Kyle Richards
I’m a public servant, and I’m a CEC Climate Steward
Kyle is an SBCC Board Trustee, leveraging his learnings from the Climate Stewards course to update the college’s Sustainability Plan.
“While national and state policies are important for implementing change, the actions taken at a local level are what help build the grassroots momentum for larger-scale work. Every Climate Stewards graduate strengthens our community and helps us make a bigger collective difference.”
About Kyle
When Kyle Richards looked at the climate challenges facing Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), he saw a problem — but also an opportunity for collective action. As an SBCC board trustee, Kyle was already advocating for sustainability, but he knew passion alone wouldn’t move an institution. He enrolled in our Climate Stewards course to gain the strategic frameworks, collaborative support, and momentum needed to turn climate values into measurable action.
Through his Climate Stewards experience, Kyle sharpened his approach to institutional change. His Stewardship Project initially focused on implementing a “Green Fleet” policy, but the course helped him realize that transportation was just one piece of a much larger systems-level opportunity. To meaningfully align SBCC with California’s climate goals, Kyle broadened his focus to updating the college’s Sustainability Plan — unchanged since 2018.
As he engaged colleagues and community members, Kyle saw two key Climate Stewards lessons come to life: local action drives broader change, and collaboration amplifies impact.
That momentum is already paying off. In December 2025, the SBCC Board of Trustees approved a contract for sustainability benchmarking services and the completion of a STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) Report. This framework will measure the college’s sustainability performance and guide updates to its climate action goals, laying the foundation for lasting environmental progress.
