April 2018

Yet another legislative session has passed, and as always, there is the good, the bad, and the ugly that emerged. HEAL Utah was up on the Hill every day, working with our allies to support the good ones and defeat the bad ones. Here are some of the env …

Food connects us—to feelings, memories, seasons Over 100 years ago, the citizens of Charleston, South Carolina noted the beginning of summer with the appearance of street-side vendors selling groundnut cakes, little cookie-shaped sweets made of molasse …

By Sophie Silverstone, Claire Brown, Anna Albertsen, and Jane Lyon Smug, you could call us Utahns who know that beyond our homogeneous appearance, the Salt Lake Valley boasts one of the most diverse and unique patchwork quilts of various cultures and i …

Want to be a better gardener? Start here for inspiration and practical assistance. A life in the garden Conservation Garden Park 8275 S. 1300 W. West Jordan, Utah. For most workshops you will need to bring gloves. More classes listed online. conservati …

“All education is environmental education. By what is included or excluded, students are taught that they are part of or apart from the natural world … we cannot say that we know something until we understand the effects of this knowledge on real peopl …

Want to do your part for climate stability, soil fertility, biological diversity, resource availability and general environmental quality? In fundamental ways, our lives depend on rapid, responsible, and widespread solutions to today’s problems. But wh …

On March 16 Governor Gary Herbert signed SB 234, a bill creating an unelected Utah Inland Port Authority to take control of nearly 20,000 acres in the Northwest Quadrant of Salt Lake City. The move to create a massive industrialized trade hub on undeve …

When President Trump “downsized” two Utah national monuments, Interior Ryan Zinke claimed that “Bears Ears isn’t really about oil and gas.” That turned out to be a blatant lie. The New York Times and Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic sued the …

Grassy lawns in Salt Lake City are borrowed from a whole different ecosystem than the one we live in. Maintaining a perfectly green lawn not only requires copious water but also application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can be hazardous t …

A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the natural world and beyond. Apr 1  Sun rise: 7:10 am. Sun set: 7:52 pm. Easter. A movable holiday. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. Ostera or Eostre was …

You can access energies that are not of this world. Osho Zen Tarot: Understanding, Possibilities Medicine Cards: Porcupine, Squirrel Mayan Oracle: Lamat, Hologram, Transparency Ancient Egyptian Tarot: Three of Wands, Death, The Magician Aleister Crowle …

Practicing kindness toward yourself. (This is the second installment of instructions on kindness practice. Find the first installment in the March 2018 CATALYST: https:// catalystmagazine.net/yoga-take-kindness-break) In a world where narcissism seems …

Not all was won; but many steps were taken in the direction toward cleaner air for all Utahns. During the 2018 Legislative Session, I was closely watching proposed “clean air legislation” that included a transportation omnibus bill, additional fines fo …

In the autumn of 1969, just as soon as my basic training company had learned to disassemble, clean, re-assemble and fire the U.S. Army’s M-14 battle rifle, the Army decided to accelerate its replacement with the new M-16 assault rifle. As a result, we …

Environmental news from around the state and the West. Land grab undermines SLC Northwest Quadrant plan Internationally important Great Salt Lake wetlands at risk On March 16 Governor Gary Herbert signed SB 234, a bill creating an unelected Utah Inland …

There’s a van and a small camper that keep popping up in various parking lots around town. I won’t describe them in more detail because I don’t want to impinge on their joie de camp. I only notice them because I have had a lifelong love of recreational …

Utahns are currently buying electric cars at a faster rate than Californians, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Evs use no gas. They emit 99% fewer pollutants than their gas counterparts. Salt Lake City officials, commi …

Join the Wasatch Co-op market now and help make it happen. If you’ve lived in almost any U.S. college town, you’re probably familiar with natural foods co-ops– community-owned groceries that bring together local producers and consumers. But of the 147 …