Sustainability Office

Explore Sustainability at the U

Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund: Year in Review (2019-20)

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By Emerson Andrews, Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund manager During the 2019-2020 academic year, the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund (SCIF) provided more than $100,000 to 19 projects designed by University of Utah community members. The projects covered a range of issues, from concerns about equity and accessibility, to water-use reduction, air-pollution awareness, and more. Project funding […]

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Student project: Small thermostat changes lead to big change

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By Kelsie Rae Patten, student in the Anthropocene Now Honors Praxis Lab We’re all familiar with the need to reduce carbon emissions in our warming world. We’re told to get solar panels on our homes, drive less, and eat fewer carbon-intensive foods. These changes can require a lot of effort for small individual impacts, so […]

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How to safely recreate now

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By Ayrel Clark-Proffitt, Sustainability Engagement Manager We could all use a little adventure, especially after strictly following the State of Utah “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive. But just as our everyday lives have changed in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the way we recreate must necessarily be different, too. But that doesn’t mean […]

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Congratulations, graduates!

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Six sustainability interns are graduating this year! Their graduations are bittersweet, but we want to recognize their outstanding endeavors and wish them the best in their bright futures. LUCY ALLEN “Lucy is a force of nature. She has worked as the farmers market intern, sustainable food systems intern, Real Food Challenge president, and participates on […]

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U exceeds federal energy reduction commitment

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Originally published in @theU on April 17, 2020 By Wes Mangum, Facilities Management As the University of Utah community prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day from home, it does so with the achievement of a significant milestone. The U has exceeded a goal it committed to nearly nine years ago through smart […]

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Real life recycling lessons: 5 recycling mistakes by Utah fans

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By Abby Ghent, Sports & Sustainability Ambassador After the March 6 Utah Red Rocks gymnastics meet—a competition where Utah handily topped Stanford and Utah Senior Kim Tessen scored a perfect 10 on the vault—members of the U Sustainability and Recycling teams sorted through all the discarded materials in the Huntsman Center recycling bins as part […]

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Researching Sustainability from Home

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Did you know that the Sustainability Office has a librarian? Academic Librarian Amy Brunvand has been working with the Sustainability Office to help collect and preserve information about using the campus as a living laboratory for sustainable change. While campus is shut down, University of Utah students, faculty, and staff can think of campus libraries as a […]

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Sustainability programs affected by public health situation

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In line with the University of Utah’s response to the COVID-19 public health situation, the Sustainability Office is suspending components of its programming. On March 12, the university announced it will shift classes to all-online instruction for the remainder of the spring semester. Learn more about the university’s response through coronavirus.utah.edu, which is being updated […]

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TRAX air quality study expands

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This article, originally published in @theu, February 26, 2020, was written by Paul Gabrielsen, Science Writer, University of Utah Communications For more than five years, University of Utah air quality sensors have hitched rides on TRAX light rail trains, scanning air pollution along the train’s Red and Green Lines. Now the study, once a passion […]

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Seeking Systems that Serve Us All

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by Amber Aumiller, graduate assistant, Sustainability Office In the western United States, most of our cities are situated in arid landscapes–dryland ecosystems or deserts.  Historically, dry landscapes have been viewed as wastelands, lacking value until we created a use for them. Most humans now live in cities, and dryland ecosystems are currently home to over […]

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