Hi John ,

Summers should be for relaxing, playing, and reading good books, or at least that’s how we feel at Stewardship Utah. That's why we put together a summer reading list featuring books that we can all use to help further expand our understanding of these issues we care about. Each of our policy team members has selected a book that focuses on a pillar of  Stewardship Utah’s work: land, water, air, climate, and democracy. In addition to creating this list, each policy team member will be hosting a book club, featuring their chosen book, every three weeks throughout the summer! We can’t wait to learn alongside and discuss these important topics with you!

Set in the heart of Utah’s Great Basin Desert, Chip Ward, the founder of HEAL Utah, traces his journey to environmental activism as he uncovers the toxic legacy of the region near his home in Grantsville, Utah. Alarmed by pollution from nearby industry, such as US Magnesium, and military operations, he connects the health of the land to the health of its people. His story is both a tribute to our state’s unique ecosystem and a searing critique of the forces endangering it.

Chip Ward will be joining us for this book club!

Taking place in England, this book reimagines the coming-of-age story, the cosy crime caper, and the state-of-the-nation novel. Based around a sinister think-tank, founded at Cambridge University in the 1980s, that’s been scheming to push the British government in a more extreme direction– one that’s finally poised to put their plans into action. The reader follows an investigative journalist and a young writer, as we are dragged into the nefarious world of extremism and those who work to stop it. 

In Electrify, Saul Griffith lays out a detailed blueprint—optimistic but feasible—for fighting climate change while creating millions of new jobs and a healthier environment. Griffith’s plan can be summed up simply: electrify everything. He explains exactly what it would take to transform our infrastructure, update our grid, and adapt our households to make this possible. Billionaires may contemplate escaping our worn-out planet on a private rocket ship to Mars, but the rest of us, Griffith says, will stay and fight for the future.

A team of biologists, including two sisters from Alaska, are tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves to a remote region of the Scottish Highlands. This book beautifully captures the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment, while also adding a bit of murder mystery.

While wolves might not be an immediate concern for Utahns, our neighbors in Colorado are prepping for their reintroduction. As we seek to protect lands throughout Utah, where does returning keystone species fit in long-term land conservation goals?

Environmental journalist Zak Podmore explores the complex challenges ahead and reframes the inevitable loss of Lake Powell as a turning point for a more sustainable future. Through an arresting mix of science and storytelling, Life After Dead Pool debunks the notion that the West’s water challenges are unsolvable and invites us to secure a future where the Colorado River once again runs free.

Zak Podmore will be joining us for this book club!

We can’t wait to talk to you all about these incredible stories, both fiction and nonfiction. If you’re in the Salt Lake City region, check out our friends at The King’s English for copies of these books. If you’re joining us from outside of SLC (or don’t want to commit to buying), check out your local bookstore’s selection or see if your local library has them in stock!

(And don’t worry, if you don’t finish the book, you can still grab a beverage and a snack, and participate in our virtual conversations!)

Happy reading!

Stewardship Utah

[email protected]

www.stewardshiputah.org