Sustainable Living

Awareness & Understanding

Salt Lake City sits in a valley that traps pollution — when the air turns gray in winter, that inversion is a direct result of emissions from homes, cars, and industry. Start by checking today's air quality at airnow.gov or the Utah DAQ app, then watch "Story of Stuff" free on YouTube (21 minutes) to see how consumption and waste connect. Calculate your personal carbon footprint using the free calculator at footprintcalculator.org. Write down your score and your three biggest sources of emissions. You're ready for the next step when you know your carbon footprint number and can name your top three impact areas by category.

Research & Investigation

Dig into what sustainable living actually looks like — not just recycling, but energy, food, water, transportation, and waste. Utah has specific challenges: we use more water per person than almost any state, and our grid still runs largely on coal and natural gas. Explore the resources at Wasatch Clean Air at wasatchcleanair.org and the Rocky Mountain Power energy efficiency page. Watch at least two episodes of the "Sustainably Vegan" or "Shelbizleee" YouTube channels for practical, everyday ideas. Compare what works in a desert climate versus what advice assumes you live somewhere rainy. You're ready for the next step when you can list five specific sustainability habits that are practical for a Utah household.

Planning & Preparation

Design a 30-day sustainability challenge for yourself. Pick three changes across three different categories — for example: transportation (take TRAX or UTA bus instead of getting a car ride twice a week), food (go meat-free on Mondays), and energy (unplug devices when not in use). Write each change as a specific, measurable commitment. Set up a simple tracking system — a paper chart, a notes app, or a free habit tracker app like Habitica. Tell at least one other person in your household about your plan so they can help you stay accountable. You're ready for the next step when you have a written 30-day plan with three specific, trackable changes and a way to measure each one.

Taking Action

Run your 30-day challenge. Track every day — even the days you slip up. At the two-week mark, write a mid-point check: which change is easiest? Which is hardest, and why? Look up one local resource that makes your hardest change easier: maybe that's the UTA trip planner at rideuta.com, the SLC food waste composting program, or the Rocky Mountain Power rebate program for LED bulbs. Adjust your plan based on what you learn. You're ready for the next step when you have two full weeks of tracking data and a written reflection on what is and isn't working.

Leadership & Expansion

You've run the experiment — now scale it. Recruit at least two other people to try one of your three changes. Create a simple one-page guide (use free Canva at canva.com) explaining why the change matters locally — use the inversion data or the Utah water stats you found in step two. Share your guide at school, in your neighborhood, or with a local group like the Utah Environmental Congress or the SLC Sustainability office. Post your 30-day results publicly — even a simple social media update with your data counts. You're ready for the next step when at least two other people have committed to trying one of your sustainable habits and you have shared your results with a real audience.

Impact & Reflection

Complete your final tracking data and write a two-page reflection. Answer: What did your data actually show — did your habits change your footprint? What was harder than you expected? What surprised you? Calculate your estimated impact: if you took the bus twice a week instead of getting driven, how many pounds of CO2 did you avoid over 30 days? (Use the EPA's emissions calculator at epa.gov/greenvehicles.) Set two sustainability habits you will keep permanently. Share your reflection and your data with your SLCTrips mentor. You're ready for the next step when you can point to real numbers showing how your choices made a measurable difference, even a small one.