Salt Lake Temple Going Dark for Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2009 is shaping up to be the largest yet with widespread participation throughout the world, including Hollywood, the pyramids of Giza, Broadway theaters, the Acropolis of Athens, the Las Vegas Strip, and … … … the Salt Lake Temple.

That’s right, the lights on the Salt Lake Temple will be turned off from 8:30 - 9:30 pm tomorrow (Saturday) according to LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter.

He is quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune today as saying, "Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that Church leaders have emphasized throughout the history of the Church. The Church encourages its members to join with their fellow citizens in supporting worthy programs that will make their communities better places to live and raise their families."

Happy Earth Hour! (and don't forget to turn out those lights)
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Now Kids Can Play Before Doing Schoolwork

I always had to finish my schoolwork before playing outside. Now children in Essam, Ghana can play before doing their schoolwork. At a school with no electricity, BYU and Empower Playgrounds have come up with a new and creative way of providing electricity to a village from an activity all children continuously do: play. They installed a merry-go-round that is capturing the energy from children playing and using it in a productive way. This ingenious idea will enhance the community in multiple ways by helping to enhance education, teach science, and provide a fun play structure.



The spinning merry-go-round generates power that is stored in a car battery. This, in turn, charges several dozen portable LED lights to be used in classrooms and homes. Empower Playgrounds hopes to bring this to thousands of additional schools in Ghana. This type of out-of-the-box thinking is helping to raise the standard of living while building a sustainable future in Africa.


Concept Design



More info:
Empower Playgrounds
BYU Article
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America’s 50 Greenest Cities (and Salt Lake made the list!)

Last month Popular Science ranked all US cities over 100,000 people. The intent was to highlight those cities who are 'anxiously engaged' rather than waiting to be compelled by the Federal Government. Coming in at #36 is Salt Lake City, Utah; just ahead of Pasadena, California and just behind Kansas City, Missouri.

#36 Salt Lake City, Utah - 13.5
Electricity – 3.6
Transportation – 4.1
Green Living – 2.3
Recycling/Perspective – 3.5

"In everything from emissions control to environmental stewardship, cities across the country are far ahead of the federal government, and they’re achieving their successes with ready-made technology." (source) Three of the top seven cities are in the Bay Area of California. Additionally, three of the top eight cities are in the Pacific Northwest. About half of the Top 50 cities are in the Western US.

Looking at Salt Lake’s scores as a percentage tells us Salt Lake is scoring weakest in the area of Renewable Energy sources and strongest in recycling and environmental awareness.
Electricity – 3.6/10.0 = .36
Transportation – 4.1/10.0 = .41
Green Living – 2.3/5.0 = .46
Recycling/Perspective – 3.5/5.0 = .70

Scoring was lumped into four broad categories:
Electricity (E; 10 points): Cities score points for drawing their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power, as well as for offering incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources, like roof-mounted solar panels.
Transportation (T; 10 points): High scores go to cities whose commuters take public transportation or carpool. Air quality also plays a role.
Green living (G; 5 points): Cities earn points for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as for devoting area to green space, such as public parks and nature preserves.
Recycling and green perspective (R; 5 points): This measures how comprehensive a city’s recycling program is (if the city collects old electronics, for example) and how important its citizens consider environmental issues.

Other cities of interest scoring a perfect score in the main categories:
Electricity – Eugene, OR 10.0
Transportation – New York, NY 10.0
Green Living – Chicago, IL 5.0
Recycling/Perspective – Lexington, KY 5.0
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