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From the Birthplace of Earth Day: A Warning and a Way Forward
By U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal and Sigrid Wright, CEO of the Community Environmental Council
In downtown Santa Barbara, less than a block from where one of the first Earth Day festivals took place in 1970, we recently gathered environmental and community leaders around a single question: What happens when Washington, D.C. walks away? We were joined by environmental leaders, policymakers, researchers, city officials, youth leaders, and non-profit advocates. Some arrived carrying hope, others exhaustion, most both. All were there because they could feel something shifting — and not for the better.
As Gerrie brought community members together and learned more about the far-reaching impacts of fossil fuels, she asked herself, “What does it look like to live in alignment with the future we’re fighting for?” The next step felt clear. It was time to say goodbye to her gas-powered car.
Thanks to your support, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors directed staff to develop an ordinance ending new oil drilling in the county. The ordinance process is expected to take about six months. County staff will also begin the process of phasing out existing oil operations by developing an amortization study of existing wells and conducting an environmental review.