Utah-Based Environmental Nonprofits Merge to Form Stewardship Utah
O₂ Utah and the Rural Utah Project are combining efforts to work across the state
SALT LAKE CITY (July 30, 2024) — O₂ Utah and the Rural Utah Project have merged to form Stewardship Utah, a new environmental nonprofit, the two groups announced today.
Stewardship Utah, a registered 501(c)(4), will work to protect the land, air, and water for all people in Utah through elections, policy, and democracy.
In addition to Stewardship Utah, a sister organization, the Stewardship Utah Foundation, a 501(c)(3), has also been established.
The new group is a true blend of O₂ Utah’s expertise in elections and policy in the urban corridor with the Rural Utah Project’s extensive experience organizing and registering voters in rural parts of the state — creating a comprehensive environmental and democratic effort representing all of Utah.
Stewardship Utah’s model begins during the election process, endorsing candidates on both sides of the aisle with similar values and policy goals. The group boasts full campaign capabilities to help candidates win their respective races at the state, county, and municipal levels, the first step in enacting bold legislation.
In addition, Stewardship Utah has extensive policy goals to protect public lands, clean Utah’s air, act on climate, restore water levels in the Great Salt Lake, and advocate for voting rights. The new group has adopted O₂ Utah’s Prosperity 2030 policy framework, a roadmap of bills to reduce emissions by 50% along the Wasatch Front by 2030.
“The Rural Utah Project has accomplished a lot in Southeast Utah and the Navajo Nation,” said TJ Ellerbeck, Co-Director of Stewardship Utah. “We are not going anywhere. We have some big plans for that area with Stewardship Utah.”
Founded in 2017, the Rural Utah Project has given a voice to underrepresented communities and created life-long citizen advocates in Southern Utah through voter registration, local mobilization, and issue organizing.
Their work is highlighted by a voter registration initiative that led to the first-ever majority-Navajo San Juan County Commission. The Rural Utah Project also developed a novel rural addressing program that assigned physical addresses in the form of Plus Codes to Navajo Nation residents in Utah, allowing them to properly register and vote.
The Rural Utah Project has worked across 10 counties, registered over 9,055 rural voters, and installed over 3,000 Plus Code addresses. It has also registered another 12,000 voters in northern Arizona.
O₂ Utah opened its doors in 2019 to improve the Wasatch Front’s air quality through electoral involvement and political advocacy.
During the 2023 legislative session, the group wrote and passed HB 220 (Emission Reduction Amendments). The bill, representing Phase 1 of Prosperity 2030, set a standard on halogen emissions from industrial sources, specifically bromine pollution, which increases the Wasatch Front’s winter-time pollution up to 25%.
O₂ Utah has been heavily involved in the electoral process and has supported more than 75 state and municipal candidates with campaign strategy and fundraising efforts.
As a joint endeavor in 2023 and 2024, O₂ Utah and the Rural Utah Project conducted an innovative commit-to-vote experiment to activate low-frequency environmental voters in Salt Lake County’s west side, a community disproportionately affected by poor air.
“Our goal is to continue the impactful work of both organizations, and take on new projects, but with a stronger team and more resources,” said David Garbett, Co-Director of Stewardship Utah. “Utah is an amazing place. If you share our vision, come volunteer, donate, or run for office. We need your help.”
Stewardship Utah staff and board members, located in Bluff, Helper, Navajo Nation, and Salt Lake City, are thrilled to embark on this venture to make Utah a healthier and more just place to live.
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Media Contact:
Alma Baste, Communications Manager: alma@stewardshiputah.org
About Stewardship Utah:
Stewardship Utah is an environmental nonprofit working to protect the land, air, and water for all people in Utah through elections, policy, and democracy. Stewardship Utah endorses and provides election support to environmentally-minded candidates at the municipal and state levels, writes and advocates for bold climate legislation, and activates the public to vote and speak up for their communities. Learn more at stewardshiputah.org.
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