Personal and Government Habits Continue to Change on the 55th anniversary of Earth Day
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - 55 years after the first Earth Day, changes continue to take place for governments and citizens in many areas of the world, but it started in the Santa Barbara area with a tragedy.
The 1969 offshore oil blowout from Platform A off the Santa Barbara-Summerland coast was the key event to start the Earth Day movement with the help of Congressional leaders a year later.
Since the first Earth Day in 1970 there have been major strides in air and land ecology.
These days it is common to see solar panels in parking lots and schools, charging stations for electric vehicles, e-bikes next to those with pedal power, community cleanups, recycling and countless environmentally related non-profit groups.
On Saturday and Sunday Santa Barbara will hold its Community Environmental Council Earth Day events at Alameda Park with numerous demonstrations, earth-friendly vendors, awards and forward-looking information. There will also be a green-car display and test rides of e bikes.
In Goleta, the city's sustainability department has recently opened a public electric vehicle charging station at City Hall. It also offers has reusable utensils and cups that are given out at community outreach events to encourage the public to buy these items for themselves or families.
Goleta Sustainability Manager Dana Murray says, "we want to walk the talk. If we want to see more people to put renewable energy at their homes and businesses, we want to do that right here at City Hall, solar, battery storage or EV chargers. "
She has seen schools embracing the reusable utensils. "In fact there's been whole schools that the parents liked them so much they've done fundraisers for the whole school so they can all go reusable."
Murray is encouraged by what she sees going forward even with a growing population and many challenges. "Part of the main reason we all live here is the beaches, the creeks, the mountains and we don't want to leave our liter there. I think kids get the reason. It makes me hopeful for the future."
Artist Brad Nack remembers the spill and how it shaped his environmental decisions. "The waves couldn't break because they were covered in tar so it was like watching jello wobble and to really see something as a kid go so wrong leaves a big impact. "
These days he says, " I'll be very conscious about recycling but if you go out to the dump and see all the stuff that is being thrown away... " He said there is still work to do. He handles his leftover paints with a carefully planned environmental disposal plan.
In addition to air and water issues, Kelli Osajima said, "I think the biggest thing for me is clothing. I try to thrift and upcycle and push that with my friends alot."
Montecito resident Maude Feil says she juices often and wants to step up her efforts to compost. "You know I don't do as much as I should with used vegetables and stuff."
Many events throughout the year including the California Avocado Festival in Carpinteria have been able to collect and sort waste on-site, and even with 100,000 visitors over three days, it is a zero-waste event.
For more information go to: Goleta Sustainabilty, Santa Barbara Sustainability, Carpinteria Sustainability
