Empowering Communities to Take Climate Action
April 2023 Newsletter
This year’s severe winter storms rocked California's Central Coast region—and laid bare the disproportionate impacts felt by at-risk communities during times of disaster. The town of Guadalupe in northern Santa Barbara County, for example, battled multiple floods and storm damage in recent months, wreaking havoc on the community. Guadalupe is an agricultural community that is home to migrant and undocumented farm workers whose primary languages are Spanish, Mixtec, and other Indigenous languages. Such communities are often the last to receive critical information and resources to help them prepare for and respond to disasters.
Climate disasters like these are part of the reason why the Community Environmental Council (CEC) established our Climate Justice program, focused on collaborating with underrepresented voices to address climate threats and inequities. Read more about our emerging Climate Justice work below and learn how you can participate.
Guadalupe Community Air Monitoring Project Raises Awareness
Last year, the Community Environmental Council was awarded a California Air Resources Board (CARB) grant to monitor and share findings on air pollution, wildfire smoke, and pesticide exposure throughout Guadalupe and the Santa Maria Valley. Five air quality monitors are up and running throughout the community, and the project has launched real-time air quality data with information on air quality ratings and health.
Hear more about the Guadalupe Community Air Monitoring Project and CEC’s climate and language justice work in this interview for Central Coast Voices.
Read and share more about the Guadalupe Community Air Monitoring Project by downloading this flier. Read more about CEC Climate Justice Associate Alhan Diaz-Correa, who helps lead the project, in this feature profile written by Yan Lei, a student of UC Santa Barbara’s Professional Writing program.
Nuestro Tiempo Creates Space for Spanish-speaking Communities to Act on Climate Change
Nuestro Tiempo empowers Spanish-speaking community members to learn more about how climate change intersects with key issues, share ideas and concerns, and design ways to take action.
An initiative of the Community Environmental Council, Nuestro Tiempo meetings are open to all community members and are held in Spanish, with plenty of time for group discussion and questions. Meetings feature guest speakers on topics such as food rescue and food security efforts in the Santa Barbara region, and natural disaster planning and building community resilience.
Connect with community members and stay up-to-date on upcoming meetings and events on the Nuestro Tiempo Facebook page. The next meetings will take place at 6pm on Tuesday, May 2, and Thursday, May 18, at 6pm. Register to Attend Now!
CEC Partner Spotlight: Rooted Language Justice
The Community Environmental Council is expanding its work in the areas of language access and language justice with the support of local partner Rooted Language Justice (RLJ). Founded by Javi Infante Varas and Nayra Pacheco Guzman, RLJ is an immigrant women-led Language Justice enterprise that provides Spanish-English language interpretation services for many of CEC’s outreach materials, webinars, meetings, and more.
Read more about our partnership with RLJ. Check out our latest webinar with Spanish interpretation provided by RLJ.
Two Climate Justice Activists Named 2023 Environmental Heroes
Join Academy Award-winning actor and climate activist, Jane Fonda for the Community Environmental Council's 2023 Environmental Hero Awards on Sunday, April 30 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on the Main Stage in Alameda Park. Awards will be presented to Nalleli Cobo and Cesar Aguirre, both of whom work tirelessly in their communities to combat the devastating effects of the fossil fuel industry.
The ceremony will be emceed by past Environmental Hero Award recipient Florencia Ramirez, kitchen activist, podcaster, and author of “How to Eat Less Water.” Read more.
CEC's Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 29, 2023 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 30, 2023 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Alameda Park, 1400 Santa Barbara St, Santa Barbara
The Community Environmental Council's Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, produced in partnership with CarpEvents, returns to Alameda Park in 2023 this weekend.
One of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country and believed to be one of the largest Earth Day festivals on the West Coast, the festival attracts upwards of 30,000 attendees each year. Join us for live music, 150+ exhibitors, local food, wine, and beer, a green car show, and a climate summit. Learn more.
Save the Date!
June 1 (time and details coming soon)
Webinar: Lessons Learned from the Fastest Warming County in the Nation And How You Can Help Ensure Your Neighbors are Safe When Temperatures Rise
Did you know Ventura county is warming faster than almost anywhere else in the US? Hear how heat impacts those on the frontlines, and what we’ve learned about what we can do as cities and individuals to address this urgent issue. You’ll learn how each of us can help mobilize resources to protect those most at risk––from farm workers to the elderly. We will also share broader solutions in the works that knit a tighter social fabric, such as neighborhood-based resource centers where people can get the help they need when extreme heat hits.
You're Invited
Join us on Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at 1219 State Street, Santa Barbara for the Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Celebration of CEC's Environmental Hub.
The Hub is a 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art collaborative space, designed to be an epicenter for community activism, education, entrepreneurship, media, and art. The grand opening is a part of downtown Santa Barbara’s First Thursday Art Walk series and will feature an exhibition. “The Return of the Western Monarch,” resident artist, Elizabeth Weber. Learn more at cecsb.org/environmental-hub.