Sustainability Office

Explore Sustainability at the U

THE WASATCH FRONT: A LIVING LAB

Categories:

Originally posted on @theU on September 17, 2018 By Paul Gabrielsen, science writer, University of Utah Communications University of Utah scientists know how to turn a challenge into an opportunity. Repeatedly, researchers at the U have developed innovative research solutions to some of the Salt Lake Valley’s most serious environmental issues. Light rail trains sample […]

Read More

5 GREEN FEATURES

Categories:

Originally posted on @theU on September 10, 2018 By Brooke Adams, communications specialist, University of Utah Communications The newly opened Gardner Commons building, which replaced Orson Spencer Hall, was designed with sustainability at its core. Here are five of its green features: Looking out towards a carbon-neutral future Gardner Commons is designed to be 100 […]

Read More

The Intersection of Greenhouse Gases and Air Quality

Categories:

By: Nicholas Apodaca, Graduate Assistant, Sustainability Office. As Utah residents know well, air quality can have a serious effect on our daily lives. Wildfires, inversions, dust, and pollution colliding with the complex geography of the Salt Lake region all contribute to the thick haze that can settle over the valley. However, the exact conditions and […]

Read More

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Categories:

Originally posted on @theU on August 27, 2018 By Ginger Cannon, active transportation manager, University of Utah The University of Utah is committed to reducing carbon emissions, as well as improving local air quality by reducing impacts from university operations and daily commute trips. Consequently, using sustainable modes of transportation to, from and around campus […]

Read More

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Categories:

Originally published on @theU on August 20, 2018. By Vince Horiuchi, public relations associate, College of Engineering Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico last September, which left nearly all the island’s 3.4 million residents without power, is one of the most frightening scenarios for a metropolis: A natural disaster or cyberattack wipes out a city’s […]

Read More

WATERSHED PROTECTION

Categories:

Originally posted in @theU on August 27th, 2018 By Cecily Sakrison, U Water Center Some come to the Natural History Museum of Utah for the world-class dinosaur exhibit, others are drawn to the vast collection of gems and minerals. But if you’re interested in sustainable engineering and infrastructure, you’ve arrived at your destination the moment you park […]

Read More

WATER IN THE NAVAJO NATION

Categories:

Originally published on August 13, 2018.   “I am collaborating with the Navajo Nation’s Water Management Branch, Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, and the Navajo Nation’s Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate water in the Four Corners region in three different ways. One way was precipitation climatology looking at the monthly, seasonal, and yearly changes from 2002-2015. […]

Read More

The Science of Science Communication

Categories:

By: Bianca Greeff, Graduate Assistant, Sustainability Office. Communication is a vital part of science. Articulating one’s research to broad audiences can have a significant impact on how that research is discovered and shared. While scientists and communicators have often relied on intuitive rules to guide communication, science communication (as a field in itself), is supported […]

Read More

Melding Perspectives, Finding Solutions

Categories:

Originally posted on March 19, 2018. In Utah, the second driest state in the country, water is a critical issue. Our water systems are interconnected with human systems, and as our population expands and the climate changes, protecting and sharing this resource equitably will require collaboration between researchers, practitioners and decision makers. When it comes to collaborative water […]

Read More

Antifreeze Adaptations

Categories:

By Bianca Greeff, Graduate Assistant. Reaching temperatures as low as -89°C, Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on the planet. The Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica doesn’t offer much relief for species. In the winter, the ocean surface freezes solid, doubling the continent’s size. In the summer, temperatures rise just above freezing and […]

Read More