Sustainability Office

Explore Sustainability at the U

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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Clear the Air Challenge update

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This article, originally published in @theu, February 19, 2020, was written by Ayrel Clark-Proffitt, Sustainability Office We all benefit when the air is clean. That’s the idea behind the statewide Clear the Air Challenge. Every February the University of Utah launches a team as part of a month-long effort to get people out of single-occupant […]

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Solving the world’s environmental problems

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This article, originally published in @theu, February 11, 2020, was written by the Environmental Humanities Graduate Program Acclaimed American essayist and novelist Jonathan Franzen will be the 2020 recipient of the Utah Award in the Environmental Humanities. Franzen’s environmental essays have stirred audiences on the subjects of climate mitigation, the importance of birds, interspecies ethics and human […]

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collaborative Conservation

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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 […]

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Are you up for the challenge?

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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 […]

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Taking action to improve air quality

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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 […]

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Is your New Year’s Resolution to get more exercise?

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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 […]

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Is climate change good for plants?

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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 […]

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What’s waste got to do with climate change?

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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 […]

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Humans of the U: Piper Christian

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This article was originally published in@theu on November 14, 2019. “At the age of 16, I had the opportunity to travel to Paris during the COP 21 climate accords. As a junior correspondent for a Utah news station, I was tasked with reporting the events of the accords back to my home state. I wanted […]

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