Please see our panel on display at the new Utah Museum of Natural History!
Recent Events:
The public was invited to a Roundtable luncheon,held on Wednesday, September 28,
2011 starting at 11:30 A.M. in Conference Room B of the Main Salt Lake Library. The major topic of the luncheon will
be "The Utah Genuine Progress Indicator
Report – Results, Thoughts and Directions."
Günseli Berik and Erica Gaddis, co-authors of the report, presented the results
of the report and provide their thoughts on possible future directions for the Utah GPI study.
To find out about our next event, please get on our e-mail
list or call Anne at 801-363-9046. Thanks!
Be sure to see a very funny new film: How
to Boil a Frog
No, it's not a cooking film. But, you will leave with some positive things to think about and
a little sense of urgency, too.
More than 35 people saw this great film, Friday, September 9th, 2011 at 7 pm at Holladay United Church of Christ, 2631 Murray Holladay Rd. Holladay UT
84117. It is approximately 90 minutes. Come in the West entrance with parking in the west of the building. We are planning
to do this cafe style, so bring beverages if you wish. Child care will be provided.
If you missed
it, please contact us! Copies of the film may be available from one of our board members.
Co-hosted
by: us at UPEC, Utah United Religions Initiative (use this link for a map at the bottom) and the Holladay United Church of Christ Green Team. Donations: A suggested $10 donation, but please choose the
amount you wish to donate. Proceeds will go to WHALE - Wellness Health and Lifestyle Education, a non-profit organization
parent to both UPEC & UtahURI. The film's title is based on the fact
that if you put a frog in a cold pot of water and turn up the heat, the frog doesn't know to jump out of the water until
it's way too late! We are that frog. This dark comedy deals with 5 major world problems, including
peak oil, climate change and over-population in a very funny way. This PG film may not be suitable for sensitive
young children as, sadly, these are serious world problems that the young may inherit. We sure hope not. See: [http://www.howtoboilafrog.com] For the rest of us, it's a comedy wake up call not to be missed!
Can we place a dollar value on the quality of life here? Is Utah really making
genuine progress?
Approximately 50 attended: January 19th 2011 4th floor of the SLC library at 11am:
Unveiling the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for
Utah. In June, you are also invited to hear the authors in a informative
1/2 hour presentation on June 12, 2011 in Holladay:
It will also feature a Q&A and you can ask the experts!
Please join us at 7 pm on June 12, 2011 at Holladay UCC 2631 Murray-Holladay Road. Click here to go to a CFL page & scroll to the bottom for a map. Unlike the gross domestic product (GDP), which only measures economic transactions, the Genuine Progress
Indicator (GPI), puts a dollar value on critical quality of life factors, such as volunteer labor, air quality, and low crime.
By measuring these factors, we can get a better picture of Utah’s well-being and our true progress. Utah is now
the first state in the intermountain west to have a GPI study. Please
learn about this important new measure for “quality of life” in Utah.
Loaded with insights into what’s important for
the future of Utah, this study will help us prioritize our resources and make better policy decisions on a statewide and local
level. This is important information for all decision makers in Utah.
Study authors Dr. Erica Gaddis (SWCA Environmental Consultants) and
Dr. Gunseli Berik (University of Utah professor) presented the findings. Please go to the GPI menu option (lowest) to the left to learn more and download summaries and
the full report. Plans are in the works to present GPI to both the Governor's Office
and Envision Utah in late spring of 2011.
Past Event of Note: A Roundtable luncheon on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
The luncheon was in the level 4 Meeting Room at the Main Salt Lake Library. Starting a Vision for Utah:
A Prosperous and Dynamic Economy without Growth. Professor Hans Ehrbar provided background and a starting vision
regarding the question at the top. A
prosperous and dynamic economy does not have to be a growing economy. A steady state economy features stabilized population
and consumption. Such stability means that the amounts of resource throughput and waste disposal remain roughly constant.
The key features of a steady state economy are: (1) sustainable scale, in which economic activities fit within the capacity
provided by ecosystems; (2) fair distribution of wealth; and (3) efficient allocation of resources. The presentation was co-sponsored by us (UPEC) and the Salt Lake League of Women Voters. Contact us for additional
details.
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