You can look forward to the O2 PUNCHLIST the first Thursday of each month. APRIL FOOLS'! We know, it's Friday. Gotcha! This newsletter 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.
That’s right! Our 2022 Legislative Report Card has arrived, and the grades are in! During the 2022 Legislative Session, o2 Utah tracked 65 different bills. The bills we tracked ranged from air quality, renewable energy, water conservation, public lands, natural resources, good governance, and voter access to the ballot.
We also awarded special categories:
LEADING THE WAY
MOST IMPROVED
AIR QUALITY CHAMPIONS
If this year showed us anything, it’s that the legislature can change its mind on critical environmental issues like water conservation. We’re using this report card as a way to hold them accountable to that same shift next year on air quality. Explore the interactive report card and learn more about scoring on our website:
If your legislators scored well with us, thank them and encourage them to continue working on important issues like air quality. If they scored poorly, ask them to do better by supporting the goals of Prosperity 2030 and fighting for clean, breathable air!
Thank you to those of you that reached out to your legislators during this year’s session and asked them to step up on air quality. As our Policy Director, Eliza Cowie, likes to say, championships are won in the off season. This means we must keep reaching out to elected officials beyond the session, and what better way than by sending them their grades!
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.
APRIL GUESTS
4/13 | O2 & You! feat. Stan Penfold and Ben Bolte. Stan and Ben make up the leadership team at GREENbike. Together, Stan, Ben and David will cover the important work GREENbike is doing to offer Utahns an affordable and sustainable transportation option.
4/20 | O2 & You! feat. Tyler Poulson and Thomas Kessinger. Tyler is the Deputy Director at the Building Electrification Institute, and Thomas is the Beneficial Electrification Program Manager at Utah Clean Energy. Together, Tyler, Thomas and David will discuss the favorable economics of all-electric new construction, both on a national level and right here in Utah.
LAST MONTH GUEST RECAP
In March, we got into the nitty gritty. From community partners right here in our own backyard to a national Spokesperson, we made all of your climate policy dreams come true:
3/9 | O2 & You! feat. Alex Veilleux and Josh Craft. Alex is a Policy Associate for HEAL Utah, and Josh is the Government and Corporate Relations Manager for Utah Clean Energy. Together, Josh, Alex and our very own Eliza Cowie recapped this year's legislative session!
3/23 | O2 & You! feat. Mary Anna Mancuso, a Spokesperson for leading national republican environmental organization, RepublicEN. Together, Mary Anna and David discussed the important work RepublicEN is doing to help conservatives navigate the climate conversation.
Each month, you're invited to come hang with the the o2 Utah team! We have a busy year ahead of us, but continuing to engage with this community is at the top of our list.
We are entering an exciting new phase here at o2 Utah. As we stray away from singular monthly events, we're loading up the calendar with reoccurring opportunities to get together with likeminded individuals. You're invited to them all! You can keep up to date with all of our upcoming events on our new events page:
Next week, on April 12th at 6:30p.m., we're kicking off our new biweekly hike event, Twin Peaks Tuesdays!
Every other Tuesday, we're meeting at Terrace Hills Trailhead to get outside and enjoy the landscapes we're working to protect. On the last hike of each month, we'll be joined by a local artist who will document the sky for a month-to-month view of our air quality. We hope to see you next Tuesday!
But wait, there's more! We're thrilled to be partnering with Patagonia SLC for their Run to the Source event on Wednesday, April 20th!
Meet with the other runners at Fisher Brewing Company at 6 p.m., then head out on an hour long run led by a few members of the Patagonia Salt Lake Outlet's team. The run will end back at Fisher Brewing Company where you can enjoy a screening of the film Run to the Source and mingle with the o2 Utah team. Find more details and RSVP here:
Here are the events we'll be tabling at this month—come see us!
- Saturday, April 9th from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the SLCo Dems Convention (2160 S Jordan Pkwy, South Jordan)
- Saturday, April 16th from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Patagonia Gear Swap (2292 Highland Dr., Salt Lake City)
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.
We have been working alongside Sierra Club Utah, Utah Clean Energy and HEAL Utah to engage communities across the state to sign up for The Community Renewable Energy Program (House Bill 411). Of the total 23 original communities, there are seven remaining cities who are eligible for the chance to make the switch to renewable energy, and they have until May 31st to sign on:
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West Valley: Next Meeting: Thursday 4/14
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West Jordan: Next Meeting April 13th, 6 pm
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Orem Next Meeting: 4/12 at 3 pm
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Kamas Next Meeting: 4/12 at 6 pm
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Coalville Next Meeting: 4/11 at 6 pm
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Emigration Canyon Next Meeting: 4/12 at 7 pm
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Bluffdale Next Meeting: 4/13 at 7 pm
We know that community input has an outside impact when it comes to local decisions and on April 6th we, alongside Sierra Club, Utah Clean Energy and HEAL Utah, hosted a community engagement webinar to equip community members in these eligible cities with the tools they need to effectively lobby for HB 411 with their community council. Here’s everything you need to know:
We look forward to continue to engage communities and city councils on the benefits of HB 411 ahead of the May 31st deadline!
Prosperity 2030 is our landmark air quality solution, aiming to cut pollution along the Wasatch front in half by 2030.
We have been working alongside Sen. Kirk Cullimore and Rep. Andrew Stoddard to chart out our 2022-2023 strategic plan. They are excited and ready to submit Prosperity 2030 for drafting next month! In the meantime, we’re working to recruit other legislators, industries and individuals to co-sponsor and support the goals of Prosperity 2030. There are already a number of notable community leaders onboard with our Utah-unique solution:
Be sure to explore the rest of the Prosperity 2030 website to keep up to date, and tap into our resource library to spread awareness. Thank you!
If your last two years were 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 READING
Book | "Woody Plants of Utah" by Renee Van Buren et al.
"This is a great way to learn about Utah’s amazing plant communities. I love taking it on trips and learning to identify new species when I’m out."
WHAT ELIZA IS RECOMMENDING
Get Outside | Night Skiing at Brighton!
"Go check out the recently dried singletrack, a new trail that's been on your mind, or harvest some spring corn skiing! The days are longer and there's more time to explore. And if you don't know where to go or what to do, come hang out for Twin Peaks Tuesdays! :)"
WHAT MARCUS IS WATCHING
Movie | CODA
“My mother in-law is a CODA (child of a deaf adult), so hearing her stories and my spouse’s stories of growing up in deaf culture, really hit home while watching this movie."
WHAT TRAVIS IS READING
Book | "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abby
"I read this all the way through for the first time while making a trip down to Moab. It's the perfect read for any nature lover while preparing a visit to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks!"
WHAT BELLA IS WATCHING
Series | "The Dropout" on Hulu
"Really cannot believe how stellar this dramatization is. Amanda Seyfried knocks it out of the park as Miss Holmes!!"
WHAT GREG IS READING
Book | "Mormon Country" by Wallace Stegner
"Well known western writers stories of his time in Utah growing up among the Mormons. One of his earlier work, Stegner dives into the Mormon Culture and a Utah that is recognizable in rural counties, but altogether different from the Utah we know across today's Wasatch Front."
WHAT BRONTI IS READING
Book | "This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism, and Corruption are Ruining the American West," by Christopher Ketcham
"Well written book describing the development of the Western cowboy, pretty eye-opening and devastating."
Thank you for being in our corner. We'll see you next month!
