Reverse. Repair. Protect. CEC’s Bold Climate Action Plan

Climate ResilienceHub
Written By Guest User

About This Webinar

The White House has officially declared we are in a climate emergency. It’s time to lean into local solutions like never before – and that means unrelenting, focused, inclusive, and courageous climate action on the Central Coast. 

CEC has outlined an ambitious plan for how our community can meet this urgent moment and go all in together on halting the climate crisis – rapidly and equitably – through three major efforts:

  • Reverse: Push for ambitious, equitable zero emissions and zero waste goals for the energy, transportation, food, and agriculture sectors

  • Repair: Tap into the power of nature to draw down excess carbon from the atmosphere and repair the disrupted carbon cycle

  • Protect: Safeguard the health of our general public and vulnerable populations from the impacts of climate change already underway

Together, let’s build a groundswell of community action that will reverse, repair, and protect against the impacts of climate change.

Resources

REVERSE

REPAIR

  • Watch this video about vermicast to learn about on-farm worm compost production and application. CEC is partnering with Wild Farmlands Foundation and the Gaviota Coast Conservancy on this pilot program to show how small-scale compost production can build soil health, recapture food waste, and reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers.

  • Watch this video on rangeland compost to learn how CEC and Ted Chamberlin Ranch are collaborating on a California Healthy Soils Field Trial to understand how healthy soil benefits both the ranch owner and the climate. Learn about statewide support for soil health on our farms through the California Healthy Soils Program, funding $28 million to implementation of soil-building practices such as cover cropping and mulching in the past year.

  • Learn strategies for soil building and resilient community design by taking a Horticultural Design course at SBCC.

  • Check out the City of Santa Barbara, County of Santa Barbara, and City of Ventura resources for regional composting programs and subsidized worm bins for your home. Even applying compost to your garden plot helps pull carbon out of the air on a small-scale and diverts your food waste from the landfill, keeping methane (one of the most potent greenhouse gases) out of the atmosphere.

PROTECT

Questions and Answers

Below are questions and answers that were posed in the webinar. CEC staff have endeavored to answer these questions to the best of our ability and have provided additional resources for you to dig deeper into topics discussed.

Residential composting seems to be lacking in our community outside the City of Santa Barbara and many residents do not have space for composting. What are the options?

The County of Santa Barbara offers discounted Earth Machine composting bins to help residents start their home composting efforts. Santa Barbara County is developing Tajiguas ReSource Recovery Project (TRRP), a new composting facility on the Gaviota Coast that will process all residential waste, including food waste. It is slated to open late 2021. CEC is also looking to develop more small-scale options, including a potential farmers’ market food waste drop-off.

There is still a lot of work to be done in this department. As a community, we need to think about the organic waste with which we interact. All of it is a resource. We need to be better about reclaiming it and making sure the carbon in our green waste is put back in the soil where it can do some good. CEC is advocating for accessible programs for our community and hope to see those develop over time. Stay tuned for additional details. 

A great resource is the Environmental Horticulture Department at Santa Barbara City College. They currently offer a variety of classes on resilient land and soil building management which are very affordable.

Due to the pandemic and concerns about reusables, coffee shops and restaurants seem to have ceased the use of reusable containers, even bags. Is there anything that can be done to push for a return to reusables?

The push needs to come from consumers. Many of the locally owned coffee shops are now taking personal reusable containers. Patronizing those businesses and providing feedback to businesses that have shifted to a fully take-out/curbside model about the waste this generates will help create a return to the reusable model they had prior to the pandemic.

The single-use plastic bag ban was reinstated last June but the bags being given out now meet the standards of reusable in the law so it’s a workaround. We need to amend the law to strengthen the definition of reusable bags to make it harder for stores to afford to give them out. There is a precedent law for this in Massachusetts and we will advocate to amend local laws.

Is there any help on the horizon for Goleta Union School District (GUSD) to transition to electric school buses?

Yes, we’ve talked with GUSD about EV school buses. So far, most of the funding for hundreds of electric buses has been going to the most underserved communities with the oldest buses in California – districts in Oxnard and Santa Maria are receiving these buses.

As transportation is the largest contributor of GHG emissions, and we know that simply electrifying public fleets and getting individuals to purchase EVs isn’t enough, what is CEC’s plan to work on promoting use of and investment in public transportation?

The most effective way to reduce GHG emissions is to reduce the amount of driving that we do. CEC is working on policy programs to help redesign our cities so that driving is a choice and not a necessity. It’s a very long and complex process, but CEC is up to the task and is always engaging in different planning activities. CEC has worked with Traffic Solutions, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District and the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation to advocate for alternatives to driving alone. However, the community needs to be willing to participate in these alternatives in order for them to gain momentum.

Some low/moderate income drivers (under $104,000 for a family of 4) can even stack incentives to lease an EV for free or at very low cost. Follow these eight steps to find out if you qualify. 

Will Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) students learn about the solar panels being installed on their campuses?

Although SBUSD hasn’t spoken on specific lesson plans for students, CEC is confident that the creative teachers are incorporating it into their lectures. 

CEC has been actively advocating alongside Laura Caps for solar integration within Santa Barbara Unified. Just recently there has been a push forward on a proposal to build solar at most of the schools within Santa Barbara Unified as well as six solar micro grids that will be able to have battery storage incorporated. We expect to see many more schools going solar in the future.

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