Entrepreneurs, activists and policy makers are joining forces Wednesday to solve air quality problems along the Wasatch front. The new Impact Hub Salt Lake is hosting what they call an innovation lab focused on finding air pollution solutions.
Organizers are calling the event “A Breath of Fresh Air”. Ryan Chatterton is marketing and operations director for Impact Hub Salt Lake. He says there have been plenty of air quality events that have raised awareness this past winter. Now he says, it’s time to focus on solutions.
“I think we’ve been complaining about air quality for several years now, but we really need to start making some significant changes there,” Chatterton says. “I think we’ll find that these impact innovation labs are a great way to solve a lot of our major social issues here in Salt Lake.”
In its inaugural innovation lab, Impact Hub Salt Lake has invited its members – ranging from activists to entrepreneurs - to come together to generate new ideas, develop those ideas, then pitch them to a panel of experts – including representatives from the governor’s office, state lawmakers, business and environmental leaders. The final step is to map out resources and next steps that will bring the ideas into reality.
Impact Hub Salt Lake officially launched last week in a temporary space. It’s part of a global network intended to be an incubator for new ideas to solve societal problems.