Utah
University of Utah updating climate action plan as it sets new goal to reach net-zero emissions
The College of Utah is at present engaged on a brand new local weather motion plan. (Ben B. Braun, Deseret Information)
Estimated learn time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The College of Utah has a brand new purpose of reaching net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions, transferring up the outdated goal date of 2050 by a full decade.
U. President Taylor Randall first introduced the adjusted purpose final month, with the launch of a brand new local weather coverage heart. Nonetheless, the college is now able to piece collectively a plan to fulfill the brand new purpose of 2040.
Randall penned an open letter Monday saying that the college is engaged on updating its 12-year-old Local weather Change Motion Plan. It’s at present calling on college students to fill out a web-based survey to assist develop a plan that can tackle methods to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, help “cutting-edge” local weather analysis, put together for local weather change impacts and educate “future sustainability leaders,” he wrote.
A sequence of seven on-line and in-person roundtable dialogue occasions are additionally deliberate for October and November, which is able to assist in the suggestions assortment course of.
The college first started commitments to deal with local weather change in 2008 by taking part within the Presidents’ Local weather Management Commitments, an settlement between universities throughout the nation to take steps to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions and undertake climate-improving applications. Two years later, U. officers revealed a local weather motion plan that outlined short-term and long-term targets to deal with local weather change.
The college says it has since decreased greenhouse gasoline emissions by 31% whereas greater than half of its electrical energy is now generated by renewable sources.
Nonetheless, Randall argues that it isn’t sufficient. In his letter, the college president factors out that Salt Lake Metropolis simply skilled its hottest summer time on document for its second-straight yr. On the identical time, its namesake, the Nice Salt Lake, fell to a record-low degree once more this yr. In the end, “traditionally marginalized” teams are the individuals who really feel these adjustments “most intensely,” he added within the letter.
“Prioritizing the wants and voices of people and communities most impacted by local weather change is a core worth in our strategy to this work,” he wrote. “That is why our Local weather Change Motion Plan will present clear, actionable steps for the college to fulfill its carbon neutrality and different local weather change targets whereas centering fairness in each step of the planning and implementation course of.”
The up to date plan comes a couple of month after the college introduced a brand new local weather change coverage heart after receiving a $20 million reward from Utah philanthropists Clay and Marie Wilkes.
The Wilkes Middle for Local weather Science and Coverage, with an estimated 75 college members and 350 college students in its first yr, goals to offer “high-impact analysis and make science-based suggestions to decision-makers,” Peter Trapa, dean on the U.’s School of Science, mentioned on the time.
“I am unable to consider a extra vital subject than the local weather,” Clay Wilkes added in August. “It is issues just like the inversion that comes each winter, it is the smoke-filled valleys that we have had over the past three or 4 years. It is issues just like the Nice Salt Lake. Are we going to go away an environment stuffed with arsenic? We would, and if we do not change the best way we’re behaving, we’ll.”
Salt Lake Metropolis has its personal local weather targets, similar to “80 X 2040,” an 80% discount in group greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2040 based mostly on a 2009 baseline. The town additionally has a purpose to have “net-100% clear electrical energy for the group” by 2030, most of which will probably be from a Tooele County photo voltaic plant that’s scheduled to start operations subsequent yr.
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Utah
Utah family creates 'Giving Gallery' to spread joy of art
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — You might have heard of little libraries in neighborhoods, but have you heard of Giving Galleries?
A family in Cottonwood Heights is using their love for art to bring joy to those around them.
On the corner of Promenade and Camino is Abigail Bradshaw.
“I’m standing next to an art gallery, my art gallery. That’s my house,” she proudly said.
Abigail is showing her tiny art gallery filled with pieces made by her family and others who want to contribute. This home used to be her great-grandmother’s.
“She was an artist, and so, I wanted to continue that legacy,” said Katie Bradshaw, Abigail’s mom. They found a box, painted it, propped it up, and filled it with tiny art. Anyone can just look at the art, pick up something they like, or put their own piece inside.
Miles Jacobsen is a friend who saw what the Bradshaws were doing and added his artwork to the box.
For people who want to make their own masterpieces, there is also a box of free art supplies in the gallery box. You can come by to pick up paint, paintbrushes, and tiny canvasses to create your own art, which you can drop off at the “giving gallery” to bring joy to someone else.
“I feel really glad that people come and get some art and put it in there,” said Abigail.
Filling the box is something Katie does with her kids.
“I hope that they can carry this with them, that they continue sharing art, no matter where they are,” she said.
Spreading joy to everyone who walks by, and letting the cycle continue.
“I want them to feel happy and glad that they got some, so they could return some back here,” added Abigail.
Utah
Amid traffic, Utah walked to Leafs’ arena pregame
TORONTO — The Utah Hockey Club said players were forced to walk to their game against the Maple Leafs after their bus got stuck in Toronto traffic Sunday night.
The team posted a video on social media of team members walking to Scotiabank Arena, with player Maveric Lamoureux saying the bus was “not moving at all.”
Several city streets had been closed during the day for an annual Santa Claus parade.
The Maple Leafs earned their fourth consecutive win by defeating Utah 3-2.
The viral incident prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call the congestion “embarrassing” and “unacceptable,” highlighting his government’s plan to address the city’s gridlock through bike lane legislation.
It wasn’t the first time a Toronto visitor had to ditch their vehicle to make it to an event on time.
In June, former One Direction band member Niall Horan had to walk through traffic to get to his concert at Scotiabank Arena.
Utah
Utah Highway Patrol responds to your suggestions on making Utah roads safer
SALT LAKE CITY — FOX 13 News is Driven to Change and that includes bringing you reports on important topics like road rage, construction, and wrong-way drivers. During our coverage, we continually ask for any questions or concerns you may have along Utah’s roadways.
The feedback has gotten an enormous response, so FOX 13 sat down with Lieutenant Cameron Roden on Good Day Utah to help address input we have been getting, from the perspective of Utah Highway Patrol.
Speeding in Utah, there’s so much of it, and then you can sometimes say that that leads to tailgating, which may lead to road rage incidents. What are you seeing out there in terms of speed and what can we do to lessen the effects of that?
Lt. Cameron Roden: Speed is our number one thing that we see. That’s our number one traffic stop that we make, and we know that it leads to the majority of crashes in the state of Utah. So we definitely put an emphasis on speed and it does lead to other things. Not just crashes. It leads to road rage and other things .So, as far as what changes can we make, we need to start with ourselves, and really say, ‘Hey, do I have a problem?’ You know, we just need to start with ourselves and not think that it’s something else’s problem. If we slow our speeds ourselves, and then it’ll start to to catch on and people will do that speed limit. So, but the legislature has definitely taken some steps to help us address, especially the the speeds that are those excessive speeds where we have that one zero five law now that addresses those speeds and increases fines and and hopefully discourages people from those extreme speeds.
Some of our viewers talked about maybe capping some of the speed limits for truck drivers. Is that something that’s even feasible?
You know, that would be something that would have to go through that, that legislative process to see whether we that would be something that would help. But ultimately, if we we start with ourselves, hopefully that will make that change and reduce crashes and fatalities.
There are things being done to try and intervene and stop wrong-way drivers before they happen. But some of our viewers propose things like spikes. What are your thoughts on implementing something like that?
We’ve had over the last several years, a rash of wrong-way drivers, and it’ll come in onesie twos, and then we’ll go for a period of time without that. And so, but this spike over the last couple of years has caused us to to create a task force to look at wrongly driving what things can be done. And so getting all these stakeholders together between UDOT and Highway Safety, looking at what technologies and things that could be implemented, and and things like, wrong way detection cameras. Those are some things that are being actually used in the state of Utah right now to help us spot those and and advance signage, getting people to realize they’re going the wrong way and turn around. The the spike strips have actually been talked about in our task force a little bit. And if something like that would even be, it is that technology available right now. And as what we could actually implement in the state of Utah, there’s nothing that really fits the bill right now because of our environment. We have our snow plows. We have snow and things like that. Something like that really wouldn’t be practical right now.
Probably the most talked about topic that we’ve received was distracted driving, texting while driving. You went out, I saw on the UHP social media page, that you guys just driving and you look to your right and left and you can find someone texting. What kind of enforcement do we have against distracted driving specifically on your phone?
This is something that we like you said, we see it every day. We go out to crashes,and and we may suspect that a driver may be distracted. And so, it’s something that’s definitely under-reported. It’s it’s a bigger problem than than the numbers really show.And so not only do we address it during our normal patrols.Our officers are seeing it, and addressing it while they’re out there.But we’ll also do targeted patrols where the highway safety office actually gives out additional funds for that targeted enforcement, where we’ll get an unmarked vehicle. We go out driving down the roads where we try to spot these vehicles and and get them stopped because those are those are a big danger on our roadways where our attention and our focus needs to be on driving.
If you have ideas or suggestions for how to make Utah’s roadways safer click here to be taken to our Driven to Change form. There you can share your ideas or suggestions.
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Share your ideas on how to make Utah’s roads safer
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