Salt Lake City Exercises their Power to Protect their Planet

Two years ago, a college student at the University of Utah, Grace Christiansen, reached out to EARTHDAY.ORG. She told us that she was planning an Earth Action Rally at the Utah State Capitol the weekend after Earth Day 2025. As college campus coordinator, I hit the ground running, working with Grace to determine where we could offer her support.

The first question I asked her was what campus organization she was working with to put on the event. I remember Grace paused, seemingly confused, and finally stated that she was just doing this by herself. 

I was amazed. She just decided one day that this rally needed to happen and she would be the one to do it. All I do for a living is try to convince people to take action, and here was someone who was doing it without even being asked. 

I helped her submit her permit application for the south steps of the Utah Capitol and helped her reach out to local student organizations. Grace took care of the rest. 

The Earth Action Rally was a success, featuring speakers from several local and statewide organizations and even a Utah state senator. Grace knocked it out of the park on the first try. 

Going into Earth Day 2026, my role shifted away from campuses to activating volunteers and advocates of all ages. Again, without any encouragement from me, Grace reached out and let me know she was organizing another Earth Action Rally in 2026. I was thrilled.

This time, Grace didn’t need help with the logistics and scheduling. This time EARTHDAY.ORG was able to provide media outreach, support with coalition building, and even material support with free t-shirts and a banner. And of course, this year, EARTHDAY.ORG gave me the go-ahead to attend the rally and help amplify the “Our Power, Our Planet” message.

Utah may not be the first place to come to mind when you think of environmental issues, but the state is at the center of several. Most famous might be the Great Salt Lake, which has shrunken over the past several decades as a result of water overconsumption. The issue is especially top of mind this year after a historically dry winter, with very little snowpack to feed the lake. We were joined this year by the Utah Center for Biological Diversity to address this problem.

Connected to the issue of water consumption is the rise of data centers. The rise of data centers is not unique to Utah at all. However, the Utah State Government and some local governments have gone out of their way to make it as easy as possible for developers to build data centers, with little public input. Unchecked development of data centers will lead to greater consumption of water and open the door to higher emissions of CO2 and particulate matter to meet the new energy demand.

The issue of emissions takes us to one more environmental problem Utah faces, air quality in the Salt Lake Valley. With most Utahns living in and around valleys, fossil fuels pose a unique problem. Air is easily trapped in the valleys, so emissions from cars, power plants, or even data centers can be trapped as well. These emissions pose a direct threat to human health, which is why one of the organizations that joined us this year was Utah Physicians for Healthy Environment.

As Utah suffers from the pressure of higher energy demand and the limitations of its own environment, the Governor and State Legislature have decided that rather than invest in clean energy, they should decrease regulations on the construction of nuclear energy. This action is in lock step with the Trump administration’s wishes and a result of the Trump administration’s own policy of defunding the construction of renewable energy in favor of fossil fuels. 

Deregulation of nuclear energy is an issue which hits many Utahns close to home. Nuclear bomb test fallout during the 20th century led to negative health consequences in communities living downwind of the test sites, including Grace’s grandmother. As of January 2025, over 8,000 Utahns had received compensation through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).

Rather than bending to the will of the tech industry, many Utahns would like to see their state government take a deliberate and careful approach to growing nuclear energy production. Healthy Environment Alliance (HEAL) of Utah joined the rally this year to spearhead this very issue.

For all of these reasons, Grace’s rally could not have been more timely. These issues were unified perfectly under the theme of “Our Power, Our Planet.” Even when federal, state, and local governments are making poor environmental policy decisions, we still have an obligation to exercise our power to protect our planet. And that is just what we did.

On April 26, 2026, I began my journey to Salt Lake City. I woke up at 3 a.m. and headed to the airport to fly across the country to speak at the rally that same day.

When I stepped off the plane, I could see it was going to be a cold, windy, and rainy day. When I climbed the steep hill and walked up to the front steps of the Utah State Capitol, I could feel the full force of the wind and the rain was beginning to fall. 

At first only a few people arrived, and I wondered if the weather might make this event a bust. But the trickle of attendees remained steady, and when Grace kicked off the event we had several organizations tabling and a solid turnout of about fifty people.

As I listened to each speaker step up and tell their stories, the rain and wind continued to pick up. By the time I was up to speak, I was shivering. But seeing such a determined group of people refuse to give up and make sure their message was heard, brought me some warmth. Nothing embodies the meaning of “Our Power, Our Planet,” better than Grace and her collaborators who I stood with on that rainy Sunday afternoon.

Reflecting on the rally she organized, Grace said, “In order to make change, we need to remember the beginning of Earth Day and the legacy it created.” She continued, “I’m grateful to have been in a position to mobilize our community. This work needs to continue and it will. Earth Day is important and we need to keep protecting and advocating for our Earth on that day and all year round.”

Grace graduates from University of Utah this year, but I have no doubt that her actions have helped bolster the environmental movement in Utah and that this is just the beginning for her. Just like Grace, you don’t have to wait for someone to ask you to get involved. If you’re ready to take action, visit EARTHDAY.ORG to learn how to organize an event, a cleanup, or a community meeting.