Utah Solar Tour

This Saturday (September 13), the Utah Solar Energy Association is sponsoring the Northern Utah Solar Tour. It appears that over fifty buildings will be exhibited in Ogden, Park City, SLC, and Orem/Provo showing off various types of solar energy features. The tour is part of the National Solar Tour promoted by the American Solar Energy Society. Should be some very interesting information and ideas for how to reduce energy use and dependence on fossil fuels.

(for any readers in the Dixie area, the Southern Utah Solar Tour, with buildings in St. George and Cedar City, will be on September 27).

Alternative Pioneer Festivities

Utah’s big holiday is fast approaching. Our state pulls out all the stops for its Days of ’47: Parades, picnics, fireworks, the whole nine yards to celebrate the Mormon pioneer trek to Utah.

My wife and I enjoy the holiday, but not in the traditional way. We tend to skip the parade and most of the Mormon pioneer-oriented activities, preferring more alternative celebrations. On the evening of the 23rd, we regularly attend the International CultureFest, a celebration of cultural diversity downtown at the Gallivan Center. And on the 24th, we hang out in Liberty Park for several hours (or as long as our water holds out in the blazing heat) at the Native American Celebration in the Park. They have lots of craft and food booths, kids activities, music, and the Powwow. We’ve really enjoyed seeing the costumes, the dancing, and the singing at the Powwow Unfortunately, it appears that the Powwow is no longer free. But even if you’d prefer not to spend the money, there will still be plenty to see and do at the park.

If you’re looking for something different to shake up your Pioneer Days, give some of these a shot.

Living Traditions Festival Recap

Like usual, the festival was wonderful. The highlight was the Saturday night headliner, an Irish jib band called Buille. They were loads of fun.

I haven’t been to a lot of jig concerts. Is it common for a mosh pit to form at an Irish folk performance? That was hilarious!

Salt Lake City Living Traditions Festival

One thing I hope to continue doing on the blog, and do more consistently, during my step back from blogging is to promote local social and political events I think are worthwhile. I’m looking for some sort of web calendar service or application I can use. I’d prefer not to resort to MySpace or FaceBook. Any suggestions? Until I find a good one, I’ll just post here about them.

This weekend we will enjoy one of our top two or three events of the summer: The Living Traditions Festival. We look forward to the festival every year. Wonderful music and dancing from all corners of the earth. Great food produced by local non-profit ethnic organizations. Many skilled crafts are on display. And for those with kids, there is an area for children to participate in crafts and activities. I know it’s late notice, but if you have some free time over the weekend, there is no better place to spend it.

Utah’s Food Security – Getting to a Sustainable Utah Food System (lecture/discussion)

From Post Carbon Salt Lake:

• Friday, April 4, 2008, 7:00-9:00 pm
• First Unitarian Church, 569 S 1300 E, SLC

How far does food travel before it reaches your plate? What chemicals are added, what fossil fuels are burned to deliver your food to you each and every day? Was it always this way? Is this sustainable in light of global warming and peak oil? What are our alternatives in Utah (local farms, community supported agriculture, community gardens, food co-ops)? Join us as we explore food security and the sustainability of the Salt Lake Valley and Utah food systems. Guest speakers and panelists will include Jen Colby, Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, University of Utah; Lance Christie, a founding member of the Natural Resources Defense Council, President of the Association for the Tree of Life, and author of The Renewable Deal: A Political Policy Program to Obtain a Sustainable, Ecologically Restorative, Just and Comfortable Future; and a panel of representatives from Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation & Development (Community Supported Agriculture Project), S.E.E.D. (Sustainable Environments and Ecological Design), Slow Food Utah, Utah Food Bank, Utahns Against Hunger, and Wasatch Community Gardens.

This presentation is part of the Environmental Issues (First Friday) Lecture/Discussion Series co-sponsored by Post Carbon Salt Lake and the Environmental Ministry of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City.

Support KCPW (no, this isn’t about a pledge drive…)

I’m an NPR junkie. If I don’t have it on the radio, I’ve got NPR podcasts playing on my computer or iPod. Nothing else compares to the quality of journalism on NPR, or it’s willingness to look at all sides.

My Station of choice is KCPW, a Salt Lake City station broadcasting on 88.3 and 105.3 FM. I find their in depth local news coverage the best in the valley. They report very extensively and in-depth on the Utah legislature and other local political events, and their Mid-Day Metro showfeatures regular on-air interviews with local politicians, public servants, business leaders, and community activists. The dialogue is thoughtful and extensive. I also enjoy that, unlike most NPR stations, it is a 24-hour talk format, switching to BBC Radio News (the best news source for international news) at night.

Unfortunately, the future of KCPW is at risk. Parent company Community Wireless is preparing to sell KCPW. They are giving the local community the opportunity to organize a new organization, Wasatch Public Media, to acquire the station. But they are also open to other offers as well.

It would be a shame to lose this vibrant, local, independent news source. Wasatch Public Media is encouraging all who support this type of news to write letters of support for KCPW to strengthen their case with Community Wireless. They even have a form letter available to be printed (I prefer writing my own letter, but this is better than nothing for those who don’t feel they have much time).

If you live or work in SLC and care about locally owned media sources, or about quality news and opinion, please support Wasatch Public Media.

This Green House — Building and Remodeling to Reduce Energy Consumption

From Post Carbon SLC:

This Green House — Building and Remodeling to Reduce Energy Consumption

• Friday, March 7, 2008, 7:00-9:00 pm
• First Unitarian Church, 569 S 1300 E, SLC

Did you know that buildings are the largest users of energy in the United States (Almost as much as industry and transportation combined!)? Did you know that in Utah, our reliance on coal-fired power plants means that your house is part of the air-quality problem? Is your house, apartment, place of business or worship an energy hog? What steps can you take personally to reduce your energy footprint and become part of the solution?

The evening will begin with a brief presentation of fundamental facts on building energy use reduction by Myron Willson, MHTN Architects. A recent Salt Lake Tribune article noted that Myron is “one of the few architects in the state whose sole duty is to look for environmentally friendly strategies in every design project.” This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with Myron and other SLC experts who will answer questions about what you can do to reduce your personal, business, and congregational impacts on the planet. You will leave this presentation with practical ideas for reducing your overall energy consumption (and energy costs), and reducing your impact on air quality and global warming.

This presentation is part of a Lecture Discussion Series co-sponsored by Post Carbon Salt Lake and the Environmental Ministry of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. We are pleased to welcome Utah Interfaith Power and Light as a sponsor this month. Previous speakers have included Vanessa Pierce, HEAL Utah, outgoing Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Dr. Brian Moench of Utah Physicians for a Health Environment, newly elected Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Utah Moms for Clean Air, and The University of Utah Student Leaders of S.E.E.D. (Sustainable Environmental and Ecological Design).

SLC Mayor Becker Supports the Troops on Valentine’s Day

Mayor Becker continues to prove to be a person of conviction and compassion.

On Valentine’s Day, Mayor Ralph Becker will host a special breakfast with the wives of Utah’s 116th National Guard unit. The women’s husbands have been serving in Iraq since May and are expected be gone for at least 12 months.

To thank them for their sacrifices and help make Valentine’s Day a little better, Mayor Ralph Becker, in cooperation with Bambara restaurant and Hotel Monaco, will host the wives for a heartfelt thank-you breakfast.

Courtesy of The Utah Amicus. See that blog for more details.

Many prominent Utah politicians have used the rhetoric of supporting the troops as a bait and switch to support U.S. adventurism. Becker has found way to add more meaning to that phrase. What better way to do so than to provide support and comfort to the families from which the Bush administration has separated them?

Kudos to my Mayor!

Air Quality Where Children Live and Breathe

From Utah Moms for Clean Air, a fine local environmental advocacy group:

Rowland Hall St Mark’s and Utah Moms for Clean Air present:

“Air Quality Where Children Live and Breathe: A Focus on Schools,” a free informational lecture for parents, teachers, students, or anyone else interested in learning more about the dangers of poor air quality around schools and what you can do about it.

Topics will include basic information about the types and sources of air pollution and the health impacts for our children as well as practical solutions for schools, including idle reduction campaigns, diesel school bus improvements, and air quality education for kids.

The lecture is free to the public.

• February 11, Monday, 7 p.m
• McCarthey campus of Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School
• 720 Guardsman Way

Candlelight Vigil for Immigrant Rights

It appears that illegal immigration is the hot topic for the legislature this year…or at least, the topic in which the Republican majority is being most egregiously outrageous. Not only do we have the two actions I’ve mentioned (hb 237 and Greg Curtis’ Oxbow scheme), but also HB 239, which Jeremy aptly reviewed. Technically all of these actions are targeted at illegal rather than any immigrants. But in practice, given the extremely restrictive and biased nature of current national immigration law, it does not appear to be a good time to be a “stranger” in our lovely Deseret.

So it warms my heart to see that University of Utah students want to make a statement about this anti-immigrant furor at the capitol. They have organized a candelight vigil at the Capitol Plaza Feb 5 (tomorrow) at 3:00. They are calling for anyone to join them. I’m planning on it. Join me in helping make it a great turnout in support of compassion and of immigrant rights.