Initiative to help businesses improve air quality

The Salt Lake Chamber, in partnership with the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) and TravelWise, has launched an Inversion Mitigation Initiative encouraging business leaders to engage employees in simple, voluntary actions that decrease vehicle emissions during the winter inversion season.

“Periods of inversion are inevitable this time of year. And while we can’t change when they come and go, businesses and their employees have the ability to make smart choices about limiting the emissions they release,” said Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “This initiative illustrates the positive impact Utah’s business community can have as we unite to make changes in our actions and company cultures. I invite businesses and employees statewide to participate and make a difference in addressing Utah’s air quality challenges.”

{/mprestriction}Poor air quality can negatively affect company and employee recruitment, increase healthcare costs, place regulatory burdens on business and even put Utah’s federal highway funding at risk, the chamber said in its release about the initiative. By making decisions that improve air quality, businesses and employees will help to strengthen the economy and prevent these negative outcomes.

By completing an online form at www.cleanairchampion.com/form and selecting which TravelWise strategies their business will implement, companies that participate in the Inversion Mitigation Initiative will be considered a Salt Lake Chamber Clean Air Champion. Clean Air Champions are defined as companies that show dedication to the state’s well-being and benefit from bottom-line savings, enhanced employee health and morale, and recognition among business community peers.

The chamber said it will highlight and recognize these businesses efforts by sharing best practices and success stories.{/mprestriction}