Blog
A space for learning.
A New Initiative Will Create Neighborhood Resilience Hubs to Serve Vulnerable Populations
Imagine your community is impacted by the next wildfire that starts in our region. Maybe your home is in close proximity to the flames, or the smoke and ash from the fire drifts to your doorstep. How will you respond? Will you have the supplies you need? Will you know when or where to evacuate to? If you lose power, how will you prepare food, stay cool, or run air purifiers? What if you have a neighbor who needs help? By sharing information and resources, residents can be empowered to support each other and build community resilience in the face of wildfires, earthquakes, extreme heat, and other natural disasters.
North County Climate Steward Christina Hernandez Inspires Climate Action through Connection
Recent Community Environmental Council (CEC) UC Climate Steward graduate Christina Hernandez is a lifelong resident of the small coastal city of Guadalupe in North Santa Barbara County. A social and environmental justice advocate for over 10 years, she is driven by a deep love of her community and the desire to help her fellow residents connect with nature, access critical resources and support, and participate in building a healthy and resilient region. Christina fills many key roles in her community, including as a member of the Santa Barbara County Equity Advisory and Outreach Committee, a board member at Los Amigos de Guadalupe, and the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.
We spoke with Christina about how CEC’s UC Climate Stewards program helped deepen her community engagement around climate change and nature conservation, and what she envisions for the future of Guadalupe.
As the United Nations Sounds a Warning Bell: CEC Releases First-Ever Action Plan for Climate Resilience on California’s Central Coast
This unprecedented plan addresses the most pressing climate threats to our region – offering solutions that are needed now and can be immediately activated to build resilience across our community.
The Long Emergency
Recently it’s felt like we’ve been living in a near-constant state of emergency. In fact I have on my nightstand a book of that title – Living in the Long Emergency, which I have yet to read. The truth is that the joint crises of a global pandemic, a deeply flawed economic system, structural racism, fraying political institutions, and growing climate chaos don't leave me with a lot of enthusiasm for this as a bedtime story.
The Earth Without Us: An Earth Day Reflection from Sigrid Wright
Here we are, weeks and months into an unprecedented global exploration into isolation due to COVID-19. And once again, the most poignant takeaway of this new territory may very well be our keen rediscovery of how our lives depend on one another.
How COVID-19 Could Help Us Get Through the Climate Crisis
In an interview with the Santa Barbara Independent Sigrid Wright, Executive Director of the Community Environmental Council shares her reflections on the similarities between the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis, and how the current emergency could help us navigate the even bigger threat to our future.
Food Resilience During the Pandemic: Habits to Learn and Systems to Strengthen
Here’s what we know: a local, diversified and equitable food system can be one of our best defenses in moments of community crisis. CEC's Food and Climate Program Manager shares how food system resilience is at the foundation of community resilience, which is the foundation of climate resilience.
How the Pandemic Could be a Crossroads for the Climate
The pandemic could be a crossroads for the climate if we act together now. We’ve learned a few key things from the climate movement that can be helpful here. And vice versa; what we’re learning from this extremely challenging public health crisis could make this a watershed moment for climate change and an enormous opportunity for transformation.
Bold, Timely Solutions That Can Inform COVID-19 Community Needs
The pandemic exposes our region's social, economic and environmental strengths and vulnerabilities – the exact type of community resilience CEC's Climate Resilience Roundtables are designed to help us work toward together. See community-driven solutions we've developed that could support us in this time.
Our Biggest Challenge: An Interview with Former CEC Board President John Steed
Peter Brill, founder and first Executive Director of Sustainable Change Alliance interviewed John Steed, former board president and current member of CEC President’s Council about what we can do to address climate change.
The Light Blue Line: 13 Years Later
In 2007 a proposal to stripe a blue line throughout downtown Santa Barbara would have shown the potential sea level rise in our fair city as a result of climate change. I was shocked to see how much of the community would be impacted — sandy beaches gone, coastal habitats lost, neighborhoods wiped out, and transportation corridors flooded.
More BMP Bike Lanes, Please
Santa Barbara community members showed up in force on Thursday, October 29 to express their concerns about a new “watered down” version of the Bicycle Master Plan at a special joint meeting of the City’s Transportation and Circulation Committee and the Planning Commission.
The Oil Spill Heard ‘Round the World
On the 50th anniversary of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill, CEC's Executive Director Sigrid Wright and the Environmental Defense Center Chief Counsel Linda Krop speak to the need for "swift and all-encompassing action to heal our planet and prevent further harmful climate disruption."
Marking 50 Years of Environmental Leadership on the SB Oil Spill Anniversary
On January 28, 1969 an oil blowout in the Santa Barbara channel sparked a worldwide environmental movement.
CEC formed in response shortly after and has been rallying the community to action ever since. Watch the January 27, 2019 community gathering.