Jasmin Tupy: Connecting Community to Key Environmental Resources

Jasmin Tupy, a surfer, artist, communicator, and environmentalist, completed CEC’s Climate Stewards Certification Program in Spring 2023. For her stewardship project, Jasmin created a webpage, the Santa Barbara Resource Guide, that connects community members with resources from environmental organizations around Santa Barbara, ranging from wildlife rescue centers to recycling and compost facilities. The website is hosted by Heal the Ocean, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit where Jasmin works as the Operations Manager.

“My project idea came from identifying a need in our community to connect people to resources that already exist,” said Jasmin. She noticed that while Santa Barbara has plenty of environmental organizations and programs, there wasn’t a central place where individuals could access information about them. At work, Jasmin often fields calls from concerned residents about wildlife injuries or natural disaster impacts that don’t fall under Heal the Ocean’s scope of work, so she wanted to be able to easily refer people to the appropriate resources.

“Working in operations, a lot of my role is to optimize accessibility and workflow. I thought this would be a neat opportunity for Heal the Ocean, as an organization embedded in the community, to connect people with more resources and make it easier for everyone to be able to do their part.”

Through her stewardship project, Jasmin learned about the complexity of recycling and waste management systems, connected with a number of nonprofits, and discovered a lot of great community resources in Santa Barbara County.

“Even though I work in the nonprofit sector, there are a lot of resources I didn’t know were available,” she said. “One of the standouts is that you can borrow National and State Park passes, fishing poles, or telescopes, all for free, from the Santa Barbara Library.  I think it is very special how this resource can increase accessibility to nature and enhance someone’s experience of the outdoors!”

Jasmin graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in both Communication and Art. While at UCSB, Jasmin served as president of Isla Vista Trading Post, an organization on campus that recirculates clothing throughout Isla Vista in order to create a circular economy and to keep textile waste out of landfills. As an outdoor enthusiast, Jasmin is passionate about conserving natural spaces.

“I chose a communication degree at UCSB because I’ve always been intrigued by social dynamics and interpersonal communication,” Jasmin reflected. “Although I found communication interesting, halfway through, I felt I had made a big mistake by not studying environmental science or biology. I worried that it would bar me from doing environmental work, but I learned that’s not the case. I can work on the communication side of environmental issues.”

Jasmin was excited to participate in the Climate Stewards Certification Program to further her education in climate and environmental topics.“I thought the course was a great opportunity because it was specific to our local ecology here in California,” she said. “As someone who nerds out about psychology and communication, I thought that the focus on communicating about both the environment and its effects on people was an important intersectional aspect.”

She explained that the course provided useful strategies to bridge communication between environmental experts and the community. “Many times I think that the knowledge already exists on how to make change, but it's just not communicated to the general public very well. I think practicing climate communication skills on an individualized level and amongst our cohort was very helpful.”

Now that she’s a Climate Steward alumnus, Jasmin hopes to continue building out her resource guide and expand its use. She also hopes the webpage will inspire nearby regions to make their own guides. “My vision is to reach out to chapters of organizations in other California counties and encourage them to put together similar resource guides and make them accessible to their communities,” she said.

Jasmin grew up in a household that prioritized composting, recycling, and reuse. She credits her mom’s Japanese background with instilling a detail-oriented approach to daily tasks and chores. Her father grew up on a farm without much money. “He learned how to re-utilize parts, and before throwing something away, he would take it apart and try to salvage it however he could,” she recalled. “Our garage is filled with old plastic strawberry containers filled with things like screws, nuts, and bolts. Growing up in this environment showed me that you can try your best to live sustainably. It's not that hard. It just takes consistency.”

Her upbringing has influenced the way Jasmin wants to live as an adult—incorporating environmentally sustainable practices into her daily life. She also wants to inspire others to do the same, so that “hopefully the collective effort can become something bigger.” She emphasizes that individual lifestyle changes are important for the sustainability movement, but voting and policy change can make an even bigger impact, so we should advocate for both.  

“As a surfer who loves the ocean, I want to be able to protect it. I want the next generation to be able to enjoy this environment the way I have. It lights a fire under my bum that the coral reefs are dying and there’s so much destruction happening. I want to be part of the change.”