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SALT LAKE CITY — A growing number of businesses are joining together to reduce the amount of pollution they put into the air. But officials with the Salt Lake Chamber say these companies need to try harder if they want to make a real difference.
Since the Clean Air Champions Initiative started two years ago, the Salt Lake Chamber has seen a lot of support for it from businesses.
"I believe we're close to, if not over, a total of 60,000 employees represented by all of the companies that have signed up so far," said Salt Lake Chamber Business and Community Relations Vice President Ryan Evans.
The chamber is asking its partners to do even more than they were asked before, even if it may feel uncomfortable at first, Evans said.
"Quite often, companies realize they have the power to change behavior by incentivizing employees to live a healthier lifestyle," he said.
He cited Hale Center Theatre, which not only converted its vehicles to natural gas, but it offered free natural gas to its employees who drive CNG cars, putting themselves in a better position to buy it at a lower rate.
"By going through all those steps, what they ended up doing was saving several thousand dollars a year," Evans said.
By implementing three of the eight suggested practices or by coming up with an original or industry-specific approach, a business can earn the distinction of Clean Air Champion.
Find out more at cleanairchampion.com.
Some companies are offering to reimburse their employees for taking public transit on bad air quality days, according to Evans. Other companies are designating one employee who will get advanced warning of bad air quality days, then that person will spread the word.
"That point person at each company will construct an email and send it out to all of the employees at that company and let them know the next day will be a poor air day, so will they please consider taking [public] transit? Will they consider carpooling? Will they consider skipping trips?" Evans explained.
He said even businesses outside of Salt Lake City can join in. They're invited to call the Salt Lake Chamber if they want to devise a plan to reduce air pollution.
