Environment Archives – The Daily Utah Chronicle

Christopherson: The Church’s $100B Should Go to Preventing Climate Change

January 16, 2020

The Washington Post reported a whistleblower complaint a few weeks ago that most Utahns have heard all about. The complaint alleged that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "has amassed $100 billion in accounts intended for charitable purposes." Within hours of the article’s release, my Twitte...

Starr: The LDS Church Should Preserve The Outreach Community Garden

By Kennedie Starr, Opinion Writer

December 26, 2019

Community gardens serve a greater purpose than merely harvesting heirloom tomatoes and organic greens. Caring for fruit trees and beehives on a community plot can teach lessons beyond the growing seasons and protect keystone species. Managing plots brings distinct benefits, like promoting public health and...

Christopherson: Let’s Replace Black Friday with Buy Nothing Day

By Nain Christopherson, Opinion Writer

December 7, 2019

This year, Americans spent more money over one Thanksgiving weekend than they have since Black Friday began. In-store shopping grew 4.2% from 2018, and online spending reached a record high of over $11 billion between Thursday and Friday. Many travelled long distances for big sales, collectively spending much more on clothes, sporting goods an...

Christopherson: Utah Should Recycle Water Before Pushing Wasteful Projects

By Nain Christopherson, Opinion Writer

December 3, 2019

Six months after a change in leadership at the Utah Division of Water Resources, little seems to have changed regarding the organization’s projects and priorities. The Lake Powell Pipeline and Bear River Development are the only two projects listed on their website, despite criticisms that these ex...

Christopherson: Children’s Sports Shouldn’t Play On Bad Air Days

By Nain Christopherson, Opinion Writer

November 22, 2019

Everyone knows that Utah has terrible air. In 2017, the American Lung Association ranked Salt Lake City’s air quality “the sixth worst in the nation,” which will not surprise anyone who lives here. Pollution is as much a part of our lives and consciousness as the beautiful mountains or the state...

Starr: This Land Is Our Land?

By Kennedie Starr, Opinion Writer

November 12, 2019

At a roundtable discussion in Moab last month, Senator Mike Lee and the other senators of the Public Lands, Forests and Mining subcommittee sat down to discuss public lands policy in Utah. While Lee was correct in his statement that land is not “one single monolithic thing,” his assertion that states shoul...

Starr: If Utah Ski Resorts Don’t Collect Fees, The Snow Will Pay The Price

By Kennedie Starr, Opinion Writer

October 29, 2019

The “greatest snow on Earth” is at risk of becoming run-of-the-mill. The 2018 ski season resulted in one of the highest skier-spending years since 2010, despite the year’s lower than average snowfall. There is no question about the popularity of Utah’s renowned powder, but responsibility of k...

Barron: Utahns Must Demand Conservation over Recreation

By Morgan Barron, Opinion Writer

October 26, 2019

The Yellowstone Act of 1872 established our country’s first national park, dedicating Yellowstone and all future parks to be “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” It also tasked the Secretary of the Interior with the duty to make "rules and regulations... necessary or proper for the care and m...

Starr: Want to Help the Environment? Grow and Shop Local.

By Kennedie Starr, Opinion Writer

October 26, 2019

It is understandable to feel fatigued by the constant reporting on the challenges of climate change. Are rising seas, dwindling bee populations and bleak UN reports on the state of the global environment bringing you down? If so, it might be helpful to use the negative feelings you’re housing as activators for simple changes to your daily routine. Take, for exam...

Barron: Wildlife Can Find Refuge Within Zoos

By Morgan Barron, Opinion Writer

October 3, 2019

This past weekend, I took my younger sister to the Hogle Zoo. We watched the polar bear play with a big floaty toy, learned about the zoo's research into a fungus affecting Utah’s boreal toad population and looked at art installations made from trash collected from beaches in Oregon. Before we left, my s...