-
Archives
-
Meta
Monthly Archives: February 2010
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Ben J. Mates
• I will look into converting our 1991 Mazda 626 to be an electric vehicle.
• I will work from home whenever possible.
• I will write the first draft of a book on reducing our impact on the natural environment by 80% by maximizing biological processes, minimizing use of technology, creating durable technology with recyclable components, including a chapter on planning walkable, bikeable communities and another on transportation efficiencies.
• I will join with others in causing the conversation for an 80% reduction in the burning of fossil fuels by year 2020 to be generated, continue to deepen and become grounded in reality.
Erin Mendenhall
• I will reschedule all reschedule-able appointments on red air quality days and do better at trip-chaining.
• I will let those whom I cancel appointments with know why I’m canceling and that each trip makes a difference.
Michelle Middleton
• Carpool with other parents
• Not leave car idling when waiting to pick up my kids
• Not warming up my car before driving
• Trying not to drive much on bad air days
• Combining tasks and errands into one trip, instead of multiple car trips
• Keep car maintained
• Continue to drive smoothly and smartly, with no quick stops & starts.
• Pass the word on to friends and family.
Posted in Clear The Air Challenge Update
Tagged Clear the Air, New Year's Resolutions
Leave a comment
Escape Utah Inversions With a Discount to Ski at Snowbird
Snowbird, UT – Temperature inversions that trap smog in the Salt Lake Valley are dirty little secrets that Utah tourism officials would rather that visitors not see. However, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort is making inversions more palatable with a lift ticket discount.
Snowbird is offering a “Red Air Days” discount of $20 off adult Tram and chair tickets on any day issued as a red air quality alert in Salt Lake County by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
“We hope this promotion will encourage Utahns to escape the inversion by coming up to Snowbird for a breath of fresh air,” said Snowbird Marketing Director Dave Fields. “Snowbird is completely open and the skiing is really good. Locals should know that even when the air quality is low in the valley, there are likely blue skies and great temperatures for skiing and riding up in Little Cottonwood Canyon.”
Customers are required to ask for the “Red Air Days” discount at the time of purchase to receive $20 off an adult Tram and chair ticket; the offer is only valid for adult Tram and chair tickets purchased on the day of a red air quality day alert, and only on tickets purchased at Snowbird ticket offices. The promotion is not valid between Feb. 12-15 and may end at any time.
Snowbird is also strongly encouraging customers to take advantage of the Utah Transit Authority bus system to avoid putting more pollution into the atmosphere on inversion days. A schedule of routes to and from Little Cottonwood Canyon can be found at www.rideutah.com. [http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2010/1/11/Escape-Utah-Inversions-With-a-Discount-to-Ski-at-Snowbird/]
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Howard Leaman
• Turn the key, be idle-free.
Merrie Lee
• Try to drive only when I need to, and when I need to.
• Use our Jetta, which runs on biodiesel.
• Tell people about this initiative.
Marie Martin
• I will trip-chain.
• I will take mass transit when possible.
• I will walk to my work meetings instead of driving.
• I will ask people to carpool with me when we are going to the same place.
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Jenelle Kremer
• Walk to locations within a half mile of my house.
• Map out locations of errands before I leave so I take the most efficient way.
• Turn the car off when waiting in lines.
• Ride my bike to work when the conditions are safe to do so.
• Tell people what I am doing.
Charlie Kulp
• Ride my bicycle to work (weather permitting).
• Take the bus to work at least one day per week.
• Bundle errands to prevent multiple trips.
• Start a 2010 Bike-to-Work contest in the office.
Brande LaCasse
• I will think about the errands I need to do and figure out the smartest route to take, so that I can do everything in one trip.
• I will walk more, especially when going somewhere close to home.
• I will continue carpooling with other families at my son’s school.
• I will talk to others about what I’m doing. I can ask if there’s anyone else who wants to join our carpool to school in the mornings.
Posted in Clear The Air Challenge Update
Tagged Clear the Air, New Year's Resolution
Leave a comment
UTA Press Release
Learn to ride on Friday, Feb. 12 for free
Have you always wanted to try public transit but never gotten around to it? Have you wondered how it might work for your commute? Or are you looking for a way to improve Utah’s air quality? Then try Utah Transit Authority for free on Friday, Feb. 12. All UTA services except for ski bus service will operate for free. You could take TRAX downtown for dinner or to shop, take the bus to work or hop FrontRunner to check out 25th Street in Ogden. Take advantage of this opportunity to see if transit could work for you. To plan a trip click here or call RIDE-UTA (801-743-3882) and a UTA customer service representative will assist you.
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Ed Jensen
• Make my kids walk.
• Encourage the use of rebates and federal energy tax credit to help pay for additional attic/wall insulation.
Michael Johnson
• Take the train to work
• Walk to the station four of my five shifts every week
Tracie Kirkham
• I will take the bus at least once per week.
• In the summer, i will ride my bike twice per week.
• I usually try to chain my trips.
• Hopefully other people will see my example and want to participate.
Posted in Clear The Air Challenge Update
1 Comment
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Liat Gat (Salt Lake City Council Offices)
• I walk to work every day.
• I will consolidate my errands to make as few trips as possible.
• I will try not to leave my car idling, or leave it running to warm up.
• I will also drive the speed limit and drive carefully.
• I will publish this information in the Salt Lake City Council Email Updates.
Carrie Giles (UT Clean Cities)
• I will start planning my work travel days better so that I can take the bus to work and appointments more.
• I will encourage everyone I know to drive less, and try to get friends to carpool more to the ski bus parking lot.
Karl W. Harward
• I will take the bus and TRAX more often and I will walk whenever possible.
• I would like to start a neighborhood awareness campaign and get signatures of people in my neighborhood and issue them something like a sticker or button that declares: “I vote for clean air!”
Posted in Clear The Air Challenge Update
Tagged Clear the Air, New Year's Resolutions
Leave a comment
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Rebecca Huggins
• BIKE!!!!!!
• Invite people to run errands with me by bike.
• Encourage everyone to sign up for the two mile map challenge: http://www.2milechallenge.com/users/add/
Andy Hultgren
• Bike to work every single day, or work from home.
• In addition, bike or walk to local parks, etc. with my family instead of driving.
• Forward information about this campaign to my entire office and to my friends/family.
• Talk to friends, neighbors, coworkers, family, and anyone who will listen about air quality in the SL Valley – both its causes and its health effects.
Casandra Hutchinson
• Drive to work less than once a week.
• Drive less than 20 miles per week.
KSL New’s Article From January 29, 2010
Utah governor issues ‘Clean Air Challenge’
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has seen its fair share of bad air days this winter. Improving the state’s air quality may seem like a daunting task, but government leaders say it’s the small things that can have a big impact.
Gov. Gary Herbert and local mayors are urging everyone to take on the “Clean Air Challenge.” Leaders say we can all do our part to improve the air we breathe.
“We need to throw down the gauntlet and challenge people,” Herbert said.
Herbert and local community leaders teamed up on the Capitol steps in the fight against bad air. He said, “We can all do more.”
The governor said he couldn’t do it alone and needed our help.
“Improving the quality of the air we breathe is every Utahns’ responsibility,” says Herbert.
The changes don’t have to be huge. Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says Utahns can take on the “Clean Air Challenge” by doing small things, like taking mass transit or carpooling.
“Ask, can we walk somewhere? Can we ride a bike somewhere? All of us can be doing things, I guess, we’re just asking people to be conscious of that particularly when we have bad air pollution on winter days,” says Becker.
UTA has accepted the challenge. February 12 will be “Learn to Ride Day.” FrontRunner, TRAX, and buses in six counties will be free of charge. The goal is to get people who may not use mass transit to try it out.
“Maybe there’s a bus that’s driving down their street for 10 years and they’ve always thought, I should try that sometime, and they never had. Now we’re taking away the reason not to try it. Come out and try it out on that free day, and if it works for you maybe you’ll come back and try it twice a week and reduce carbon footprint,” says Gerry Carpenter, spokesman for UTA.
Leaders from South Jordan, West Valley, Holladay and Provo also pledged their support of cleaner air and blue skies.
“Just like sports, if we want to prevail in being blue we have to work hard, we have to plan and be visionary,” said Provo City Mayor John Curtis.
By Anne Forester
New Year’s Resolutions to Clear The Air:
Holly Hilton (Mayor Becker’s Office)
• I will trip chain (i.e., combine multiple errands in the same general direction into one trip).
• I will turn the key, be idle-free.
• I will warm up my car by driving it, not by letting it sit running in the driveway.
• I will turn off my car when waiting at the coffee drive-through.
• I will drive the speed limit.
• I will service my vehicle regularly.
Christine Hodge
• Ride the UTA bus
• Make a list of places i need to go and only make ONE trip there and ONE trip back, instead of going out on different days
• Share a ride.
• Pass on information about this campaign to my friends outside the office.
Michelle Hofmann (Moms for Clean Air)
• I will trip chain and avoid idling my vehicle every day.
• On yellow and red air days I will:
o postpone nonessential vehicle trips,
o telecommute/teleconference if possible, and
o walk or bike to the neighborhood grocery store.
• I will continue to alert friends and family when air quality is deteriorating and give them tips on things they can do to improve air quality and protect their health.
Posted in Clear The Air Challenge Update
Tagged Clear the Air, New Year's Resolutions
Leave a comment