"Happy Earth Day to you.
"Happy Earth Day to you."Happy Earth Day, dear Mother.
"Happy Earth Day to you."
Hey, big, round Mama, it's your day again, a time when America pauses for a millionth of a second and wonders, "How ya doin'? Getting enough fresh air? Here, let me get you a glass of clean water . . . if I can find some."
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Earth Day, and it's likely to go off without a lot of fanfare, mainly because environmental consciousness - one of the goals of the original Earth Day in 1970 - has been heightened and appears to be here to stay.
Per capita, we seem to be recycling more, polluting less and demanding the same responsibility from business and industry. Conservation and ecology are quasi-mainstream subjects in grade schools, while more and more adults are, slowly but surely, warming up to the concept of earth-saving.
Nevertheless, Earth Day is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the state of the environment and the environment of the state. The major goal of the Earth Day movement, after all, is to clean up the planet.
So, how green is our valley? In Utah, particularly along the populous Wasatch Front, are we better off today than we were, say, 10 years ago?
"Yes, we are healthier," says Dianne Nielson, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
And, Nielson says, things will continue to improve because of state regulatory plans, corporate involvement and individual commitment.
The biggest problem, however, is in thenumbers - of people. Those numbers are growing rapidly.
"The gains we've made can easily be erased by growth," Nielson says.
No sighs of relief yet
Utah's most visible and publicized pollution problem is up in the air.
Panoramic shots of the Wasatch Front's infamous winter smog can be seen almost daily in the media. The "traffic light" wood-burning advisories will likely become a permanent fixture in newspapers and on TV during the winter. And doctors are becoming more convinced that air pollution is behind many respiratory ailments, often prescribing "stay indoors today" as the best remedy.
Some rays of hope are shining through, however.
"We exceed the federal ambient air standards much less frequently," says Burnell Cordner, director of the state Division of Air Quality, which is implementing plans to reduce pollutants. "From a statistical viewpoint, the air is getting cleaner. . . . I'm thrilled we've done as well as we have. A lot of these strategies are working."
In the late 1970s, Salt Lake City regularly violated air quality standards in five of six categories: ozone, carbon monoxide , particulates (PM10), sulfur dioxide and lead. The only category the city didn't violate was nitrogen oxide.
Today, however, the city is improving in almost all of the categories.
"Salt Lake City hasn't exceeded CO for four years, ozone for three years, sulfur dioxide for 11 years, and lead for two or three years," says Cordner.
But in reality, the air is not healthier, says Dr. Ken Buchi, president of the Wasatch Clean Air Coalition, a private watchdog group.
PM10 continues to be a problem. This year, the Salt Lake area has exceeded PM10 standards five times.
"The particulates are more adversely affecting health than carbon monoxide or ozone," Buchi says. "They have more widespread impact."
While PM10 plagues Salt Lake City, CO must be reduced 40 percent to 45 percent in Utah County, Cordner says. A major part of the state plan to reduce CO is oxygenated fuels, which Utah County residents began using last fall.
Salt Lake, Davis and Weber residents were scheduled to begin using oxygenated fuels this fall, but the state has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver because oxygenated fuels, while reducing CO, tend to increase particulate pollution.
Without oxygenated fuel, the state must come up with other ways to keep the Salt Lake area's CO levels in check.
Controlling CO and PM10 will not be easy because the major source of both pollutants is automobiles, which are increasing with population growth.
"We have to find more efficient responses to transportation needs. . . . The solution cannot be more lanes on the freeway," Nielson says.
Down the drain, out of mind
Utah has been more fortunate than many parts of the United States in keeping its water clean, says Don Ostler, director of the state Division of Water Quality.
Most of the "end-pipe" pollutants, or discharges that are dumped directly into streams and lakes, have been eliminated, and most groundwater sources are pollutant-free.
But "non-point" source pollution, such as erosion, storm drainage and runoff from farms, construction sites and mining operations, continues to degrade water quality, accounting for 70 percent of water pollution today, Ostler says.
To control non-point source pollution requires land-use management, education and voluntary practices, Ostler said.
One of the most serious examples of a non-point source pollution locally is the Jordan River. Whatever goes into the gutter - antifreeze, motor oil, pesticides - usually ends up in the Jordan River. The state has begun issuing storm drainage permits to Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, requiring them to monitor what's going into the storm drains, to institute street sweeping and to survey for illegal dumping.
The permit may eventually require municipalities to treat the stormwater before dumping it into the river, an expensive pro-po-si-tion.
As with air, all types of water pollution are difficult to control because of population growth.
"Just to stay the same in water quality requires a lot of work because over 10 years, you have growth and increases in population," Ostler says. "You need more stringent treatment to remain the same."
A major challenge will be the construction of new sewage treatment plants and expansion of old ones - to the tune of $1 billion over the next 20 years, Ostler estimates.
No amount of construction, however, will solve the problem unless wastewater testing is improved, says Peter Maier, a civil engineer who lives in Stansbury, Tooele County. Maier has been campaigning against improper testing for more than 10 years and plans to meet with local congressional leaders as the Clean Water Act comes up for reauthorization this year.
Maier contends that the EPA has required improper testing, which has led to inadequate treatment of nitrogenous material - or urine - from human waste. The result is increased plant growth in the waterways where wastewater is discharged.
Tossing and burning
If you're an average Utahn, you will throw away 4 pounds of garbage today. That may not sound bad. But it means you will toss away 1,456 pounds this year, joining the rest of your 1 million neighbors along the Wasatch Front in piling up a heap of rubbish.
Most likely, that trash will end up in a nearby landfill, where it will remain for eons.
As a citizen living in an industrialized nation, you are also responsible for much of the 275 million tons of hazardous waste that are generated in the United States each year, 389,000 tons of which are generated in Utah. Most of the Utah waste - along with about 75,000 tons per year of imported waste - is incinerated or buried at hazardous-waste sites in Tooele County.
The amounts of solid and hazardous waste will continue to climb with increases in population, says Bill Sinclair of the state Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste.
The state is developing a solid-waste management plan to deal with the growth. The trend, Sinclair says, is toward multi-city-owned landfills located in remote counties.
Fortunately, the state's current landfills are in good shape, Sinclair says. Devoid of any serious health-threatening defects, the Wasatch Front landfills have an average life span of 20 years, a life span that could be extended with expanded recycling programs.
"People are generating less waste," says Sinclair, attributing the phenomenon to reduced consumption and increased recycling.
So far, however, only four cities in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties offer their residents curbside recycling, although several others are studying the proposition seriously.
The success of more recycling programs, however, will depend largely on the market for the recyclables.
"It all boils down to seeing there are viable markets for recycled products," Sinclair says. The lack of good markets is what's held the recycling effort back the most - not the population. "We're seeing more and more interest in recycling programs. Those are really positive signs."
But, according to Teri Lund, a Utah native who lived in the East and California for 10 years before returning home a short time ago, there is much room for im-prove-ment.
"Believe it or not, it was easier to be `green' in Los Angeles," says Lund, a Delta Airlines flight attendant. "They have wonderful, environmentally conscious products down there . . . Here, they're next to impossible to find."
Lund also complains that there's no place in Utah to recycle glass.
"You try to be green here, but it's hard."
*****
(Green quiz)
At the store
-Do you buy concentrated rather than ready-made juice?
-Do you recycle or reuse grocery sacks, or better yet - do you bring your reusable shopping bags?
-When you buy a bunch of bananas at the store, do you resist putting them in one of those plastic bags?
-When purchasing one or two items, do you tell the cleark not to put them in a bag?
-Do you purchase products made from recycled materials?
Around the home and garden
-If your city has a curbside recycling program, do you participate?
-Do you use cloth rather than papertowels for cleaning up most spills?
-Instead of throwing away that old chair, toy or half-full can of paint, do you call a civic organization that might have use for it?
-Do you take your used motor oil, old batteries and other hazardous wastes to a disposal facility? (Dumping them in your yard or in the garbage is a crime.)
-Do you try methods other than herbicides and pesticides for weed and bug control?
-If you have a fireplace, have you installed an efficient insert or a natural gas log?
-Do you compost your lawn clippings and leaves rather than dump them in the trash?
-Are you a mulcher?
-Have you planted any trees lately?
-If you don't like junk mail, have you called the Postal Service to find out how you can keep from getting it?
At work
-Have you encouraged your company to recycle and to purchase recycled paper products?
-Are your company's vehicles the most fuel-efficient possible? Better yet, do they burn natural gas?
-Do you carpool or ride the bus whenever possible?
Out and about
-Do you consolidate your trips to the store, bank, library, post office, etc.?
-Do you walk or ride your bike for errands nearby?
-Is your car the most fuel-efficient possible for your needs, and do you tune it regularly and keep its tires properly inflated?
SOURCING
Score ONE POINT for every question you answered affirmatively.
Your Grade: 16-22 points: You make chlorophyll green with envy.
11-15 points: You're getting greener .
6-10 points: Enroll in remedial ecology.
0-5 points: May the ozone hole be your constant companion. *****
Recycling locations - Wasatch Front
Salt Lake County
Location
Salt Lake City Curbside recycling
Smith's 800 S. 876 East
Smith's 900 S. 900 West
Smith's 9400 S. 2039 East
Dan's Foods 1350 S. Foothill Dr.
Dan's Foods 3300 S. 2300 East
Dan's Foods 3300 S. 900 East
Dan's Foods 3981 S. Wasatch Blvd.
Dan's Foods 4700 S. 2600 West
Dan's Foods 7000 S. 2029 East
Harmon's Grocery Store 3200 S. 1300 East
Harmon's Grocery Store 3500 S. 3955 West
Harmon's Grocery Store 5454 S. Redwood Rd.
Harmon's Grocery Store 980 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Hogle Zoo 2600 E. Sunnyside Ave.
Recycling Corp of Am. 900 S. 2600 West
Salt Lake County Complex 2100 S. 50 East
New Frontiers Market 2454 S. 700 East
Pleasant Green Elem. 2700 S. 8201 West
Rolling Meadows Elem. 2950 Whitehall Dr.
Reditherm insulation 3061 S. 3600 West
Utah Recycling 3110 S. 900 West
McDonald's 3298 S. 5600 West
Kathy's Ranch Market 4695 S. Hollady Blvd
Kearns High School 5525 S. Cougar Lane
Southeast Baptist Church 7000 S. 1700 East
Cellulose Insulate 80 Ninth Ave., Midvale
Interwest Document 6060 S. 300 West
South Jordan Ridge Elem. 9800 S. 2636 West
South Jordan City Shops 10400 S. 1600 West
Circle K 10400 S. 2700 West
City of Draper 12441 S. 900 East
Riverton City Hall 12765 S. 1400 West
Oquirrh Hills Elem. 12949 S. 2700 West
Bluffdale City Hall 14175 S. Redwood Road
Snowbird Little Cottonwood Canyon
Alta Little Cottonwood Canyon
Rose Park Library 1000 N. 1185 West
Utah State Capitol
New Frontiers market 1026 Second Ave.
Fiber Recovery 572 S. 2165 West
Aluminum Recycling
Reynolds Recycling 1101 S. 700 West
Intermountain Raceway 2700 S. 8450 West
Sutherlands 4610 S. 4000 West
Shopko 5959 S. State
Winegar's Market 9854 S. 700 East
Scrap Metal Recycling
Utah Metal Works 805 W. Everett
Intermountain Steel 380 S. Orange St.
Hugo Neu Steel 70 S. 1221 West
Metro Steel Recyclers 900 S. 401 West
Utah Barrel 370 W. 900 South
Standard Iron & Metal 1178 S. 500 West
Wasatch Metal 3300 S. 205 West
Redwood Recycling 6265 S. 1680 West
PROVO
City compost station, 1500 N. Industrial Parkway, accepts yard waste and tree branches from Provo, Springville and Spanish Fork residents.
Waste Management of Utah offers curbside recycling of newspaper, magazines, cardboard and aluminum. Twice monthly pickup cost $3. The city provides an 18-gallon bin without charge.
Hugo Neu Co., 635 S. 200 West, scrap metal and aluminum.
Reynolds Aluminum recycling truck, 100 N. 600 West, aluminum.
Newspaper Bins
Westridge Elementary, 1720 W. 1460 North
Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, 1034 N. 500 West
Provo 4th Ward, 800 N. 100 West
Eldred Center, 270 W. 500 North
Provo City Center, 359 W. Center St.
Sunset View Elementary, 1600 W. 525 South
Allen's Super Save, 655 E. 300 South
Provost Elementary, 629 S. 1000 East
Pleasant View 3rd Ward, 650 E. Stadium Ave.
Edgemont 8th Ward, 3050 Mojave Lane
Edgemont 10th Ward, 4300 N. 650 East
Edgemont 3rd Ward, 2950 N. Canyon Road
Day's Market, 3121 N. Canyon Road
OREM
Waste Management of Utah offers curbside recycling of newspapers, magazines, cardboard and aluminum. Twice monthly pick up is $3. Bins are $10.
Albertson's Food Center, 25 W. Center St., cardboard, Saturdays noon to 6 p.m., rear loading dock
AMERICAN FORK
American Fork 2nd Ward, 600 S. 100 West, newspapers
Smith's Food and Drug, 240 W. U.S. 89, newspapers
Rapid Recycling truck, 630 E. U.S. 89, aluminum
SPANISH FORK
Swenson Metal Salvage Inc., 601 S. Main, scrap metal and aluminum
Compost site behind Kmart, 900 E. Expressway Lane, yard waste
LEHI
200 N. Center St., newspapers
City Hall, 153 N. 100 East, Waste Management of Utah bins for newspapers, aluminum and tin
SPRINGVILLE
255 S. 1300 East, compost site
PLEASANT GROVE
City Hall, 70 S. 100 East, newspapers
Davis County recycling locations that are coordinated by the Davis Energy District include:
West Bountiful: 560 W. 1600 North.
North Salt Lake: 30 W. Center St.
Woods Cross: 1555 S. 800 West.
Farmington: Smith's Food and Drug, U.S.89 at Shepard Lane.
Kaysville: 23 E. Center St.
Clearfield: 140 E. Center St.
Sunset: 85 W. 1800 North.
West Point: 3016 W. 300 North.