Sustainability Office

Explore Sustainability at the U

Projecting Nature

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By: Nicholas Apodaca, Graduate Assistant, Sustainability Office. Driving into Salt Lake City from the west, the shady streets and verdant gardens can feel like an oasis at the edge of the desert. Yet the Salt Lake Valley was not always so green. As people settled the valley, they brought new plants to the landscape. Whether […]

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GOOD TO GROW

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Originally published in Continuum on September 17, 2018. Jessica Kemper, coordinator of the U’s Edible Campus Gardens, shows off produce from this season’s abundant harvest at their garden east of Pioneer Memorial Theatre. Kemper helps organize more than 75 student volunteers, who work shifts year round composting, trellising, weeding, planting, and harvesting at both the […]

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THE WASATCH FRONT: A LIVING LAB

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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 […]

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5 GREEN FEATURES

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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 […]

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The Intersection of Greenhouse Gases and Air Quality

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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 […]

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PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

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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 […]

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POWER TO THE PEOPLE

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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 […]

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HUMANS OF THE U: CLAIRE TAYLOR

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Originally posted on @theU on August 10, 2018 “My artwork is focused on wildlife and ecology. I am inspired by my encounters with wildlife—how I react, what biases come up. Friends of Red Butte Creek and the Global Change & Sustainability Center awarded me a grant to create art of the wildlife in the Red […]

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WATERSHED PROTECTION

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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 […]

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WATER IN THE NAVAJO NATION

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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. […]

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