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SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s drought conditions have improved significantly this winter thanks to record-breaking snowpack, mostly in the state’s mountains; But Hilary Ahrens is among those who say a spectacular season is not the climate solution.
“While we’re having a record year and (the Great Salt Lake) is slowly filling up … one year of snow is not a weather effect and climate change,” said Arens, director of sustainability and water resources at Snowbird Resort. Wednesday morning at an outdoor retailer panel on climate issues.
Climate change continues to be an issue weighing heavily on the minds of the outdoor industry and many communities, whether it’s smaller snowpacks, lower water reservoir levels or many other factors. But finding a solution to the issue has been controversial and politicized for decades, all of which researchers point to growing concerns about the amount of carbon emissions being sent into the atmosphere.
That’s why Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall believes it will take cooperation from everyone to find a solution to the problem.
“We have to depoliticize that to be as productive as possible,” she said during the event.
The mayor admits that getting there is difficult. For example, she continues to refer to Salt Lake City as a “blue dot” in a red state, meaning Democrats and Republicans may not see eye-to-eye on issues or solutions.
At the same time, some of those who are passionate about the issue have left the discussion. Although not specifically mentioned during the panel discussion, several major outdoor brands such as Patagonia, REI and The North Face are boycotting the outdoor retailer in an effort to fight changes to a pair of monuments in southern Utah.
“We have to stay at the table, and not get angry and walk away,” Mendenhall added. “I learned the ropes early in air quality work that creates relationships, believing that there’s more to really agree on than disagreeing, and wanting to know and care about a person as a person is a good start to that.” Talking about serious issues can lead to conflict.
Climate is less of a divisive political issue than it has been in the past, in part because of the discussions in Utah.
Utah Representative John Curtis He founded the Conservative Climate Caucus in 2021, a coalition of dozens of U.S. Republican lawmakers seeking to find and fund “cheap, reliable and clean energy” through innovative technologies that help reduce emissions. The group held its second annual conference last week and outlined a more conservative approach to climate change.
“I think this is very important for conservatives to be able to express that we care deeply about this land, we care deeply about leaving it better than we found it,” he said. “What was lacking in the past was that we were very good at telling everyone what we didn’t like, and we weren’t very good at telling people what we wanted to do.”
Looking at business innovation
There is still disagreement on a range of climate issues, including how to reduce carbon emissions. One thing Caucus and Mendenhall agree on is their belief that business innovation can serve as a key player in addressing climate change.
To this end, the mayor pointed to the hundreds of businesses established in the Salt Palace as part of the solution, arguing that startups can bring new innovations that change the rules of production. Many new outdoor retail brands tout climate-positive manufacturing practices or that their products use alternative energy sources.
I learned the ropes early on in air quality work that creates relationships, believing that there is more you can really agree on than you disagree on, and wanting to get to know and care for a person as a person, then talking is a good start. About serious matters, because there may be a conflict.
-Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall
“These small, innovative companies with new ideas and new technologies will impact the way the big companies — who should be here now — do business,” Mendenhall said. “They’re challenging that system and that’s good. It’s good for the ecosystem and it’s good for this economy.”
And it’s not just newbies either. Ski resorts that traditionally compete with each other for visitors are now finding ways to work together. Woodward Park City General Manager Phoebe Mills explained that there are several resorts that meet regularly to collaborate and share environmental initiatives and best environmental practices.
Other ways to solve the problem
Of course, there are other ways to participate without major changes. Wednesday’s discussion comes one day after the Salt Lake Chamber and a pair of environmental groups held their 14th annual Air Challenge, asking Utahns to choose alternatives to driving alone in July to reduce vehicle emissions. Vehicle emissions account for half of the poor air quality on the Wasatch Front.
Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands, added that there are other ways to help beyond the basics that most people have heard many times before. One of these is cleaning clothes that can carry the seeds of invasive species, so that certain plant species do not continue to grow in an area where they do not exist.
“Invasive species contribute to wildfires, and they certainly put some of our vegetation out of competition — and we don’t want to see that,” she said.
This year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market even ended with a cleanup project, where volunteers from the Wheadon Farmland Preserve in Draper helped remove trash and invasive species. The event focused on the importance of restoring native plant species.
Fisher said, yes, it takes time for these types of practices to make a difference. However, she believes that people can make a difference, especially when more people come together for a greater cause.
She cited one particular Utah Open Lands project as an example of the time it takes for change. The nonprofit began working to protect the native habitat of the declining bobolink songbird near Camas a decade ago, despite no sign of the birds. It wasn’t until this spring that the team found one.
“What we do is important,” she said. “We can course-correct.”
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