Regulars and Shorts

News & Notes: August 2013

By Greta Belanger deJong

News & notes from around our community.
by Greta Belanger deJong

Tim DeChristopher on Obama’s climate plan—and on prisons

Utah climate activist Tim DeChristopher, recently released from jail after serving 21 months for disrupting an auction for oil and gas drilling rights, appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last month to discuss his case and the documentary Bidder 70.

In addition to DeChristopher’s story, we found his comments on prison insightful: “We have a vastly different justice system today than we did a generation ago, with an order of magnitude more people in prison…. Mass in­carceration didn’t happen because of some drastic shift in human na­ture, it happened because the private prison industry was able to change our laws that allow us to lock up a lot more normal people.”

 

Download Marla Dee’s new book for free

Marla Dee, onetime CATALYST staffer and columnist—and perhaps the original clutter-clearing expert in Utah with her business Clear and Simple—has published a new book: “The ART (Acceptance, Release and Trust) of Letting Go.” She aims to help us gain independence from our stuff and fears—no small task. If you’re a would-be member of clutterersanonymous.org, this book will do you good.

Fetch the book here: http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101145339857-356/The+Art+of+Letting+Go.pdf

Wasatch Commons new solar

Wasatch Commons, the cohousing community west of downtown, recently installed solar panels. The panels will produce enough energy to power all of their common electrical needs, as well as two electric cars.

Their new solar array is made up of 49 panels, each seven feet square, generating 11,760 watts total. They’re expecting 21,400 kilowatts of energy per year, equating to an annual savings of $2,000 and a reduction of 44,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. The project is the culmination of five years’ work and planning, and is made possible through a Rocky Mountain Power solar rebate program.

Wasatch Commons offers tours every fourth Wednesay at 5 p.m. and on second Saturdays at 1 p.m.

801.908.0388. http://www.cohousing.org. http://content.csbs.utah.edu/~ehrbar/coho/

“Turn spare change into real change”

You might notice 13 new red meters downtown, part of a new collection effort for the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST). Police Chief Chris Burbank urges us to put our spare change in those meters in­stead of into the hands of panhandlers. “That money goes to support the Fourth Street Clinic, The Road Home, Volunteers of America—professional organizations that provide food, housing, health care, job counseling, detox and rehab services and so much more,” says Sgt. Michelle Ross, HOST grant coordinator.

Here’s a map of the HOST meters: http://slchost.com

Aaron Moulton departs Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA)

Senior Curator Aaron Moulton, who has been prolific in his brief tenure (less than two years), has left the museum this month, reportedly “to pursue further opportunities in the field.” His edgy exhibitions covered topics such as LGBT politics, sexuality and new media art. The inaugural Utah Biennial titled “Mondo Utah” is currently in the Main Gallery. “Gianni Pettana: Forgiven by Nature,” about an icon of Italy’s Radical Architecture movement who taught at the U of U in 1972, runs through September 21. Until a new senior curator is chosen, Assistant Curator Rebecca Maksym will carry out programming set in motion by Moulton. This interview with Moulton in the current Spike Art Quarterly makes us especially sad to see him go, for it shows how much we are losing: spikeart.at/ en/a/magazine/current/Talk_7

UMOCA, 20 S. West Temple; Tues.-Thurs.: 11am-6pm.; Fri.: 11am-9pm; Sat.: 11am-6pm; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. http://utahmoca.org.

Jung Society lectures available

The Jung Society recently concluded its fourth year and became a nonprofit. It brought to Utah some of the best speakers in “depth psychology” on the topics of dreams, mythology, psychospirituality and more, reaching 3,500 people.

All eight lectures plus the Coleman Barks/David Darling Evening of Rumi’s Poetry performance are available for purchase at $136. (Lectures also available individually.)

http://www.JungPlatform.com

 

Solar 101

The Sierra Club partnered with Creative Energies Solar in June to bring their “Solar 101: Rooftop Solar Installation Explained” talk to Salt Lake City Park City and Ogden. They’re now offering rooftop solar power generation “tailored to your roof and your budget.” Check out their new rooftop solar webpage and get a free quote.

http://sierraclubsolar.org

RDT welcomes new dancers

Salt Lake’s nationally revered Repertory Dance Theatre—dancers who hold in their bodies a living library of modern dance choreography—have four new company members. We look forward to seeing Efren Corado, Justin Bass, Ursula Perry and Alyssa Thompson on stage this season, the company’s 48th.

http://rdtutah.org

Free sprinkler checks

If you’re a water customer within the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy, and you have an in-ground pressurized lawn sprinkler system, you’re eligible for a sprinkler check. Are the heads tilted, racked or mismatched? Is the height efficient? You’ll get a customized watering schedule and a list of improvements.

Wherever you live, you might also consider learning how to build a garden right over some of that grass. See upcoming CATALYSTs for instructions on how to do this!

http://SlowTheFlow.org

Online canning course

If you have a garden that’s bigger than your stomach and you don’t already know how, you should probably learn to properly freeze and can.

Ann Henderson from the Utah State University Extension, Family & Consumer Sciences Faculty, recommends a free, self-paced, online course from the University of Georgia: “Preserving Food at Home: A Self Study” as well as the National Cen­ter for Home Food Preservation website.

http://fcs.uga.edu/ext/food/nchfp_elc, setp.uga.edu

Mindful Yoga looks for new home

The IWKI Building at 865 E. 500 South, where Charlotte Bell of Mindful Yoga & Meditation has held classes the past few years, has been sold and no longer retain its current functions. Yoga classes will continue at that site through August as Charlotte continues the search for a new location.

Home

Sugarmont Plaza comes to life in the former Sugar House DI parking lot

This summer, the parking lot next to the vacant D.I. building in Sugar House has been dubbed Sugarmont Plaza—a place where you’ll find food trucks and music on Wednesday nights. The RDA-funded project, whose website carries the UTA brand, is organized by Friends of South Salt Lake and the Sugar House Street Car.

2227 So. Highland Dr. http://www.letsrideuta.com/tag/sugarmont-plaza/

Earth Goods General Store plans move downtown

Earth Goods General Store is moving from the 9th East/1300 South corner to 327 E. Broadway (just east of what was NoBrow Coffee). The store will soon begin the transition from one location to the other, with a full opening on Broadway in September. The telephone number will remain the same.

801.746.4410, http://earthgoodsgeneralstore.com

Mosaic Bodywork moves downtown

Paul Wirth, certified Rolfer™ and owner of Mosaic Bodywork, has moved his office to downtown Salt Lake and expanded his practice to include work at the Salt Lake City Jewish Community Center.

Paul also began volunteering Rolfing sessions in the Department of Holistic Medicine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in February.

Paul has been practicing Rolfing Structural Integration in Salt Lake City since 2003. Visit his website for frequently asked questions about Rolfing Structural Integration.

311 S 900, E Ste 102. http://mosaicbodywork.com

This article was originally published on July 30, 2013.