- Home
- News Grid
- Local News
- Green Hawk
- Business
- Politics
- School Zone
- Nonprofits
- Missing Pets
- Multimedia
- Arts
- Movies
- Outdoors
- Sports
- News Releases
- Columnists
- Blogs
- Opinions
- Classifieds
- Advertise
- Donate
- Partners
Santa Barbara Gears Up for Earth Day Festivities This Weekend
It’s almost time for a Santa Barbara institution to commence.
Earth Day festivities hit Alameda Park, 1400 Santa Barbara St., this weekend, with a schedule packed full of food, music, events and all things green. The fun starts on Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and continues on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
It’s the 42nd year the Community Environmental Council has hosted the event, established in the wake of the 1969 oil spill. Hundreds of organizations are participating this year, including Noozhawk and ParentClick.com, which will have their staff out talking to festival-goers on both days.
Selma Rubin will be honored posthumously with this year’s Environmental Hero Award. Rubin died in March at 96, and was a local champion for environmental and social causes. She helped established many local nonprofits, including the Community Environmental Council.
Those riding bikes to the event should enter at Micheltorena and Anacapa streets and are invited to take advantage of the free bike valet and free tune-ups. BiciCentro will be running the DIY bike shop, with assistance from REI’s Bike Techs and Santa Barbara Middle School’s Bike Monkeys.
Event organizers estimate that more than 2,000 people biked to the festival last year, and riders can peruse a bike culture hub featuring art installations, a mini-stage, a DIY bike repair area and bike-related exhibitors.
The festival also will be home to what organizers say is the largest-running Green Car Show between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This will be the show’s 13th year, and will showcase dozens of efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. A “solar carport” will be on display in partnership with Solforce.
A kid’s corner will feature arts and crafts, face painting, a marine touch tank and more.
A food court will be open each day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring local and regional exhibitors offering organic smoothies, sandwiches, veggie burgers, Thai cuisine, and freshly baked wood-fired pizzas and other items. Firestone Walker Brewery will be serving up local wines and its new “805” brew in the Earth Day Gazebo each day from 2 to 6 p.m.
Click here for more information about the event, including its sponsors and schedules.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Comments
Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules as part of Noozhawk's shared online community. Please keep your comments civil and helpful. Don't attack other readers personally, and do not use vulgar, abusive or discriminatory language. Use the "Report Abuse" link if a comment violates these standards or our Terms of Use
» on 04.21.12 @ 07:16 AM
The irony is that our local beaches are far cleaner now than before the 1969 spill and the reason is offshore oil production has been drying up the prolific offshore oil seeps. This benefit is arguably the biggest environmental benefit our coast has ever seen and yet the CEC can’t admit this is entirely due to offshore oil production. That should be celebrated as part of Earth Day too. Everyone is for a cleaner environment. We should all be for truth in advertising also. Yet most of the Earth Day attendees won’t be told of this biggest of all local environmental benefits. Everyday you go out to local beaches for the rest of your life you will see less seep oil and cleaner beaches because of offshore oil production, yet the CEC would like you to pretend you still live in 1969. Kind of pathetic. If they were truly honest (or educated about the facts), they’d also celebrate the benefits we’ve derived from local offshore oil extraction as part of Earth Day. Ironic that in a way they’re celebrating deception and not the truth. I guess pseudo-environmentalists have their flaws too. Remember the CEC are the same folks that told everyone to drive an ethanol car. Ethanol production is now acknowledged as a failure and responsible for helping to starve hundreds of millions of 3rd world poor people by burning the US supply of cheap foodstuffs causing global food prices to sky rocket. Way to go CEC!
You don't have permission to flag this entry.
More Local News »
Lompoc Police Arrest Suspect in Church Burglary
Allan Hancock College Approves Contract with New President
Kevin Walthers, who heads Las Positas College in the Bay Area, will begin his duties July 8
Minuteman III Successfully Launched from Vandenberg
Santa Barbara County Moving Forward on Changes to Mental Health Department
Board of Supervisors hears detailed report findings and public comment in support of revamping ADMHS
Goleta Council Opposes Plan to Reduce Staffing at Storke Road Fire Station
City Council votes to send a letter objecting to Santa Barbara County's cost-cutting proposal for Station 11
Weather: A Few Clouds with Haze 69.0º
Search Noozhawk »
