Author: utyes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Utah Youth Stage “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony, Foreshadowing the Effects of Great Salt Lake’s Collapse on the 2034 Olympics

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Photo by Topaz Henderson

Date: October 26, 2024

Contact: UYES: utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com

As House Speaker Mike Schultz announces a “pause” on water-related legislation, Utah youth stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony and banner drop, urging state leaders to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake by 2034 or face catastrophic consequences. 

Salt Lake City, Utah — Even as a drying Great Salt Lake threatens ecological, economic, and public health crises across Utah, state leaders are plowing forward with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and refusing to consider legislation that could prevent environmental catastrophe. 

Today, Utah youth and supporters gathered at the Olympic Cauldron Park to stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony to foreshadow the consequences of inaction, including a 2034 Olympics plagued by haze, toxic dust events, low snowpack levels, devastated communities, and a dry Great Salt Lake. 

The demonstration mimicked the 2002 Opening Ceremony, which was held in Salt Lake City. As an announcer called out the name of each city to host the Winter Olympics since 2002, demonstrators dressed in winter athletic gear marched across the park waving that city’s flag. When the announcer shouted “Salt Lake City,” demonstrators donned gas masks and, instead of a Salt Lake City flag, revealed a giant banner depicting the Utah State Capitol with a looming dust cloud behind it. The banner, which read “Salt Lake City 2034,” served as a poignant  reminder of the consequences of inaction and the toxic future that will emerge if officials continue to disregard the health of Great Salt Lake and Utah residents. 

After the “Opening Ceremony,” youth speakers took the stage to demand that state leaders protect and restore the Great Salt Lake to a minimum elevation of 4,198 feet above sea level before 2034. 

“House speaker Mike Shultz recently said that the legislature needs to “take a break” from water policy, effectively putting a “pause” on new water legislation during the 2025 session,” said Liam Decker, age 17. “We are here today to say that this is not an approach we can afford to take.”

State leaders have failed to prioritize the Great Salt Lake’s decline as a serious existential threat. The winter Olympics need snowpack and clean air, which both rely on a healthy Great Salt Lake. Unless legislators take serious action now, the 2034 Olympic games will be a disastrous failure. 

“To the Utah legislature, I say please–if only to protect yourself from embarrassment when your inaction is thrown in your face in 2034–do your jobs. Protect the Great Salt Lake,” said Maddie Stolz, age 15. 

In addition to its critical role in generating snowfall through the lake effect, the Great Salt Lake contains toxins from runoff and nearby industries in its lakebed. These toxins, such as arsenic and mercury, pose significant risks to public health. As the lake’s water levels decline, toxic dust is blown across the valley. This not only causes respiratory issues, heart conditions, and other serious illnesses in Utah residents, but also jeopardizes the safety of athletes and visitors during the Olympics.

“The lake has become so dry that the water rarely surrounds Antelope Island, stripping it of its right to that name,” said Ezra Hernandez, age 15. “If the lake dries up it will release toxic dust that is so dangerous, it could be lethal.”

To the haunting backdrop of chants like “Medals can’t be won, with metals in our lungs” and “Light the torch and feed the flames, save the lake – stop playing games,” youth came together to make their priorities clear. They demanded immediate and decisive action to ensure justice for all communities in the Salt Lake Valley and highlighted that lip service and empty promises from our representatives are an insult.

“This isn’t just about water–this is about our communities, our livelihoods, our futures.” said Kitty Chamberlain, age 16. “We don’t have to accept this as our fate. We have to hold our legislators accountable.”

Additional Quotes:

“Great Salt Lake is an issue that the state should be investing their resources into, not just for the Olympics, but for the health of the entire state” –Autumn Featherstone, age 18

“The destruction of the Great Salt Lake is not just an environmental struggle. This is a womans’ struggle, a workers’ struggle, an immigrants’ struggle, the peoples’ struggle. With struggle there is resistance, and the people will win” -Alan Gutierrez, age 25

“Investing billions into an event that may not even be profitable vs protecting citizen’s health? The state needs to get their priorities straight” -Adalayde Scott, age 16

“Great Salt Lake is what our city is named after. It’s a key part of our identity, and has been longer than the host of the Olympics. We need to focus our resources where they matter” -Sophia Smith, age 17

“This is the clearest indication from our state legislators that they don’t care about my future, about our future. They don’t care that youth are fearing if they even have a place in this state because of their inaction.” – Monika Cinbis, age 17

“I worry about the implications of this on not just the health of the environment, but people. My family, my friends. How can I watch them breathe in dirtier air each year while the state fails to act?” Sophia Cheng, age 17

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Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) is a youth-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education and action. Our mission is to connect students to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between Utah’s youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Utah Youth Stage “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony, Foreshadowing the Effects of Great Salt Lake’s Collapse on the 2034 Olympics

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Contact: UYES: utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com, (801) 497-6121

As House Speaker Mike Schultz announces a “pause” on water-related legislation, Utah youth stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony and banner drop, urging state leaders to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake by 2034 or face catastrophic consequences. 

Salt Lake City, Utah — Even as a drying Great Salt Lake threatens ecological, economic, and public health crises across Utah, state leaders are plowing forward with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and refusing to consider legislation that could prevent environmental catastrophe. 

Today, Utah youth and supporters gathered at the Olympic Cauldron Park to stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony to foreshadow the consequences of inaction, including a 2034 Olympics plagued by haze, toxic dust events, low snowpack levels, devastated communities, and a dry Great Salt Lake. 

The demonstration mimicked the 2002 Opening Ceremony, which was held in Salt Lake City. As an announcer called out the name of each city to host the Winter Olympics since 2002, demonstrators dressed in winter athletic gear marched across the park waving that city’s flag. When the announcer shouted “Salt Lake City,” demonstrators donned gas masks and, instead of a Salt Lake City flag, revealed a giant banner depicting the Utah State Capitol with a looming dust cloud behind it. The banner, which read “Salt Lake City 2034,” served as a poignant  reminder of the consequences of inaction and the toxic future that will emerge if officials continue to disregard the health of Great Salt Lake and Utah residents. 

After the “Opening Ceremony,” youth speakers took the stage to demand that state leaders protect and restore the Great Salt Lake to a minimum elevation of 4,198 feet above sea level before 2034. 

“House speaker Mike Shultz recently said that the legislature needs to “take a break” from water policy, effectively putting a “pause” on new water legislation during the 2025 session,” said Liam Decker, age 17. “We are here today to say that this is not an approach we can afford to take.”

State leaders have failed to prioritize the Great Salt Lake’s decline as a serious existential threat. The winter Olympics need snowpack and clean air, which both rely on a healthy Great Salt Lake. Unless legislators take serious action now, the 2034 Olympic games will be a disastrous failure. 

“To the Utah legislature, I say please–if only to protect yourself from embarrassment when your inaction is thrown in your face in 2034–do your jobs. Protect the Great Salt Lake,” said Maddie Stolz, age 15. 

In addition to its critical role in generating snowfall through the lake effect, the Great Salt Lake contains toxins from runoff and nearby industries in its lakebed. These toxins, such as arsenic and mercury, pose significant risks to public health. As the lake’s water levels decline, toxic dust is blown across the valley. This not only causes respiratory issues, heart conditions, and other serious illnesses in Utah residents, but also jeopardizes the safety of athletes and visitors during the Olympics.

“The lake has become so dry that the water rarely surrounds Antelope Island, stripping it of its right to that name,” said Ezra Hernandez, age 15. “If the lake dries up it will release toxic dust that is so dangerous, it could be lethal.”

To the haunting backdrop of chants like “Medals can’t be won, with metals in our lungs” and “Light the torch and feed the flames, save the lake – stop playing games,” youth came together to make their priorities clear. They demanded immediate and decisive action to ensure justice for all communities in the Salt Lake Valley and highlighted that lip service and empty promises from our representatives are an insult.

“This isn’t just about water–this is about our communities, our livelihoods, our futures.” said Kitty Chamberlain, age 16. “We don’t have to accept this as our fate. We have to hold our legislators accountable.”

Additional Quotes:

“Great Salt Lake is an issue that the state should be investing their resources into, not just for the Olympics, but for the health of the entire state” –Autumn Featherstone, age 18

“The destruction of the Great Salt Lake is not just an environmental struggle. This is a womans’ struggle, a workers’ struggle, an immigrants’ struggle, the peoples’ struggle. With struggle there is resistance, and the people will win” -Alan Gutierrez, age 25

“Investing billions into an event that may not even be profitable vs protecting citizen’s health? The state needs to get their priorities straight” -Adalayde Scott, age 16

“Great Salt Lake is what our city is named after. It’s a key part of our identity, and has been longer than the host of the Olympics. We need to focus our resources where they matter” -Sophia Smith, age 17

“This is the clearest indication from our state legislators that they don’t care about my future, about our future. They don’t care that youth are fearing if they even have a place in this state because of their inaction.” – Monika Cinbis, age 17

“I worry about the implications of this on not just the health of the environment, but people. My family, my friends. How can I watch them breathe in dirtier air each year while the state fails to act?” Sophia Cheng, age 17

### 

Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) is a youth-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education and action. Our mission is to connect students to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between Utah’s youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders. 

MEDIA ADVISORY: Utah Youth Will Stage “Apocolympic”Opening Ceremony, Foreshadowing the Effects of Great Salt Lake’s Collapse on the 2034 Olympics

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Utah Youth Environmental Solutions

Media Advisory

Date: October 23, 2024
Contact: UYES – utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com, (801) 497-6121

Utah Youth Will Stage “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony, Foreshadowing the Effects of Great Salt Lake’s Collapse on the 2034 Olympics

As House Speaker Mike Schultz announces a “pause” on water-related legislation, Utah youth will stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony and banner drop, urging state leaders to protect and restore the Great Salt Lake by 2034 or face catastrophic consequences.


Even as a drying Great Salt Lake threatens ecological, economic, and public health crises across Utah, state leaders are plowing forward with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and refusing to consider legislation that could prevent environmental catastrophe. On October 26 at 1 p.m., Utah youth will gather at the Olympic Cauldron Park to stage a mock Olympic opening ceremony to demonstrate the consequences of inaction, including a 2034 Olympics plagued by haze, toxic dust events, inadequate snowpack, devastated communities, and a dry Great Salt Lake.

What: The “Apocolympic” Opening Ceremony.

When: October 26, 2024 at 1 p.m. The demonstration will last about 1 hour.

Where: University of Utah Olympic Cauldron Park: 451 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112.

Why: The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, a vital habitat for millions of migratory birds, and a major contributor to Utah’s economy. Primarily due to excessive upstream water diversions, the Great Salt Lake has shrunk to half of its historic size and is predicted to disappear within a decade. Saving the Great Salt Lake requires urgent action, namely legislation to grant an estimated one million acre-feet of additional water to the lake per year.

The death of the Great Salt Lake will have catastrophic effects on everyone in Utah, but state leaders have failed to prioritize the Lake’s decline as a serious existential threat. Last week, House Speaker Mike Schultz even announced that the legislature is planning to “take a break” from passing new water-related legislation this session. Despite the pending environmental crisis, state leaders are continuing with plans to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. A successful Olympics will require sufficient snowpack and clean air, which both rely on a healthy Great Salt Lake. Unless legislators take serious action now, we can expect the 2034 Olympics to be a disastrous failure.

###

Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) is a youth-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education and action. Our mission is to connect students to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between Utah’s youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Youth stage “countdown” demonstration for the Great Salt Lake, call on state leaders to take immediate action.

utyes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 28, 2023

Contact: 

UYES: utyouthenvironmentalsolutions@gmail.com 

Muskan Walia: muskanwalia03@gmail.com, (801) 497-6121

Youth stage “countdown” demonstration for the Great Salt Lake, call on state leaders to take immediate action.

Utah youth held a “countdown” demonstration at the Great Salt Lake, urging legislators to take direct action and highlighting what will happen if they fail to do so.

Salt Lake City, Utah — Today, youth activists from Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) and around 100 community members came together on the shores of the Great Salt Lake to protest state leaders’ failure to take meaningful action and restore the lake to 4,198 feet above sea level, which scientists agree is the minimum ecologically viable elevation for the Great Salt Lake.

Protestors gathered on the lakebed next to the Great Saltair to experience powerful poetry written and performed by a local investigative poet, Milo, whose work mourns and celebrates the fading life of the Great Salt Lake.

Led by youth, protestors marched across the dry lakebed, past the bodies of dead birds, and toward the water, chanting “4,198: act before it’s too late,” and “4,198: do your job, legislate.”

As they neared the water, protesters approached a giant clock, hand painted with an image of a vibrant, healthy lake turning to dust.

The clock was numbered with important years in the Great Salt Lake’s future: 2023, 2027, 2030, and 2040. At each of these intervals, speakers described the progression of a future without the Great Salt Lake. From arsenic-laden dust storms to the extinction of unique species, the youth organizers spoke of their personal connections to this crisis and how they will be affected if the lake disappears. 

As the clock struck 2027, 15-year-old Adalayde Scott stepped forward and made a speech imagining what her life would be like that year and mourning the losses she would endure if state leaders fail to take action today. “Instead of returning with a mask to fight dust and to a lake empty of birds who once vitalized it, I hope that the birds return with me for their summer of breeding. But they cannot do so if we continue to ignore this crisis,” she said.

As the clock struck 2030–the year scientists predict the Great Salt Lake ecosystem will collapse if legislative inaction continues–14-year-old Sam Grossman spoke about the consequences of its disappearance. “Lives would be lost from the unhealthy air and millions of birds and other wildlife who depend on the lake to survive would perish,” Sam said. “This is the dire future we could face if nothing changes.”

Autumn Featherstone, age 17, spoke as the clock struck 2040, a year when the Great Salt Lake is likely to resemble more of a dust bowl than a body of water. Imagining life in 2040, Autumn said: “the legislators who brought us here packed up and left the second the dust storms began, leaving the rest of us here, trapped, dealing with the consequences of their actions.”

Topaz Henderson, age 18, rewinded the clock to 2023, reminding listeners that, while the situation is urgent, there is still time in the present to save the future. “I think about this imminent reality, one that I shouldn’t even have to be worried about in the first place, and it makes me angry. I am angry at the people who are supposed to be our leaders: the lawmakers and politicians who continuously fail us and our lake, again and again. You’ve just seen what will happen if the lake dries up but there is still time to save our future. We need to act NOW.”

The Great Salt Lake is on the brink of ecological collapse. The lake’s water level is much lower than it needs to be because of water diversions for agriculture and industry, urban expansion, and climate change. This year’s snowfall was only a temporary solution to record-low water levels, and as the lake continues to recede, public health and biodiversity are increasingly threatened. Along with brine shrimp and many species of migratory birds, several industries rely on the lake’s myriad of resources. Additionally, as the crust under the lake is increasingly exposed, dust storms laden with toxins such as arsenic and mercury pose a serious threat to public health. Research shows that within the next decade, all of these factors are bound for catastrophe unless the lake can be restored to its minimum sustainable level: 4,198 feet above sea level.

Keynote speaker Alan Gutierrez, a 24-year-old UYES organizer, took the sandy stage as protestors chanted “4,198: act before it’s too late.” “We have witnessed the failures and neglectful actions from leaders for generations,” said Alan. “This is why, now more than ever, it is important to remember the significance of community and how liberation always begins there.”

Today, a community of young people and their allies came together to make a haunting statement that unless we take action today, we jeopardize the future of millions of people. Youth have made it clear that restoring the lake to its minimum healthy level of 4,198 feet above sea level is the only acceptable solution to this crisis. Lip service and empty promises are an insult to the commitment and dedication of the young people who are fighting hard for their futures. Youth ideas and priorities have been continually disregarded in favor of false solutions that emphasize profit over the lives of future generations. They call on their legislators to take immediate and decisive action to ensure justice for all communities in the Salt Lake Valley.

Quotes:

“I think one of the most essential things to remember is that the power to legislate is not in the hands of youth. These are our pleas for justice, for an equitable future and if you will not let us vote, then it is absolutely your responsibility as adults and as government officials to hear us.” -Adalayde Scott, age 15

“The people making decisions about our future are the ones who will be least affected by them. They will be able to move away as the rest of us are left behind, dealing with the consequences of their actions.” – Topaz Henderson, age 18

“We’re calling on you out of necessity for our lives, and if you truly care about our futures then you will hear us and make no excuses.” -Poppy Chamberlain, age 17

“Inaction is the root of violence against the people and the land. This demonstration is not the end. We need sustained resistance that centers frontline communities of color.” – Muskan Walia, UYES, age 21

“While my connection to the lake is multifaceted, from climate anxiety to how arsenic-laced air would affect my lungs, what will bring me back to this lake time and time again is the beauty and complexity of its terminal ecosystem,” -Adalayde Scott, age 15

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Utah Youth Environmental Solutions Network (UYES) is a youth-led organization that empowers young people in Utah to mobilize around climate and environmental issues through legislation, education and action. Our mission is to connect students to environmental advocacy by cultivating reciprocal relationships between Utah’s youth, environmental organizations, and community leaders.