Santa Barbara Earth Day honors Plastic Free Future Co-Founder Alejandra Warren with Environmental Hero Award

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-Mother Nature helped make the 54th Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival a weekend to remember in Alameda Park.

Visitor Madison Matti Charlton learned that Earth Day started in Santa Barbara following the devastating 1969 oil spill that covered local beaches during an oil drilling blowout.

"I just heard that this Earth Day Festival was happening here and that is started in Santa Barbara so that is wonderful. It is a very welcoming city I felt very welcome here and it's a beautiful sun," said Charlton.

Between bands playing on the main stage, The Community Environmental Council recognized young people and local school groups for making a difference.

They also honored Alejandra Warren with the Environmental Hero Award.

Warren is the co-founder and executive director of Plastic Free Future and a Non Governmental Agency delegate to the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution.

Warren has as a way of inspiring individuals in diverse communities to reduce their plastic use.

She said you don't have to have a doctorate or a special degree to do your part.

Warren's 16-year-old son is also a climate award winner.

The Warrens drove down from the Bay Area to enjoy the festival.

"I want to encourage all of you to start with the small things, any small thing you can do at your home, start your own compost, start your native garden, use less plastic, stop buying plastic bottles, all those things have an impact bigger than you think," Warren.

The council also hosted panel discussions to discuss everything from dry cleaning to elective vehicles.

An Green Car show filled the street nearby.

The festival offered healthy food options such as sourdough pizza.

Barnaby Draper of Santa Barbara Hives added honey to his pizza.

People lined up for slices.

"So we are doing pieces today, we got hit really hit hard yesterday, we are doing 150 pizzas a day," sourdough being good for you full of prebiotics," said Draper gets your gut ready to receive nutrients and they are really delicious."

The festival serves as a reminder that everyone can be a climate activist and that earth day is every day.

For more information visit https://sbearthday.org and https://plastic-free-future.org