Innovation & Activism Highlighted at the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Awards

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - There is always many enthusiastic and ongoing environmental projects taking place in our local area and the most outstanding efforts are winning the Explore Ecology 2026 Environmental Stewardship Awards.

It is honoring local students, clubs and educators for creating a sustainable Santa Barbara County.   

The awards span the entire county and the winners were nominated by community members. This year there are 15 awardees recognized, including students and educators from schools across the county.

The focus areas are sustainability, waste reduction, environmental education, climate resilience, and organic gardening.

They include:

• A student beekeeper who safely relocates a swarm
• School-wide plastic reduction initiatives
• Student-led environmental activism
• Expansion of garden and farm-based education

Some of the projects winning this top honor include, an organizer of  the Make Polluters Pay walkout at SB High School, mobilizing  peers around climate action, a 5th grade teacher at Brandon Elementary who led a school-wide transition from plastic sporks to reusable utensils and students are working toward an ambitious goal of reducing campus waste and consumption by 30%.

(More photos, videos and details will be added here later today.)

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