The Community 5 with Stacee Adams
“If you are interested in solving a problem, you will always find someone to help you,” says Stacee Adams, environmental planning consultant for the Utah Department of Environmental Planning. Here top 5 suggestions for a better community:
- Show up to meetings. Learn about what’s going on in the community and participate. By showing up to meetings, people send a message that an issue is important to them. Those running the meeting may ask for community input, the members of the community who are there will be able to talk about what they want to have happen and get questions answered.
- Talk to people that you think can help you. Government organizations and non-profits exist to help people. These organizations can only help if people ask for it.
- Do what you can do. It is important to not get overwhelmed. “Be responsible for what you can be responsible for,” says Adams. You don’t have to do everything, but you should do what you can.
- Visit cleanair.utah.gov for 50 tips about how to improve air quality. The web site includes tips for both summer and winter. Suggestions include specifics about driving less, driving smarter and how to save energy at home.
- Try to get the whole story. Talk to the people involved in the issue. Making an informed decision will help you be more effective in your community.