Monica Vitor Caceres
I am a community builder, and I’m a CEC Climate Steward.
Monica Vitor Caceres tabling at CEC’s 2026 Plastic-Free Expo to share her Plastic-Free Revolution campaign.
“You don’t need all the answers or the perfect solution to start making a difference,” Monica said. “The Climate Stewards course taught me to pay attention to the world around me, notice what could be done differently, and collaborate with others to find more sustainable ways forward.”
About Monica
Monica Vitor Caceres long understood the science behind protecting our planet. With a degree in marine biology and hands-on experience in sea turtle conservation, sustainable scallop aquaculture, and environmental education at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), she was already a steward of the world around her. But she wanted to help other people better understand their role in protecting it.
Monica dove into the Climate Stewards course and realized that making a difference didn’t need to begin with a clear-cut scientific answer. It could be as simple as noticing something that doesn’t make sense in your workplace, school, or neighborhood and asking “What can I do?”
The answer to that question became Plastic Free Revolution, Monica’s Stewardship Project to bring reusable containers back into everyday use at SBCC. She was inspired by a contradiction she saw on campus: Despite SBCC’s sustainability efforts, black trash bags were overflowing with single-use containers every day. Drawing on strategies she learned in the course, Monica set out to identify what would inspire her campus community to care — and act.
She surveyed students and discovered strong enthusiasm for a Green Container program, then used that feedback to build support for a campuswide shift toward reusables. Two fellow women in STEM have since joined her efforts, and the Associated Student Government has given the initiative its full backing.
The team is now preparing to bring its proposal to the SBCC Board of Trustees, with plans to expand its work to address single-use packaging more broadly through partnerships with organizations like Sway. Monica is also bringing her passion for environmental education into the broader Santa Barbara community, tabling at events like CEC’s Plastic-Free Expo to share resources and connect with others who want to make a difference.
Monica is continuing that journey at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in natural resources and building a career rooted in environmental education and community action.
