Posted on Feb 26th 2009 by REALizeUtah.
Several times in the past couple of months, Areas of Utah have been rated as having some of the WORST air quality in the country. This is due to our inversions, and also to the high rate of pollution in some of our cities. Salt Lake County, Utah County and the Logan/Cache Valley areas get these inversions. Click on this link to read about how inversions are created, and how they affect air quality. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/TemperatureInversions.php
The Utah Division of Air Quality is a great source of CURRENT conditions in Utah. You can also have email updates when the air quality starts to get to unhealthy levels, by signing up for the DEQ’s (Department of Environmental Quality) Listserv. http://www.airquality.utah.gov/
Park City, though, continues to have CLEAN, FRESH mountain air. We’d like to keep it that way, and here are a few things you can do to help with the situation, no matter WHERE you live.
1. Carpool
2. Use Mass Transit. Park City has an EXCELLENT bus system!
3. WALK
4. Ride a bike
5. Do your business over the phone and/or internet
6. Walk to lunch, or Pack lunch and eat in!
7. Put off errands that can wait, and combine trips, ESPECIALLY if it’s a “red burn” day!
If we all try to follow these guidelines, we will be able to Breathe Easier into the future! As always, Please feel free to comment with questions, or if you have anything to add!
Posted on Nov 19th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
Here are five ways you can lower your impact on the environment this thanksgiving!
1) Buy locally and regionally produced food! Most farmers markets will carry locally and organically grown sweet potatoes, carrots, home made jams, cheeses, breads, and much much more! If you’re family tradition includes a turkey, look for an organic, free-range turkey. Yes, it does cost a few bucks more, but it’s also much healthier!
2) Minimize your use of Plastics! Use re-usable leftover containers instead of disposable plastic wrap, and even tin foil wrap! Try to avoid using plastic plates, silverware, etc. Plastic never fully breaks down, so if you MUST use plastic, make sure it gets recycled.
3) Celebrate at home! Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel weekends of the whole year! Why not help to reduce global warming? Skip the stressful holiday travel, and celebrate an eco-friendly Thanksgiving at home. If you MUST travel, be conscious about the environment. Drive as little as possible, and take your most fuel efficient vehicle. Carpool whenever possible. If you’re flying, consider purchasing carbon credits to help offset your portion of the carbon dioxide emissions.
4) Don’t OVER Cook. While Thanksgiving leftovers are great, most people end up THROWING OUT over half of their leftovers Spend a few extra minutes planning, and try to cook only what you and your family will be able to eat.
5) Here’s a great way to give back on Thanksgiving. Consider donating to a local charity or food bank, or give a donation to The United Way. Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for everything we have – why not help by giving back to those who need it most?
Please comment on my BLOG if you have any questions, or ideas I can share with others!
Posted on Aug 19th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
Here in Utah, Summer temperatures are still hot!! But the nights are starting to cool off, so instead of cranking your AC all ay, instead try opening windows at night, and using a fan to help bring in some of the cool night air! Then, in the morning, close your windows and the house will stay cool most of the day! You’ll save energy, and $$!
As always, feel free to comment with questions or if you have anything to add!
Posted on Jun 11th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
This one is pretty obvious, but still you see some people who just dump out old oil, antifreeze, etc without thinking about it’s impact on the earth.
Nearly every household has some kind of hazardous waste: old paint cans, used motor oil, unused pesticides and weed killers. If you dump these things down the drain, you’ll end up polluting the water supply. Old Batteries, CFL Light bulbs, and other hazardous solids should be considered as well. They should be disposed of in a site specially designed for hazardous or toxic wastes. Some cities and counties have monthly or annual pickups. Other areas have special drop-off sites. Call your city or county government to find out the proper way to dispose of such trash in your area. Try organizing a hazardous-waste-collection day in your neighborhood or at your school, encouraging others to dispose of materials properly.
As always, feel free to comment with questions, or if you have anything to add
Posted on Jun 6th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
During this heated election season, this is a great one, and it can REALLY make a difference, especially at the local level! During election campaigns, ask candidates about their position on the environment. Try to ask specific questions that relate to situations in your community– whether they support a mandatory recycling program, for example, or whether they plan to get tough on polluting companies.
A little can go a long ways here, if you have a little time, work as a volunteer on a “green” candidate’s campaign. As a volunteer, you can canvas neighborhoods in your local community, make phone calls, and help with fund-raisers! This is also a great opportunity to meet some like-minded individuals to network with, perhaps you will even get some business!
As always, feel free to comment with any questions or if you have anything to add!
Posted on Jun 4th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
Today’s tip is a very easy one! SKIP the fast food joint! Most fast food is overpackaged and most fast-food companies are responsible for producing mountains of trash. By avoiding fast food whenever possible, you’ll help reduce this needless waste, AND help reduce your waist line!! Fast food is often made with unhealthy preservatives, from meat laced with hormones and drugs of all kinds! Ditching fast food for good will improve your overall health in addition to the other benefits I have listed!
As always, Please feel free to comment with questions, or if you have anything else to add!
Posted on Jun 3rd 2008 by REALizeUtah.
This one is obvious to some people, and not so much to others! Did you know that a SINGLE polystyrene (styrofoam) cup conains ONE BILLION BILLION molecules of CFC’s? That’s 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. Once a CFC atom reaches the ozone layer, it can take over 100 years before it breaks up and becomes harmless!
Think about this when you’re buying picnic supplies, and especially when you’re at the restaurant! Most “to go” containers are made out of styrofoam! Consider taking your own re-usable plastic tupperware container instead of the one that will end up in the land fill, and likely even the atmosphere!
As always, please feel free to comment with questions, or if you have anything to add!
Posted on Jun 2nd 2008 by REALizeUtah.
An animal, a stream, a whale, a highway, a child! There’s almost no limit to the number of environmental causes to which you, your friends, or your family can turn.
If you’re looking for a new pet, adopt one from the shelter, and give a chance to a pet that might otherwise not get one.
If you’re looking for a community service project, adopt-a-highway litter control is a good one!
Adopting a child is an amazing way to add to your family WITHOUT addint additional impact to our earth!
As always, please feel free to comment if you have any questions, or anything to add!
Posted on May 5th 2008 by REALizeUtah.
This is an easy one – Spread the word about conservation!
Talk to friends, family, co-workers, and people you randomly meet! Any way you can, get people to think about the earth. There are more than 6,000,000,000 people on this earth, and every one of them needs to take care of it! Always look for environment-safe products and encourage others to do the same. From recycling to buying less packaging to planting trees to saving water to conserving energy, keep the environment in mind!
As always, please feel free to comment with questions, or anything to add!
Posted on May 2nd 2008 by REALizeUtah.
Is it better to drive or fly? Is it better to drive if there’s one person, or only if there’s a group of people driving? How well do you understand carbon emissions of the different forms of transportation?
CLICK HERE to take a quiz from the Sierra Club to find out! The results might surprise you…
As always, please feel free to comment with questions, or if you have anything to add!
