Community Environmental Council honors heroes at Earth Day Festival

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Community Environmental Council held its annual Environmental Heroes Awards ceremony at Santa Barbara's Earth Day Festival on Saturday.

Jackson Browne sent a musical video message in honor of the his late friend Charlie Perry Eckberg who passed in January at the age of 76.

The UCSB grad witnessed the 1969 oil spill and helped create the Earth Day Festival.

Carol Ann Cole who worked with Eckberg at Get Oil Out! shared her memories.

Her late husband Bud Bottoms was also a close friend.

She presented Eckberg's daughters with the first Environmental Pioneer Award. The trophy was one of his last signed whale tale sculptures.

The ceremony moved his daughters to tears.

"He gave so much, but he was really a humble man, this would have brought him to tears also," said Hannah Apricot Eckberg.

Heather Summer Turner talked about missing their father.

"He was just a good human, he was a good human, he was my friend he was an excellent dad," said Turner.

The other award went to Dr. Leah Stokes.

The UC Santa Barbara professor said people should not lose hope.

"People should remain hopeful and recognize they still have a lot of power," said Stokes, "people can do things like get a heat pump, a heat pump water heater, put solar panels on their roof, get an electric vehicle they believe in and more to the point-organize."

The award recipients had a chance to talk to people in the audience in front of the main stage after the ceremony.

For more information visit https://cecsb.org