This week we had a web conference with Representative Elizabeth Weight, we talked to her about air pollution in Utah and what Congress is doing about it.
1) Who are your state and US representatives and how can you contact them? Give the name and one contact info for each of the following: US Senator-Romney, Mitt (R) & Lee, Mike (R) US Representative- McAdams, Ben (D) Governor- Gary R. Herbert (R) State Senator- Kathleen Riebe (D) State Representative- Marie H. Poulson (D) County and/or City Mayor- Mike Peterson, mayor of Cottonwood Heights County Council member- Shireen Ghorbani for Salt Lake County 2) What is one issue that you personally might talk to your elected representative about and which representative from the list above do you think would be best to talk to about this issue? I used to be really active in Cottonwood Heights and would attend council meets, I think with the in-land port coming into Utah it is important to get cities to do what they can to cut back on carbon emissions. So, I would talk to Mike Peterson and the rest of his council to see if we could get Cottonwood Heights to be idle free and make sure it's enforced. Without having some kind of punishment for idling, nothing will change. 3) What did you know about the state legislative branch before our conversation and what was new/ interesting to you? I don't know a lot about politics, I have started to get more invested and pay more attention when I became a senior in high school but I fail to retain a lot about how government works. However, it was nice to hear from representative Weight that environmentally conscious people like herself are making the best out of situations they can't change. What I mean by this is the inland port, it will increase the amount of pollution being released and this can cause health problems from those that have to live around it. So it's the job of people like Weight to make sure that if they build it, they have to make sure everything they do is up to a certain environmental code. This will then decrease the total amount of pollutants caused. 4) How do you think air pollution impacts you? I know air pollution effects my health, in the winter as I go to school I can see the immersion sitting in the valley. Because my city is on top of a hill in the mountains it's easy to see that difference. And where I haven't seen a massive difference in my own health because of our pollution I also know that on days when it's really bad I try not to go outside and too much of staying inside isn't good; something quarantining has really helped me realize. 5) Discuss challenges to reducing air pollution. What is one thing that you can and will you do to help reduce air pollution in the Salt Lake area? One thing I've done is stop idling when I can help it, traffic is something I can't help but if I'm at the bank or picking something or someone up or anything like that I make sure to turn my key. I have also made my friends and family do the same thing if I'm in the car and we're waiting without idling. And if it's cold I keep blankets in my car and if it's hot we roll the windows down and call it good. A friend of mine has also been telling me everything he's doing to be environmentally friendly and one thing is he bikes 30-mile rides and wants to start biking to work once things get going again. I have thought about biking to work too, I live 6 minutes away and it wouldn't be difficult. The thing that has kept me from it is that I like up a massive hill.
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