Climate Action

Awareness & Understanding

Start by understanding the climate challenges that are already reshaping Utah. Visit the Utah Division of Air Quality at deq.utah.gov to learn why Salt Lake Valley's winter temperature inversions trap pollution — your lungs feel the effects on red-air days. Look up the current Great Salt Lake water level at the Utah Division of Water Resources site. Watch NASA's 30-second "Eyes on the Earth" time-lapse showing the lake's shrinkage over decades. Write down two climate changes that are happening right now in your own backyard. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what a temperature inversion is and name one measurable climate impact on Utah.

Research & Investigation

Investigate the science and the systems behind local climate issues. Use the free NASA Climate Kids site and NOAA's climate.gov to understand how greenhouse gases trap heat. Then zoom in: check AirNow.gov for real-time Salt Lake City air quality data and compare it to a low-inversion day. Research one Utah organization working on these problems — try the Great Salt Lake Collaborative at greatsaltlakecollaborative.com or Utah Clean Energy at utahcleanenergy.org. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what causes Salt Lake's worst air-quality days and name one group actively working to fix it.

Planning & Preparation

Choose one climate action project to plan and execute over the next two weeks. Options: run a home energy audit using the free tool at energysaver.gov, organize a carpool for your school or workplace, or draft a letter to a Utah legislator about Great Salt Lake funding. Use the Carbon Footprint Calculator at carbonfootprint.com to measure your household's current impact. Write a one-page action plan with a specific goal — for example, "reduce our household driving by two trips per week" — and identify two friends or family members who might join you. You're ready for the next step when you have a written plan with a measurable goal and at least one partner.

Taking Action

Put your plan into action. Start your energy audit, launch your carpool, send your letter, or carry out whatever action you planned. Track your results daily — miles not driven, kilowatt-hours saved, responses received. If you send a letter to a Utah legislator, use the "Find My Legislator" tool at le.utah.gov. Share what you're doing on social media with the hashtag used by Utah Clean Energy or post in a neighborhood app like Nextdoor. Document at least five days of data or one completed interaction. You're ready for the next step when you have at least five days of data or a completed civic action with a documented outcome.

Leadership & Expansion

Scale your climate action up by bringing others in. Organize a small group — neighbors, teammates, classmates — to join one initiative. This could be a community carpool network, a joint letter-writing campaign, or a pledge drive using a free tool like PledgeWorks. Present your five-day data to the group and show them how small changes add up. Connect with a local group like Utah Clean Energy or Salt Lake City's Sustainability Division at slc.gov/sustainability to find out how to plug your project into something bigger. You're ready for the next step when you have recruited at least two other people to take a climate action alongside you.

Impact & Reflection

Measure what changed and share your story. Add up all the data you collected — miles saved, energy reduced, people engaged. Use free tools like Google Sheets to make a simple before-and-after chart. Write a two-paragraph summary of your project: what you tried, what worked, what you'd do differently. Submit a project summary to Salt Lake City's Sustainability Division or share it with the Great Salt Lake Collaborative. Reflect on how your actions connect to the larger systems you learned about in the first two steps. You're ready for the next step when you can point to one specific, measurable outcome your climate action produced and explain how it connects to a larger Utah environmental challenge.