In the 2017 State of the Air report, the American Lung Association ranked Salt Lake City’s air quality as the sixth worst in the nation, giving Utah as a whole an “F” for ozone and “D” for particulate pollution.
For years, environmental groups, moms, doctors and other concerned Utahns have worked tirelessly to advocate for clean air, using the most current science and policy information to make their case.
Breathing Stories: Utah Voices for Clean Air approaches the Salt Lake Valley’s air quality problem in a new way.
The contributors to Breathing Stories bring personal story to this critical conversation. First suggested by Brooke Larsen, conservation advocate and University of Utah Environmental Humanities Graduate Fellow at Torrey House Press, Breathing Stories gathers words of love and concern from ordinary citizens and environmental activists, urban folks and rural residents, young and old and in between, into a soft-bound chapbook that will be delivered to each Utah legislator later this month as well as city, county and tribal officials around the state.
Developed in partnership with HEAL Utah, Breathe Utah, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and Torrey House Press, and with funding support from Utah Humanities and individual donors, Breathing Stories offers hope to empower our community, inspiring all of us to speak up, share our air stories and demand a clean future. Here are two pieces from the chapbook to spark your own work towards clearing our air. — Kirsten J. Allen
Kirsten Johanna Allen is the publisher and executive director Torrey House Press. www.TorreyHouse.org
See Excerpts from January 2018 CATALYST: Beware the Pogonip, The right story