In lieu of December's Writing Circle, our team has created five Writing Prompts to amplify issues that impact Utah and the country. We invite you to write an LTE from home, and support our mission to educate Utahns on issues that impact people and the planet.
Whether you're a seasoned writer looking to get published or just beginning your writing journey, we have the resources you need to write an effective Letter to the Editor or Op-ed. These prompts are meant to be springboards for your own activism! Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. You can get started by checking out our general LTE outline for guidance and a resource for LTE Do’s and Don'ts
Thank you for your work to ensure your voice is heard!
1 — Inland Port
The Inland Port will increase emissions fueling the climate crisis that is already bringing rising temperatures, diminished snowpack, punishing drought, and terrifying wildfires to Utah and the country. The Inland Port will accelerate the issue of air pollution in the Salt Lake Valley and beyond. For this writing prompt, write an LTE or Op-ed that discusses the negative impacts of the proposed Utah Inland Port on our communities and environment. Click Here For Resources and Messaging Guidance.
2 — Supporting Clean Energy in Utah Schools
Residents in Salt Lake Valley have already felt the impacts of the 2020/2021 winter inversion season. For sensitive groups, including children or those with respiratory or heart conditions, air pollution can have a greater health impact. A team of researchers at the University of Utah found that in Salt Lake City schools, absences rise when the air quality worsens, and it's not just in times of high pollution or "red" air quality days -- even days following lower levels of pollution see increased absences. For this writing prompt, write an LTE or Op-ed that calls for support to 100% Clean Energy School Districts in Utah to mitigate the impacts of air pollution and mitigate climate impacts. Click Here For Our Clean Schools Fact Sheet.
3 — Actions For The Incoming Biden Administration To Take To Address Climate Change Without Waiting on a Divided Congress
There is hope because we have defeated Donald Trump, but there is much more work ahead. For this writing prompt, write an LTE or Op-ed that highlights key actions the incoming Biden administration can take to address climate change without waiting on a divided Congress. Click Here For Resources and Messaging Guidance.
4 — Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Lease Sale
The Trump administration is sparing nothing in its effort to auction off leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before the January 20 inauguration. A week and a half after the election, while the president was busy trying to overturn the results, the Department of the Interior issued a call for oil-lease nominations, which allows companies to choose parcels of land to bid on. Then, on December 2, well before the 30-day nomination period had closed, Interior officials announced that a sale would take place just two weeks before Biden’s inauguration. As the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge continues to see more attacks from the Trump administration, we must keep fighting to protect this sacred place. For this writing prompt, write a Letter to the Editor or Op-ed that calls for our community to keep fighting to protect this sacred place. Click Here For Our Fact Sheet and Messaging Guidance.
5 — Uinta Basin Railway
The proposed Uinta Basin Railway is designed to carry oil from Utah to distant refineries and markets. The project would drag the region’s economy deeper into an unhealthy dependence on fossil fuel extraction. The railway and the frenzy of oil drilling it’s likely to unlock would worsen air pollution, worsen the climate crisis, and threaten wildlife and precious water supplies. For this writing prompt, write an LTE or Op-ed that calls for legislators to put a stop to the Uinta Basin Railway. Click Here For Talking Points and Resources. Also recommended: Feds fast-track plan to lease Uinta Basin lands for tar sands mining before Trump leaves office.