Utah Population and Environment Coalition

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Genuine Progress Indicator
Please see our panel on display at the new Utah Museum of Natural History! 
It's in the circular room as you exit the exhibits (2nd floor).  Look for the quote by Dr. Erica Gaddis, one of our GPI study authors.
Join us at 2013 Events in Salt Lake & in Utah:

Saturday May 4th in downtown SLC at the Library: The Live Green Festival 
Please stop by!    For more info...  

April 22nd Earth Day w/ Bidder70 and Peaceful Uprising!

May 1st  The Fifth Annual Milford Renewable Energy Fair
Located in Milford, (Southwestern) Utah, just miles from both Utah's largest wind farm and geothermal power plant.  See new wind & hydro innovations and a electric car competition! For a schedule/read more... 

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203 Megawatts of clean energy in Milford

To find out about our next event, please get on our e-mail list or call Anne at 801-363-9046. 
 
 
Some Past UPEC Events of Note:
 
The public was invited to a Roundtable lunch, 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 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.

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.



A Roundtable presentation/lunch on September 22, 2009 - 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. 
Starting a Vision for Utah:  A Prosperous and Dynamic Economy without Growth.
 
Professor Hans Ehrbar provided background and a starting vision, all at the main SLC Library.
 
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. 

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We hope you saw us / our table at the Salt Lake 350 (ppm carbon) event on October 24th, 2009.
 
Don't forget to find us & like us on Facebook, or join in the discussion there or on our blog. 
 
Also, please check back to see reports of our presentations and other events.

To sign up or volunteer for an event, see our "Contact Us" page.