

This article, originally published in @theu, November 25, 2019, was written by Paul Gabrielsen, science writer, University of Utah Communications. In a world of rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, plants should be happy, right? Experiments have shown that, yes, increased carbon dioxide does allow plants to photosynthesize more and use less water. But the […]

This article, originally published in @theu, November 13, 2019, was written by Kate Whitbeck, communications, sustainability department. Did you know that one of the easiest low cost and most effective ways to impact climate change is to change our consumption habits? An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded study indicates that more than 40% of our […]