Hello clean-air-and-climate friends: Utah’s Supreme Court released a unanimous decision last week that is worth celebrating! The Tribune article came with a great front-page headline (“Ruling: Lawmakers can’t ignore ignore voters”), the article in the Deseret News was deeply researched and a bit more measured—there’s miles to go in this lawsuit, so if you can go support the plaintiffs, League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government—and the actual Court decision makes pretty good reading too! The decision establishes a high degree of constitutional protection for Utah ballot measures about government reform, and it may give a boost for Utah ballot measures in general… including measures like ours!

Come celebrate by bringing your friends and family to Seize The Initiative! It’s a family-friendly romantic comedy that has its roots in the Clean The Darn Air campaign (the play, written by yours truly, started as a script for how to do volunteer signature-gathering) and our fabulous intern Lauren Reynolds will be working to use the play to promote the campaign! The show is part of the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival happening July 26 – August 4 at Trolley Square, and you can get details and ticket information here. (The two Saturday shows are already looking like they might sell out.) Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate and promote the campaign! See poster and 60-second ad-style summary below:

60-second-ad-style summary: 

  1. Close-up on SAUL: “I meet hundreds of women every day…”
  2. Zoom out to show that SAUL is wearing a campaign sandwich board and speaking at a campaign training session: “It’s like speed dating.”
  3. Different camera angle, still on SAUL: “At best, you could meet the love of your life…”
  4. Cut to GRACE, who (with NIKKI) is waiting to enter a concert venue and is speaking to SAUL, who is collecting signatures from them: “We’ve got an extra ticket to the show, want to come?”
  5. Cut to NIKKI, responding to GRACE: “Wait, you’re inviting Jimmy John to join us?”
  6. Back to SAUL at the training session: “…at worst, you might find someone you can  rope into volunteering for the campaign.”
  7. Cut to GRACE, flirting with SAUL outside the concert venue: “I would like to see what you look like without a sandwich board.”
  8. Cut to SAUL, responding to GRACE: “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like to see what you look like with a sandwich board.”
  9. Voice-over narrator: Directed by Great Salt Lake Fringe audience-choice-award-winner Josh Patterson…
  10.  Cut to KATHERINE, speaking to SAUL: “I know, I know. You’re just putting the ‘action’ into climate action.”
  11. Voice-over narrator: Seize The Initiative! is a romantic comedy about falling in love…
  12. Cut to LANCE, at a wedding giving a toast: “I recently had a vasectomy…”
  13. Voice-over narrator: …with democracy.
  14. Cut to KATHERINE, speaking to GRACE and SAUL: “This campaign is doomed.”
  15. Voice-over narrator: Coming July 26 to the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival.
  16. Cut to NIKKI, speaking with GRACE: You know how some men, they’re only after one thing? [GRACE murmurs in assent.] What if signature-gathering is his one thing?