Category Archives: Environment

Abuzz on campus: the University of Utah Beekeepers’ Association

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Story by HENRY ALLEN

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s a quiet fall evening on the University of Utah campus, that is, aside from the constant buzzing. Resting underneath the windowsill of a dorm room in Shoreline 829 is a flat glass case filled with thousands of Apis mellifera, the European honeybee.

The glass case is an observation hive, and it is used by education-eager beekeepers to demonstrate the workings of a beehive. Behind the glass panels, sturdy wooden frame, and fine mesh, is a hive that writhes and squirms; a colony of constant churn. Frankly, it’s unnerving to have nearby for more than an hour, the low thrum of the hive rising and falling just enough so as not to become background noise. I was holding the case as a favor for Quaid Harding, president of the U’s Beekeepers’ Association, while he went to dinner.

Actual beekeepers don’t have a problem with the buzzing – Harding sleeps soundly with the hive next to his bed. “I like it,” he says, “it’s calming, kind of tranquil.” A senior at the U majoring in biology, Harding joined the club last fall, after completing his Global Environmental Issues community service hours with the club. Upon finishing, Harding wanted to do more – “I went up and talked to the club’s advisor, and asked ‘how do I get more involved?’” Harding says. “There wasn’t anybody taking initiative to set up meetings or recruit, so I offered to take on the leader’s position. We really needed more members.”

Harding has an infectious enthusiasm for bees, and has been an active and capable recruiter for the club. The observation hive was a boon: nothing attracts interest quite like walking around with several thousand bees.“The bees do the recruiting for me,” he says. Leota Coyne, a new member of the club, says the observation hive caught her interest immediately. “I saw the hive at Plaza Fest, I couldn’t just walk past that.”

The Association maintains four sets of hives on campus: one on the fourth-floor of the Union; another outside the Health Sciences Library; and two in the Marriott Library.  The hives are nestled in easily-seen but unobtrusive outdoor locations, carefully placed for both bee and human safety. “There are roughly four beehives at each spot, and each hive can house anywhere between 20,000 and 60,000 bees,” says Harding. The hives need regular inspections for bee health and maintenance checks, which Harding uses as field trips for the Association.

It begins with proper clothing – a full body beekeeping suit. The white canvas outfits look like space suits made out of leftover painters’ smocks, but thicker and with mesh face masks instead of helmets. Once suited up, the inspectors use coffee-tin-like smokers to puff smoke onto the hives. “The smoke simulates a forest fire” Harding says, and “the bees’ response is to gorge themselves on honey to protect it, which makes them docile and sleepy. It’s kinda like how people are tired after stuffing themselves on Thanksgiving dinner.”

Some weeks later I attended a honey-extraction event, where I met Amy Sibul, the club’s faculty advisor. “We use the honey to help fund the club,” says Sibul. “We sell bottles of honey, as well as tubes of lip balm made with the beeswax.” The events are open to the public, which the Beekeepers’ Association uses to teach people, both about the club and the bees. “The main importance is the awareness it raises,” Sibul says, “we need to be aware of the impacts humans have on honeybees.”

Beekeepers around the world have reported precipitous decline in their hive populations – a loss of around 30 percent annually. This phenomenon is referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and the full cause is still being investigated. What we know for sure, however, is that humans play a big part in the disorder through their use of pesticides. Some countries are making strides to curb their impact on bees – such as the European Union’s push to ban various bee-harming chemicals – but other countries are lagging behind. CCD is in an odd position: people acknowledge that it is a problem, but don’t understand the gravity of the issue.

One reason why CCD is so alarming is that bees are more than honey-makers – they play a huge role in pollinating the world’s agricultural industry: “One in every three of our bites of food depends on honeybees” says Sibul. The loss of honeybees would be a huge hit to the global food supply, and losing millions of agricultural jobs would be economically devastating.

Clubs like the Beekeepers’ Association are important for combating CCD.  The Association does its part to help stabilize the bee population by maintaining healthy hives and raising public awareness.  Every bit of progress, from the local level to the global level, helps keep the bees – and the world – buzzing.

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Organic Farmer Speaks to University Students

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By Colton Stanger

David Bell, a certified organic farmer from Salt Lake City gave a talk at the University of Utah annex building last Tuesday on the process, as well as the challenges and benefits of organic gardening.

Bell Organic Farm, run by Bell and his family is located inside the Salt Lake City limits.  Along with growing many of the typical vegetables that can be found in a grocery store, David grows 35 variations of carrot, tomato, pepper, beats and peppers.

“I cut one open, and I feel like I’m holding a sunrise in one hand and a sunset in the other,” Bell said, referring to one of eight types of heirloom tomatoes he grows on his farm.

Bell grows everything naturally.  That means no pesticides or chemical treatments like nitrogen and growth hormone.  The food is all harvested by hand, and the land, which they lease is maintained to certified organic standards.

To be certified organic requires 50 to 80 hours of paperwork, constant essay writing on the planting, cultivating and harvesting process and personal inspection as mandated by Food and Drug Administration.  The fees required also take up about two percent of Bell’s annual revenue.

“I’m proud to be certified organic,” Bell said, grinning over his folded hands.

The organic process does require more labor, and Bell manages to get all he needs by letting people come out and work, paying them with portions of the food they help to grow.

“It’s amazing how many highly educated people we get who are either tired of being in an office, or don’t want to fill out another unanswered job application who come out and work under the sun, for food,” Bell said.

David sells most of his produce through his website http://bellorganic.com and a system called a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Basically a customer pays an annual fee, a little over four hundred dollars and during the summer and fall months customers go to a local delivery point and pick up fresh produce.

“We pick in the morning and deliver in the afternoon. I don’t see it getting any fresher than that,” Bell said.

Most of the attendees of the lecture were members of the university’s student organization SPEAK (Students Promoting Eating disorder Awareness Knowledge).  SPEAK is an organization dedicated to a healthier more environmentally friendly way of life and works to spread awareness about things like local farming and organic living.

“It’s amazing that such fresh produce is available at such reasonable prices,” said Allison Steward after the lecture, a grad student in health science and a member of SPEAK.  “With a lot of stuff at the store you can’t know what you’re eating but here you do.  And if you have any doubts you can go there and grow it yourself.”

“I think it’s a cool way to get healthy food and a good sense of community,” said Megan Madsen, a social work major at the university and also a member of SPEAK.

“Farming is hard, but its worth it when you look at a piece of food and say, ‘I made that.’  It makes me feel like I contribute,” Bell said.

Bell Organic delivers from late March, early April all of the way into November.  They have pick up locations in Salt Lake City, Park City and many more between there and South Jordan.  For more information on the farm and its process, or to sign up for the CSA go to http://bellorganic.com.

“Shakeout” Attempts to Prepare Utahns for the Worst

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by Mark LeBaron

SALT LAKE CITY- “The Great Utah ShakeOut” was not an ice cream eating festival. It wasn’t the latest dance craze either. It was a statewide earthquake drill that was held on April 17.

Many people participated throughout the state at exactly 10:15 am at schools, work and home by dropping under the nearest table or desk and holding on for one minute. Others evacuated their building following the drill.

Bradley Hunsaker, an atmospheric science major at the University of Utah participated, but didn’t think it was worth the effort to have the drill.

“I didn’t really see much point to the drill. It seemed like it was just to set a record for people participating.” Said Hunsaker.

Some students were aware of the test, but didn’t participate.

“Our class was scheduled to take a test. We had been told to ignore any firefighters and just take the test. The rest of the department left, so we were alone in our little room,” said Joe Bolke, a material science and engineering major at the University of Utah. “Nobody got under the desk, or went to rendezvous.”

Joe had been receiving the emails leading up to the drill, however, and felt prepared in case a real earthquake occurred.

Jared Evans, who works in downtown Salt Lake, didn’t participate in the drill either, but only because his work didn’t push to do it.

“I didn’t even know about it until right before it took place. I saw it on KSL and that is when I found out it was happening.” Said Jared. “The building we work in is really old, so it would actually be beneficial to have a fire and earthquake drill to make sure we make it out ok.”

Most of Utah’s residents live along the Wasatch Fault, which runs from the bottom to the top of Utah. According to the Utah Geological Survey, an earthquake generated from the fault is 50 to 100 years overdue. They estimate that the fault shifts every 350-400 years, and the last earthquake was 500 years ago.

According to the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, if a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred, approximately 7,600 people would die and $18 billion would be lost to physical damage and loss of jobs and economic activity.

Preparation for an earthquake is key to surviving potentially devastating damage. Water, food and gas may be unavailable, as well as cell phones, Internet and electricity.

Be Ready Utah, the State’s emergency preparedness campaign, urges all households to have non-perishable food storage of at least three days per person, in case of emergency. Other things to prepare are implementing an evacuation plan and having an emergency kit. Information for these and other useful tips can be found at http://beready.utah.gov/beready/index.html.

The ShakeOut has been held at other places around the United States and the World, like California, British Columbia, Canada and Tokyo, Japan. The next shakeout is set to occur on September 26th of this year, in New Zealand. To find out more information on the shakeouts, visit http://www.shakeout.org.

Scientists Warn Northern Europe Could Become Uninhabitable In The Next Hundred Years

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By: Bradley Hunsaker

This last winter brought record low temperatures and early freezes in much of northern Europe killing close to 80 people.  Even more people had to be evacuated, mostly airlifted, from their homes due to record snowfalls and temperatures falling below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, making the area unlivable.

Scientists have documented temperatures as the lowest in over 100 years and most are saying this is not the last of the brutal winters for that region.

“No, this is only the start,” said Jay Mace, a climate change professor at the University of Utah. “Unfortunately this pattern is what scientists have been predicting would happen for some time now and it is only going to get worse.”

The temperature shifts are occurring because of a change in the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC, responsible for bringing warm air to parts of northern Europe that on the other side of the hemisphere are seen as uninhabitable.  The AMOC is a global current that is driven by the heat and water vapor exchanged to cold dry air masses from North America.  Cold, salty water tends to be denser than regular water, causing it to sink in the ocean.  The coldest and saltiest waters are formed in the North Atlantic where the current gets most of its drive.

The problem we are seeing, explains Jay, is that the glacier ice melting in the ocean from Greenland and the arctic is bringing in too much fresh water to the current, causing the flow that thrives on salt water to slowly shut down.  When the current shuts down, warm air can no longer be circulated to places like northern Europe.

If the current does shut down, most of northern Europe from Bulgaria to Denmark and especially places in the north like Russia and Sweden will become frozen over and too cold for any civilization to thrive.

Last time the world saw an event like this was when Lake Agassiz which used to be located in North America drained into the Atlantic dumping fresh water into the ocean.  This event shut down the current for two millennia causing a return to ice in the northern hemisphere causing most of what we see today in places like the Yukon in northern Canada.

Even though scientists have been studying events like this very little is known about the current and how to help it.  Most people are unaware of what is actually causing these global freezes and not much is being done to help it.

“I don’t know what is causing these hot and cold temperatures around the world,” said Liz Griggs, master’s student studying piano performance at the U. “I can say it is all about global warming but then I would just be saying what I have heard from the news.  I can’t really say one way or another what is causing this and how to help.”

Even those studying climate change and weather have very little knowledge exactly how the current works.

“It is concerning to have a natural event that we have no control over and we have very little understanding on what impact we really have on it and what we can do about it,” said Scott Elkins, who is pursuing an atmospheric science minor at the U.   “It is sad that we have to be aware of this event yet have little understanding what to do about it.”

Despite the lack of understanding of the current from the general public, Climatologists have been working hard to understand it and try and see what can be done to reverse the change before it becomes too late.

“Oh, there is no doubt about it,” said Jay, “If trends continue how they are and glacier waters keeps flowing into the AMOC, the current will shut down in a few hundred years and we will see an end to life in a lot of places until it can get started again.  And by the time that happens the world will have already undergone another major climate shift.”

Exhibit at the U. Features Activist Edward Abbey

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by Mark LeBaron

In the end, Utah beat Stanford.

Not on the field, the court or the pitch, but on Eric Hvolboll’s list. Hvolboll, a lawyer and resident of California, collected many works of the activist-writer, Edward Abbey. Eventually, Hvolboll decided to donate his collection to either the University of Utah or Stanford. Ultimately, the U. won.

Abbey, who was born in Pennsylvania, authored 21 books. He spent most of his adult life working, traveling and living in the American Southwest. Two of his most famous books are “The Monkey Wrench Gang” and “Desert Solitaire”. Considered to be the pioneer of the environmental movement, Abbey worked hard to protect the land he grew to love.

A presentation to celebrate the collection took place on Sunday, in the Gould Auditorium in the Marriott Library on the campus of the University of Utah. Ken Sanders, a resident of Salt Lake and rare book collector, spoke about Abbey and his effect on environmental issues today.

“The majority of the traditional student body at this and other universities were not yet born on this planet when Abbey died,” said Sanders. “Ed Abbey still lives. Almost all 21 books he wrote during his lifetime are still available to be read.”

Tyson Gibb, a senior studying new media, is an example of whom Sanders was describing.

“I actually read Desert Solitaire,” said Gibb. “The way he talked and described things, his writing style is very abrasive.”

Gibb saw Abbey as a man who is looked up to for many people as someone who laid a foundation for the environmental movement, impacting people like local activist Tim DeChristopher.

In 2008, DeChristopher protested land sold by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by bidding on 14 parcels of land in Salt Lake City. After being arrested and put on trial, DeChristopher was sentenced to two years in federal prison, where he is currently. Gibb was in attendance of a protest following the sentencing and indicated his support for DeChristopher.

“I think Tim [DeChristopher] is a new American hero,” said Sanders near the end of his lecture.

After the presentation, the audience was invited to go up to the collection on the fourth floor of the Marriott Library.

In the end, the main motivation for Hvolboll is for the collection to open peoples’ eyes to environmental issues in Utah’s wilderness.

“There was one thing I failed to mention in my remarks earlier,” Hvolboll said. “My goal is for other people to see it as a spur [for environmental awareness],” he said.

The collection is entitled, “Brave Cowboy: An Edward Abbey Retrospective” and is in the Special Collections Gallery in the Marriott Library. It is free and open to the public until April 27th. Additional information can be found by visiting http://bit.ly/xn3Dks.

“We are very excited to house the fine work of Ed Abbey,” said Greg Thompson, Associate Dean of the Special Collections at the Marriott Library. “It is a collection we’re proud to have at the University.”

Marriot Library Celebrates The Life Of Edward Abbey

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By: Bradley Hunsaker

An audience of about 150 people packed the Gould Auditorium in the Marriot library Sunday to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Edward Abbey, author of “Desert Solitaire” and “The Monkey Wrench Gang.”

“I haven’t read many of Abbey’s works,” said Jordan Ripplenger, an environmental studies major at the University of Utah. “But he seemed like he lived an interesting life.  Almost like a modern day Thoreau.”

The event’s main purpose was to open up a new exhibit dedicated to Edward Abbey.  The exhibit will hold many of Abbey’s works including rare first-edition publications donated by Eric Hvolboll.  Hvolboll donated most of the collection to the library back in 2008.  Through a 30-year period he has looked for rare Abbey works wherever he could find them.  He told the audience he became addicted to Abbey’s work after reading a proof for “Desert Solitaire” and seeing how much was removed before the book was published.

Hvolboll told the audience he was happy to find a resting place for the collection.  He talked about how he looked into many Universities such as the University of Arizona and Stanford before deciding that the University of Utah was the place for this collection to be.  Hvolboll wasn’t the only person happy to see his collection put to good use.

“This is the best print collection in the whole area,” said Gregory Thompson, director of Special Collections here in Utah. “We now have the ability to study Ed’s writings including a lot of his non-published works.  It will also be important in bringing scholarship opportunities and the students getting educated in Abbey’s works.”

The opening of the exhibit was kicked off by a speech given by a long-time friend of Abbey’s, Ken Sanders.  Sanders is a rare book collector and has worked with Abbey on many different occasions.  Most of Sanders’ presentation came from Eric Temple’s documentary “Edward Abbey: A Voice in the Wilderness.”  The presentation included a lot of audio clips from Abbey himself explaining points of his life and his works.

“My point here today is to let us see Edward Abbey and hear Edward Abbey.  Ed didn’t need anyone to speak for him and 22 years after his death he still doesn’t,” said Sanders at the start of the presentation.

Sanders wanted to emphasize to the audience that Abbey’s works live on and should inspire people to act on a lot of the environmental issues today.  He gave the specific example of legislatures planning on taking back 30 million acres of federal lands within the state and using them for exploration, energy and greed.

Although Abbey never considered himself a naturalist, nor did he even know what a naturalist was, through his works he inspired environmental extremist groups such as Earth First.  He never really condoned the extreme ways of bringing environmental reform but he always emphasized people standing for the cause of the wild.

“The wilderness needs no defense!  Only defenders,” said Abbey in one of the audio clips during the presentation.

Albeit Sanders said he and Abbey did acknowledge the need for exploration, gas, oil and energy, he called it a trade-off for the precious land that is left.  He warned the audience to find the balance between consumption and the wilderness remaining before we consume too much.

“As Ed said, ‘Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell,’” said Sanders.

During his life Abbey wrote more than 23 books of both fiction and non-fiction.  His most famous is “Desert Solitaire” which documents his life as a park ranger in Moab’s Arches National Monument.  The book is about his experiences and thoughts during that time, mirroring Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden.”

At the time Abbey’s works starting getting popular he said he only had one main goal when it came to his writing, “I want to write one good book if possible,” said Abbey. “I’m not trying to do anything more than that.”

The exhibit, “Brave Cowboy: An Edward Abbey Retrospective,” opened to the public Sunday and will remain open until April 27.  The exhibit can be found on the fourth floor of the Marriot Library.  Features include signed copies of Abbey’s works, his contracts and correspondence with his publishers and other documents about Abbey’s life.

Environmentalists celebrate the legacy of the late Edward Abbey

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By. R. Ammon Ayres

SALT LAKE CITY- The author of popular radical environmental novels was remembered thanks to the generous donations Calif. attorney Eric Hvolboll.

Last Sunday afternoon in the University of Utah’s Marriot Library, former appraiser for the popular television program “Antiques Roadshow” and book collector Ken Sanders hosted a presentation for the late author Edward Abbey. This celebration preceded the opening of an exhibit of a historical collection of Abbey’s autographed books, contracts, movie posters, essays and just about everything with Abbey’s name on it. The many supporters that showed, both old and young, came to remember the author and sustain his environmental ideals.

“Ed Abbey still lives… Abbey is selling books better than ever now that he’s dead,” said Sanders. Sanders said Abbey’s books are an important part of history, the radical words in his novels drive his ongoing growing fandom towards going green and advocating the environment to preserve the earth and its beauty.

“I believe Ed Abbey’s environmental ideals are relevant more than ever today,” said a friend of Sanders and attendant John Dalton.

“The Wilderness needs no defense, only defenders,” said Sanders quoting Abbey. Sanders quoted Abbey’s humorous yet serious view on the environment, allowing the late Abbey to speak for himself and resonate his beliefs.

Abbey believed in enjoying his problems, but also said, “I enjoy my enemies problems too,” said Sanders quoting Abbey. Sanders used this occasion of celebration to remember Abbey and create awareness of the danger the environment is facing.

Sanders proclaimed the recently sentenced Tim DeChristopher as an environmental hero. DeChristopher was found guilty when tried in federal court for bidding on public land that he couldn’t pay for, to protect it from the oil companies.

Dalton had a different point of view on whether DeChristopher was a hero not. “Whether Tim is a hero or not, is debatable. Being a lawyer, I believe there are better ways to protect the environment, especially through the legal system,” said Dalton.

“What he had to say in both his fiction, and essays resonate… people still see his beliefs as relevant, which is key,” said Associate Dean of Special Collections Greg Thompson when asked why Abbey was an important figure to be remembered.

Thompson was hopeful that the ultimate outcome of the presentation would “help the public understand the importance of research libraries, and collecting pieces to further environmental movements and bring attention to Ed’s books.”

Hvolboll’s donation to the University of Utah was well received by those who came to the program. Thompson believed that Abbey’s collection would bring many who have yet to read one of Abbey’s classic novels to an understanding of why the environment is such an important asset, and why extraordinary measures must be taken to preserve the earth. The actions to take care of the environment must be drastic to make the world a better place for tomorrow, according to Sanders.

“I have yet to read any of Ed’s books, but I’m excited to see what all the hype is about,” said attendant Rosa, (who wishes to have her full name withheld).

“I’m most interested in discovering how Ed Abbey writes his books,” said Rosa.

Abbey’s legacy and confidence about the environment has made an incredible effect with his ecological devout followers, and Abbey continues to find new fans, which share the same ideals. The Edward Abbey collection will be on display all month.

Marriott Library Hopes to Facilitate Environmental Awareness with Edward Abbey Exhibit

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by Erica Hartmann

SALT LAKE CITY- On March 4, 2012 the Gould Auditorium in the Marriott Library was filled with many fans of famous author, Edward Abbey. Abbey supporters gathered anxiously as they waited for the “Edward Abbey Exhibit” to open later that afternoon.

 A lecture and reception was held in Abbey’s behalf prior to the opening of the exhibit. Abbey passes away on March 14, 1989 and was a man who was famous for his environmental efforts. At the lecture, questions were raised about the way Americans live today and whether Abbey would be proud of the current society.

            Ken Sanders, a man who has been in the rare books business for many years, was the speaker for the event “R. Crumb meets the Monkey Wrench Gang: Edward Abbey and the Modern Environmental Movement from Earth First!” held on Sunday. He knew Abbey personally and was very knowledgeable about Abbey’s life.

Abbey spent most of his life in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, where he lived and worked for the state parks. He is best known for his novel “The Monkey Wrench Gang”, which has become a highly inspirational book for environmental groups.

Sanders said, “Abbey was a man that many people related to.” He went on to say, “The writing of Ed Abbey defines a group of people living in the west. We know we belong together.”

It’s been said that he moved people with his passion for the environment. According to a close friend of Abbey, Charles Bowden, “Abbey was angry with post-world commercialism, and he wanted to share that anger to motivate people to change the way they choose to live.”

Sanders shared his ideas with Abbey’s fans at the lecture. He said, “Wilderness needs no defense, just more defenders.” He also made his listeners laugh when he said, “Society is like a stew, if you don’t keep it stirring, you get a lot of scum on top.” Everyone in the audience smiled and nodded their heads.

Most everyone agreed that Abbey would be disappointed with the changes that have occurred since his death in 1989, especially how the government wants to privatize all the public land in Utah. Most believe that if Abbey were alive today, he’d have a lot to say about this issue.

Jonathon, a recent Utah graduate and fan of Abbey said, “It’s up to us to do something about it.” He explained that Americans are only concerned about money and said he believes that more people should live the way Abbey did. “He struggled to make a living, but he was proud of his work.”

Mary, a woman who works for the Marriott Library, has been a fan of Abbey for many years. She agreed that Abbey would be disappointed in the changes that have occurred, but is hopeful for what lies ahead. She expressed, “I think Abbey would be proud of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. It’s something he would have supported.”

Mary also explained, “the new collection is a step in the right direction to make people aware of what Abbey was all about.” She believes that if younger generations become familiar with him, changes can be made to the way Americans live their lives and treat their environment.

The Edward Abbey Exhibit holds over 30 years of collected work by the author and will be held on the 4th floor of the University Library. Everyone is encouraged to visit the exhibit. Getting to know Abbey and his passion for the environment will facilitate change and inspire readers to think twice about how their actions effect the environment.

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING FOR LOVE YOUR BODY WEEK

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by Andrew S. Jones

SALT LAKE CITY – A local organic-certified farmer stressed food quality and color when considering nutrition to a group of students at the University of Utah annex building Tuesday, Feb. 28 in commemoration of Love Your Body week.

David Bell is the co-owner of Bell Organic, a local organic farm that has been situated in Draper, Utah for the last fourteen years. Wearing a light dress hat and exposing his chest through an opened plaid shirt, Bell shared how his lifestyle and food appetites have changed since being a famer and the impact simple things can have on students.

Bell was invited as a keynote speaker in a week’s worth of events called Love Your Body, Love Your Land week, presented by a student committee that collectively identifies themselves as SPEAK. SPEAK is an acronym that stands for Students Promoting Eating Disorder Awareness and Knowledge.

“Guess what, fresh-everything tastes better,” Bell said while passing around a tray of two large Spanish tortillas made only of freshly-grown produce from his farm. He said his rule-of-thumb centers around fresh ingredients and that freshness equates to better nutrition and taste.

While the ambient sounds of crunching and hearty swallows filled the room, Bell spoke openly about his experience becoming a farmer and the impact it has played on his and his family’s lives. What started out as a small 4-by-8 foot all organic garden in the backyard of Bell’s Sugar House area home, turned into a half-acre plot he and his wife Jill purchased when they decided to go into the business of farming together. The plot used to be an old dairy farm in Draper, Utah. These decisions came about while Bell was between jobs and without any prior farming experience.

“I had heard that a half billion people in China were being fed by one-half acre farms,” Bell said, before explaining how he felt Salt Lake County could sustain something similar just fine with the available resources, population, and perceived demand. The venture has since become a success. Now just over 25 acres in size, the farm also hosts a community supported agriculture program (CSA) that feeds more than 150 households every week during the farming season, all while following federal regulations to maintain an all-organic crop.

Bell also shared that there are plenty of side benefits to farming that he enjoys besides just the fresh food. He particularly enjoys being in shape and staying tan throughout the season while admitting that his weight fluctuates by as much as 20 pounds offseason.

“In the offseason I work as a real estate agent,” Bell said, just before jokingly stating “I have both the most overcompensated and undercompensated jobs in America.”

“While SPEAK is focused on body, this year we also wanted to include your land; hence the title and Mr. Bell,” said Brittany Badger, a graduate student studying health promotion and education under Reel. This is Badger’s third year being involved with SPEAK and Love Your Body week. While taking a sigh of relief after the day’s event and presentation, when asked what she thought of the tortilla, there was no hesitation. “It was amazing,” she said, “It may have been the best thing I’ve eaten.”

“This is the tenth anniversary of SPEAK and Love Your Body week,” said SPEAK founder and faculty advisor Justine Reel, Ph.D and assistant professor in the Department of Health at the University of Utah. “It started off with just four students who wanted to get involved,” she said while elaborating on how she feels the endeavor has evolved into a successful medium to reach out to students struggling with eating disorders. Reel also explained that the Love your body, love your land events share the same week as the National Eating Disorders Awareness week and therefore makes the events even more significant and in-line with the group’s mission.

According to the SPEAK homepage, the group is made up of many diverse students who promote self-esteem, self-efficacy, healthy body image, and healthy eating habits. Their mission is to promote awareness of eating disorders and body image issues through educating diverse populations, developing strategies for prevention, providing resources for treatment, and conducting relevant research.

For more information about SPEAK, visit http://web.utah.edu/speak.html

Rural Land Legislation Unpopular with Environmental Activists

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by Evelyn Call

Choice words were expressed towards Utah state legislators on Sunday at an event held to honor the writings of Edward Abbey, beloved environmentalist and author.  Ken Sanders, guest lecturer and close friend of Abbey, criticized local government officials for legislation introduced that would take back 30 million acres of federal land to be managed by the state.

The legislation introduced would set a 2014 deadline for the federal government to relinquish lands that are not national parks, military installations or wilderness.  In all, this constitutes about 50 percent of the entire state. The bill received final approval by the state legislature and is headed for the governor’s desk, where it’s expected to be signed into law.

“Whom are they taking back the land from? Utah has never owned that land.  Are they going to take it back to give to the Indians and Mexicans?” said Sanders.

Sanders’ sentiment was met with thunderous applause by the mostly older, environmentally conscious audience at an event held at the Marriott Library on University of Utah campus.  The hour-long event featured the writings of Edward Abbey, author of most notably “The Desert Solitaire” and “Monkey Wrench Gang.”   Both books, which became famous for their picturesque description of the landscape that surrounds southern Utah and northern Arizona, also became rallying cries for the modern environmental movement.

Abbey’s influence on environmental preservation was evident by the people who showed up Sunday to enjoy his writings and to honor him even 23 years after his death.  Many in the audience shook their heads and clapped, mirroring Sanders’ outrage at the current rural land legislation introduced by the state legislature.  The fear held by many is that the land, once under state and county domain, will be over developed by the oil and gas industry.

“I understand the need for oil and gas development.  I drove a car to this event but it is a trade off and not one I think we should make.  As Abbey would say ‘Growth for the sake of growth is a cancer’s ideology’,” said Sanders.

Jim, an employee of the federal government who didn’t feel comfortable disclosing his last name because of his position, said, “I think it’s a mistake to pass this legislation, the state legislature should be embarrassed.”

“I thinks it’s ridiculous what they are doing, this land was never Utah’s land.  We only got this state because it was understood that this would be federal land,“ said Krista Bowers, an environmental activist.

While discussing the current legislation, Sanders said, “I don’t think I know what Edward Abbey would think about some of the things that are going on.  I’m just not sure his old school monkey wrenching, burning down billboards, wrecking bulldozers is really going to have any impact anymore.  The stakes have gotten more and more serious.”

While there was much debate over the current environmental movement, part of the event also included the unveiling of a new exhibit at the Marriott Library. The exhibit showcases the history of Abbey’s writings and memorabilia from the author’s life long love affair with his surroundings in the deserts of the southwest. The exhibit will be available to the public for the entire month of March.  (543 word count)

Legacy of radical environmental activist and author is showcased in exhibit

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by Ryly Larrinaga

SALT LAKE CITY –  “He didn’t need anyone to talk for him alive and he still doesn’t being 22 years dead,” said local rare book dealer Ken Sanders.

Nearly two decades after author and radical environmentalist Edward Abbey’s death in 1989 at the age of 62, Sanders is finally able to speak of the man he knew and his work that has spurred such a drastic movement in environmental crusades.

Before the opening exhibit containing Abbey memorabilia at the J. Willard Marriot Library on Sunday, about 150 attendees listened as Sanders gave his lecture, “R. Crumb meets the Monkey Wrench Gang: Edward Abbey and the Modern Environmental Movement, from EarthFirst! to Tim DeChristpoher.”

“I hope to bring a taste and flavor for what Abbey was all about,” said Sanders of his lecture that showcased footage of Abbey during his life.

Abbey, whose writing became a crusade surrounding the destruction of the environment, considered himself an entertainer and expressed that his main goal was to just write good books, according to Sanders.

Abbey’s writings are filled with themes of anarchy and rebellion, much like in his prominent novel, “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” that centers on activists who plan to sabotage the destruction of the Glen Canyon Dam. “The Monkey Wrench Gang” is cited as being a major inspiration to several radical environmental groups such as the creation of EarthFirst!.

“People need to do more. We need more people standing up and saying the emperor has no clothes,” said Sanders.

Sanders, said that Abbey’s view on environmentalism will just not cut it these days, emphasized that issues have become more frightening, which require a modern, stronger approach in order to create change.

“The new generation of people coming of age now, they’ve inherited the planet that we’ve messed up. It’s up to them to do something about it,” Sanders said in relevance to Tim DeChristopher.

DeChristopher, who falsely bid on oil and gas leases at a 2008 Bureau of Land Management auction, was convicted last July to two years in prison.

However, Abbey’s work was just not an attempt to stop the destruction of the environment through crusades of chaotic events like in “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” Several of Abbey’s writings were themed around the relationship between man and nature.

In his 1968 novel, “Desert Solitaire,” Abbey uses sharp and poetic descriptions to bring the reader close to the natural beauty of the desert without actually being there.

‘Desert Solitaire,” has since gone on to become one of Abbey’s most noted publications. However, as Sanders described, Abbey was not fond of how popular the novel became. Abbey refusing to allow excerpts to be reprinted from the novel for over three years, Sanders said that Abbey became upset when requests for “Desert Solitaire” became overwhelming.

Abbey successfully attempted to intensify the anger of moral people who share similar beliefs on the importance of preserving the environment. Saying that Abbey had a unique way of incorporating the reader with his writing, whether that is through mesmerizing or infuriating the reader, Sanders believes that the legacy of Abbey will continue to be carried on through those who become involved with reading Abbey’s writings.

Having known Abbey, this lecture and exhibit was monumental for Edward Leuders, who hired Abbey to be the first writer for the creative writing department at the University of Mexico.

“This collection of Abbey material is a blessing. Abbey’s work was so influential that this collection of material the university has accumulated is unparallel,” Leuders said of the collection.

The exhibit showcases 174 items including Abbey’s handwritten notes, manuscripts, signed publications of Abbey’s books and various articles written by and about Abbey.

Eric Hvolboll, a recently retired attorney from Santa Barbara, Calif., donated the large collection to the Marriot Library in 2008. Included in the collection are first-edition signed publications and several original Abbey proofs that Hvolboll has gathered over a period of 30 years.

The exhibit, “Brave Cowboy: An Edward Abbey Retrospective,” is free and open to the public until April 27 on the fourth floor of the J. Willard Marriot Library.

R. Ammon Ayres

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MY STORIES:

MY RESUME

-Professional Experience

2011- Currently              Warehouse Manager, Age Sciences, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Responsibility for preparing order shipments together.
  • Overlook the operation going on, and comply to management needs.

2011 Summer   Technician, Platinum Protection, American Fork, Utah

  • Responsible for installing new, and replacing pre-existing, alarm systems.
  • Often travel to clients homes replace a system, or complete service tickets.

2010-2011    Transition Trainer, Granite School District, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • I had a vast array of responsibilities, from supervising to creating documents.
  • The gifts program is a program working with special needs students.

2010 Summer   River Guide, Teton Whitewater. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  • Guide Rafts down the Snake River safely.
  • Transport, and move deliver rafts from point A to point B

2009-2010                                 Delivery Driver, Hudson Home Health Equipment. American Fork, Utah.

  • Deliver beds, oxygen tanks, and other equipment to in home patients.

2009 Summer                                                                   River Guide, Boy Scouts of America. Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Give scout troops instruction on how to go down river in canoe, ensure safety of scouts, go over again and again on how to make it down the river.
  • Give tour of camp, give assistance to the troop I am hosting.

2007-2009                                        Volunteer Missionary – LDS Church. Eugene, Oregon

  • Gained leadership skills working with other volunteer missionaries.
  • Learned how to work with others, in such ways as how to change my way of working to make a better team.
  • Learned how to work hard, and serve others.

ABOUT ME:

I am a sophomore at University of Utah, and former student alumni of the Salt Lake Community College. Within the last year I have dedicated my studies and efforts to become a dentist. My efforts include taking prerequisite classes for dental school, and acquiring a degree in the communications department.

I am married to a wonderful woman named Abigail Ayres, we have been married for two years, and have been enjoying life. We met in Jackson Hole Wyoming, while working as river guides on the Snake River.There are currently no children in the picture, but hopefully they will come within the next couple years.

Over the past ten years, I have gained professional experience through many different companies. My professional skills came at a young age when I acquired a paper route. With that job I learned the importance of getting the job done right the first time, and the importance of punctuality.

Northern Utah Left to Clean up the Remins from Last Week’s Storm

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Story by Kaitlyn Christensen

With winds reaching 102 mph Wednesday night, thousands were left without power and property damage in Northern Utah.
The results of the storm have been devastating for residents. Power lines and trees were blown over leaving damage to properties and residences without power for almost 48 hours.
“Thursday morning was a huge surprise for my family and me. Our fence blew away like a parachute and the part of our fence that happened to not be blown away was toppled on by our neighbor’s tree. It was a very frustrating experience, we were without power for most of Thursday and now that we have to repair the fence,” said Ashley Eppich about her experience with Wednesday’s storm.
In a statement, Orrin Hatch said, “I want to extend my compassion to Utahans’ who have been impacted by today’s significant wind storm.  It is always disheartening to witness the havoc Mother Nature can wreak on buildings, homes, cars and other personal belongings and my heart goes out to those who now face major repairs and structural damage.”
Residents of Northern Utah came together over the weekend to clean up the results of Wednesday’s storm.
On Sunday many volunteers donated their time and equipment to help all residents remove debris and repair damage to help get their town back to normal.
“It was a miraculous sight to see the community coming together to help one another in this time of need. What would have taken two months ended up taking eight hours on Sunday,” said Kaysville Mayor Steve Hiatt.
Many LDS Churches canceled their services on Sunday to have members volunteer their time to help with the clean up.
Not only did citizens offer their manpower and time, but also the Utah National Guard and many privately owned businesses offered equipment, machinery and manpower to help get the community back on track.
“Luckily, my next door neighbor owns his own landscaping company, he and his crew used their trucks and equipment to help me clean up my yard and anyone else who was in need of help. People I didn’t know were helping me make repairs to my fence and patio. It is great to see people come together in a time like this,” said Ryan Ludlow.
All of the debris cleaned up left residents numerous piles of waste to remove.
“It was an enormous amount of waste,” said Hiatt.
Many cities had set aside temporary landfill for its residents to remove any green waste or other materials.
In Kaysville, between 100-150 volunteer trucks were lined up to drop off the waste that they had collected.
These temporary landfills were temporary closed on Monday to begin the “recovery operations” of moving all of the collected debris from the temporary landfill to the real landfill.
Those who were not removing debris and repairing damage were passing out drinks and food.
“Our community came through, as Utahans, we know how to put others before ourselves,” said Hiatt.

The NBA Lockouts Impact on Salt Lake City Businesses

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By Steven Blomquist

The NBA Lockouts Impact on Salt Lake City Businesses

The labor disagreement between the NBA and its players not only put the NBA season in jeopardy, but also raised concern in many small market areas about potential decline in revenue.
“The NBA lockout is not only affecting the players on the court but Salt Lake City businesses who rely on the Jazz fans for business” said local business and Jazz fan Mark Maybee.
Energy Solutions Arena can hold more than 19,911 fans. With the great influx of people coming downtown, many come early on game night to go to local restaurants, shop at stores and ride TRAX. All of which will see the effects.
Vincent V. Fonua, who has worked for the downtown Crown Burger for 3 years, said, “Crown burger and other restaurants will be for sure be affected by no Jazz season. It’s a usually are busiest part of the year.”
“Around 5 p.m. for about 2 hours we get a major rush,” right before the game starts around the corner from the arena. “It is great business for us. We do very well during Jazz season,” Fonua added.
“I have been a Jazz fan all my life. Going to games is a tradition I have with my brothers. We would always go Crown Burger to eat before the games and since the lockout I haven’t been to there,” said Jazz fan Mike Plant.
It’s not only the restaurants who suffer; it’s all those who rely on people coming downtown for games to make their business go.
Torry Austin, a local cab driver, said, “It’s not just restaurants that are seeing the effects. It’s parking revenue, it’s transportation revenues, it’s taxi cab rides.” Austin who has been a cab driver for over 20 years said, “Jazz season really allows me to make ends meet through the winter.”
Salt Lake is not the only city that has seen the effects of the lockout on the local economy. Fourteen other small market cities such as the Indianapolis, Memphis and Portland have also seen effects.
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker was one of 14 mayors in October who sent an open letter to league owners and players pleading their case for a season to take place for the sake of the local economies.
“It has created a huge strain,” Becker said. “I’m sure there are people who these part-time jobs at the arena make a difference in their ability to make end’s meet.” He added, “There are going to be economic casualties.”
On Nov. 26, the NBA and its players agreed on terms of a new collective bargain agreement. After missing all the preseason games and first 6 weeks of 2011-2012 play has been slated to start on Dec. 25.
While the NBA players celebrate their new deal they are not the only ones jumping for joy.  Local businesses also celebrate the end of the lockout, with the hope to make up for the lost profits

City Creek Center Marks the Beginning of a New Salt Lake City

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Story by: Spencer Peters

The long anticipated wait for the opening of City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City is finally in the home stretch. The wait is down to a mere three months until the March grand opening, which will mark a new phase for Salt Lake City economy and its development as a major metropolitan area.
Announced in October of 2006 by the Church of Latter-Day Saints, City Creek Center, will offer over 800,000 square feet of shopping, restaurants and office space over 23-acres in downtown Salt Lake.
In addition, there is an underground parking garage offering 56-hundred parking stalls which has already been open to the public and the residents in the four residential towers which were a focal point of this massive project.
Chase Carpenter, City Creek condominium owner, said, “Having seen this project evolve over the past five years, it’s exciting to see it come together in its final stages.”
To help live up to expectations, Taubman Centers Inc. announced, via press release on Sept.  13, 2011, the first 20 retailers moving into the 800,000 square foot structure – all of whom are new to the market. Along with anchor stores Macy’s and Nordstrom, the shopping center will be opening nationally recognized names, such as Coach, Brooks Brothers and Tiffany & Co.
There are also a slew of unique features on the project, including a fully retractable glass roof, a sky bridge over Main Street and a re-creation of City Creek, the snow-fed stream that once flowed through the city.
Current Nordstrom employee, Ashlin Gunn, said, “They really are pulling out all of the stops to make this new location special…there is a lot of excitement in the air for the potential this new store will bring.”
One interesting fact that stands out significantly about City Creek it’s the only major shopping mall to open in the United States next year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Being able to build through a recession, high unemployment rates, and a diminishing housing market can seem like a daunting task, but not for the LDS Church.
No loans were taken out, nor was any public money sought. The $1.5 billion budget for the development was generated through church-affiliated businesses and years of putting reserves aside, which allowed them to build through a recession, according to Dale Bills, spokesman for City Creek Reserve Inc.
Assistant Dean at the David Eccles School of Business, Brad Vierig, said, “It’s simply amazing what they were able to put together during the recession…City Creek is going to have an extremely positive effect on the Salt Lake City and Utah economy.”
Hundreds of jobs have already been created for construction workers and developers with another 2,000 on the way once the project is completely finished., according to Linda Wardell, retail general manager for the project.  City Creek is estimated to contribute $1 million a day for the local economy.
City Creek Center is only the first piece of the puzzle for the future of Salt Lake City living and the visions of its metropolitan future. The LDS Church and the Salt Lake government have created their “Downtown Rising Project.”
Downtown Rising is a concept that was introduced in 2006 as a way to build off of the success of the 2002 Winter Olympics and the idea of turning Salt Lake into a “global community.”
In addition to City Creek Center, developers have drawn up plans for various other community buildings, including a Global Exchange Place, Performing Arts Center, Public Market and a Metropolitan Sports and Fitness Center. All of these projects are highly dependent if City Creek lives up to its vaunted hype.
March 22, 2012 will mark the official and highly anticipated grand opening of the new City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Approximately 80 stores and restaurants will be opening their doors to the public. It will mark the dawn of a new economic era for all of Utah.  (660)

Recycle Rice-Eccles: Hoping for a waste-free future

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Story and slideshow by LAUREN BERG

The members of Recycle Rice-Eccles have taken big steps toward helping the University of Utah continue to go green. With one person’s dedication, the organization has gone from almost non-existent to a big part of the U’s athletic events in less than a year’s time.

Recycle Rice-Eccles started in 2010 as a petition. It sought to encourage the crew’s responsibility for cleaning the university stadium to recycle the leftover cups and cans, but the petition failed. “It was never going to succeed and I wanted a program that covered every potential area to recycle at the games,” Seth Crossley said.

Crossley is one of Recycle Rice-Eccles’ associate directors of sustainability. He is also the person whose dedication changed the organization into what it is today, and described the organization in the beginning as “loosely defined and unsuccessful.”

“Volunteers would be the best way to bring awareness to recycling,” Crossley said. “I knew we were always going to need volunteers and that we needed to work with the university instead of changing their contracts.”

The volunteers, who Crossley said numbered only about five to 10 in the beginning, would ask the fans for their plastic cups and cans to recycle. Since it didn’t seem like fans were being proactive about recycling the volunteers made it an effort to do so.

“It’s a challenge educating people about how and what to recycle,” said Allison Boyer, another associate director of sustainability and Recycle Rice-Eccles’ volunteer coordinator.

Boyer and Crossley both noticed that the number of  volunteers would decline during the course of the football games. About 10 people would help at the beginning of the games, but by the end, when it came time to clean and recycle trash, there would only be about three volunteers.

It wasn’t until the 2010 Utah vs. TCU football game, when the volunteers saw an ESPN College GameDay booth, that they realized what their organization could really be about.

According to an article published at ESPN MediaZone, the booth was there to promote going green and to create “an eco-friendly student gathering.” The article also explained that the students will spread the word about what their groups do on campus while helping ESPN collect recyclables.

The fans at the Utah vs. TCU game, along with Crossley’s volunteers, responded positively to the ESPN College GameDay Goes Green booth and the recycle initiative. They “were really excited about it,” he said. “It was really cool.”

Crossley and his crew became inspired to do something more for Recycle Rice-Eccles, and that’s exactly what they did.

He then decided to drop every single one of his 2011 summer classes in order to concentrate solely on the organization and how it could grow. He started out by making a PowerPoint slide show, and would go from department to department at the university to try to gain their support.

Crossley asked some departments for financial support. The staff in each department was willing to contribute as much as possible, but it wasn’t enough support to get Crossley where he needed to be. He was eventually told to go to ASUU, the Associated Students of the University of Utah.

He got the majority of his financial support to start funding the Recycle Rice-Eccles “make over” from ASUU, college departments and the Office of Sustainability.

One of his main goals was to get people more involved and proactive about recycling, so getting a spot to set up a recycling booth in the tailgating lot at football games was a big priority.

Crossley then had to go through a series of many approval processes.

He knew he would need the support of the top people in the departments in order to give the organization a new look and to get it up and running.

Crossley said that Gordon Wilson, vice president for Administrative Services, wanted to help support the changes that were being made at Recycle Rice-Eccles.

Because Wilson is in charge of plant operations, stadium services, stadium security and more, his support would also mean the support of everyone under him. He was also a big financial supporter as well, Crossley said.

He then needed the approval of the Crimson Club and CBS Sports Properties to set up a booth at the tailgating lot and to use logos at the booth, since the club owns the rights to market on athletic properties and sells all those rights to CBS Sports Properties. He also needed approval from the Athletic Department to set up a booth on school and athletic grounds.

After everything was approved, Crossley was then able to promote the sponsors for Recycle Rice-Eccles, including the MUSS, the campus bookstore and the Crimson Club.

Crossley decided to make bright green “Green Police” shirts for his volunteers to wear that display some of the sponsors’ logos on it.

Once the football season started Crossley continued to get companies and groups to sponsor the organization and get more volunteers to help. His main goal was to “make it fun for people,” he said, so he got fans and his volunteers involved by doing things like handing out or setting up drawings for field passes, and by doing “giveaways.”

In such a short amount of time Recycle Rice-Eccles now has its own mascot, the “Green Men,” that is seen running around at football games, a Facebook page, and sponsorships by businesses like Ford and Coca-Cola.

After only the first five games in 2011, Crossley said Recycle Rice-Eccles saved 17,000 pounds of recycled materials from being thrown away with the help of over 330 volunteers.

“It was surprising to see how many people were in favor of the organization, and how many people said it was long overdue,” said Chris Pavel, a junior at the University of Utah and Recycle Rice-Eccles volunteer.

Still continuing to try to grow, Crossley explains there will be more things to come for Recycle Rice-Eccles in the future, such as improving the “The Green Minute” at football games, getting the “Green Men” more involved, and just doing more to get fans and volunteers excited about recycling.

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The Natural History Museum of Utah opens new state-of-the-art museum

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Story by Chris Washington

After several years of construction and planning, the Natural History Museum of Utah’s (NHMU) new facility is finally open to the public.

Construction on the Rio Tinto Center, as it’s called, dates back to around 2005 and didn’t officially open until Saturday.

Many of the people involved have high hopes for the new museum.

“I think we put together a great museum in a great location,” said Patti Carpenter, director of public relations for the museum. To celebrate its grand opening, admission was free for the entire first day.

NHMU, which is located at the University of Utah, is a major research institution that focuses primarily on both the natural and cultural history of the Great Basin Region.

A unique aspect of the museum is its ability to display multiple forms of information in one given area.

“One of our goals was for families to be able to experience the museum together and so in each area you’ll find something to look at, something to listen to, something to smell we have smells, and something to do,” said Randy Irmis, the curator of paleontology for the museum.

The new Rio Tinto Center is 163,000 square feet, with a staggering 51,000 feet as public gallery space. Todd Schliemann, the design architect for the building said that his goal was to “symbolize the beauty and magnitude of the state’s unique landscapes.”

Not only is the new facility state of the art, it is also highly energy-efficient with radiant cooling and heating systems, as well as water-efficient landscaping and plans for a solar-paneled roof that could power more than 25 percent of the museum. The facility also used recycled materials for more than 25 percent of the structural and architectural resources. If that wasn’t enough, over 75 percent of the museum’s construction waste was recycled.