Hey "BOO"! You
can look forward to our new monthly newsletter the first Thursday of each month. This gives us an opportunity to keep you in the know with both our work and our community. None of this would be possible without your support, so we want to give you the inside scoop every month.
Halloween is here and boy, do we have some treats for you.
The election is nearing, and if you've been following along, you know we're involved with 23 municipal candidates this year. That's a lot to keep track of, and we want every single one of you to have election resources readily available as you make your decisions. We're excited to introduce the brand new "Election Center" feature on our site.
Find county specific information in the five counties o2 Utah has endorsed candidates, as well as general Utah voting information. Be sure to have your ballot postmarked by November 1st!
We're thrilled to introduce our brand new o2 Utah Policy Fellow, Alexa Swanstrom!
Alexa graduated from the University of Utah in May 2021 with a BA in Political Science. During her fellowship, she will be working with our team to drive a strong air quality narrative as we move forward on bold policy objectives. Alexa grew up in Idaho, loves to ski, makes a delicious acorn squash, and hopes to do future work with environmental and public policy!
We were able to bring Alexa on thanks to the generosity of donors like you.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended RCV Flight Night last month! We were proud to partner with Mountain West Hard Cider for a night of ranked-choice voting practice, using flights of their delicious hard cider. This event was a huge success—we hope everyone had a blast and learned a lot.
Couldn't make it last month? Read on for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities —come be part of it all!
For those of you who are new here, we do a biweekly interview series/podcast called O2 & You! Our Executive Director and host, David Garbett, meets with voices from both environmental and political spaces. We've had on some pretty incredible guests over this past year, and we invite you to get caught up! Each episode is presented as a Facebook Live event, but if you're unable to join you can access all episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
UPCOMING GUESTS
Oct. | TBA! Stay tuned for exciting special guests following a big announcement we have this month. You won't want to miss these!
LAST MONTH GUEST RECAP
September was a month for leadership. From city affairs to climate research to ranked-choice voting—each of these guests have lead the way on the issues that matter to them. If you weren't able to tune in, here's what you missed:
9/8 | O2 & You! feat. Councilmember Chris Wharton, an o2 Utah endorsed candidate running for re-election for Salt Lake City Council District 3 and a champion for sustainability. Tune in for another "Candidate Edition" episode!
9/15 |O2 & You! feat. Shawn Teigen, the Vice-President and Research Director at Utah Foundation. Together, they discussed the climate report put out by the Utah Foundation: what implications climate change has for Utah and its economy.
9/22 | O2 & You! feat. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, former State Representative and Board Member of Utah Ranked Choice Voting. David and Rebecca discussed the upcoming RCV election: what is RCV? How does it work? Why are cities switching over? They covered it all!
Each month, you're invited to come hang with the the o2 Utah team! We see this as an opportunity to get to know this community we've only known behind a screen, and what better way than by getting out and enjoying the spaces we work to protect.
Shake your derrière and take action on our scary air!
We are scary excited to be partnering with Metro Music Hall for their annual Party & Boosh*t Halloween Party on October 23rd at 9 P.M. THE O2 UTAH TEAM IS TAKING OVER VIP!
There will be a costume contest, giveaways, open format DJs and dancing. With our VIP wristband you'll have access to the private mezzanine where you can take a break from boogieing, store your belongings, and enjoy some snacks. Oh, and if you feel like telling your legislator that Halloween isn't nearly as frightening as our air quality crisis, there will be postcards for you to do so!
We have 25 VIP wristbands available for the event, and it's first come first serve. Get yours now for $25! This event is 21+.
It's time you got to know our incredible volunteers. This month, we're spotlighting Gillian Chapman, a Political Science major at Weber State University.
“Making the choice to volunteer with o2 Utah was easy because of my shared love for the environment and politics. They have helped me get involved with different aspects of environmental policy and everyone at o2 Utah has been so great. I’m so glad I get to help them out!”
We are so lucky to have Gillian in our corner!
There are so many different ways to get involved at o2 Utah. Check out our Take Action page to get started!
We're enacting change with bold environmental policy. Each month, we want to keep you updated on our policy development: what we're focussing on, facts to help connect the dots, and progress on o2 Utah policy.
On October 12th, we’re making a huge policy announcement—and you really don’t want to miss it.
There’s no denying the impact dirty air has on our health. The facts are the facts—Utahns are losing 2 years off their lives on average due to air pollution. As the winter inversions seem to continuously overstay their welcome and the summer smog settles in earlier every year, we all see firsthand the dire need for change.
Photo by Dansker Digital
Not only this, but our air pollution is costing the state $1.9 billion a year. Reduced tourism, decreased growth, inability to recruit top talent, etc. A hurting economy is collateral damage as our leadership continues to put off bold action on air quality.
Photo by Dansker Digital
Some of you have been along for the ride and involved in our ongoing air quality conversation for over a year. Because of your support, we are now in a position to make a real, legislative impact on this crisis. For those of you who are new to our community, there has never been a better, more crucial time to get engaged.
We have been conducting research, speaking with experts, and connecting with communities across the state for months now—all in preparation for this. On October 12th at 11 A.M., we’ll be announcing our big policy package for next year’s legislative session. Much like our organization, this bill is big, bold, and Utah unique.
We’ll be live-streaming the announcement on our Facebook page. Be sure to join the live and stay tuned for more—this is going to be HUGE!
If your last year and a half was anything like ours, you blew through just about every show, book, podcast, and playlist—leaving you searching for something new. Worry not, we've got you! Every month, you can look forward to recommendations for listening, watching, and reading from our team.
WHAT DAVID IS LISTENING TO
Podcast | O2 & You
"This is a great podcast, and the host is hip AND funny! Definitely recommend."
WHAT TRAVIS IS RECOMMENDING
Activity | Hike to Lake Blanche!
"This month I’m recommending our readers to get off the couch and go see those gorgeous fall colors change up Big Cottonwood Canyon. If you get the chance to leave early in the morning, you might be lucky enough (like me) to see a family of moose playing around in the lake in front of Sundial Peak."
WHAT COREY IS LISTENING TO
Podcast Episode | RadioLab: Translation
"This is not only my favorite RadioLab episode, but also one of the most impactful podcast episodes I've ever heard. This episode changed the way I look at how language changes the way we see and interpret the world."
WHAT MARCUS IS WATCHING
Movie Series | The Hunger Games
“Because #girlpower and #teampeeta."
WHAT BELLA IS WATCHING
Show | Squid Game
"Disclaimer, this show is not for the faint of heart as it is violent and dark. However, as you've likely seen, this Netflix original is #1 in the U.S. right now and for good reason. It's a social commentary on wealth disparity and there's something for everyone. Emotion, drama, suspense, even a little comedy at times. I know it's not a hot take but I couldn't NOT recommend this phenomenal show."
Thank you for being in our corner. We'll see you next month!
