Thousands of people, many using bicycles and other alternative forms of transportation, converged on Santa Barbara’s Alameda Park on Saturday for the first day of a weekend-long Earth Day celebration.
Under mostly sunny skies, attendees visited dozens of booths, enjoyed a variety of entertainment, checked out electric vehicles and generally immersed themselves in all things green.
In its the 42nd year, the event was hosted by the Community Environmental Council. It was established in the wake of the 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Hundreds of organizations are participating this year, including Noozhawk and ParentClick.com, which will have their staff out talking to festival-goers again on Sunday.
Saturday’s attendance totaled some 15,000 people, organizers said, with more than a third arriving “car free.”
Selma Rubin is being 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 nonprofit organizations, including the Community Environmental Council.
Earth Day festivities will continue at the park at 1400 Santa Barbara St. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
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 is home to what organizers say is the largest-running Green Car Show between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This is the show’s 13th year, and showcases dozens of efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. A “solar carport” is on display in partnership with Solforce.
A kid’s corner featues arts and crafts, face painting, a marine touch tank and more. And that’s where visitors will find the Noozhawk-ParentClick booth.
Environmental and social justice organizations staffed information booths on a wide range of issues. There were activities for people of all ages and not all directly related to the environment. One interesting set-up allows attendees to sit in a chair and to hear and feel their heartbeat amplified.
And, of course, there was music and food. Notably, most of the amplification was provided with solar power or human (pedal) power. There was even a fruit juicer that was pedal powered.
The food court will be open 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 is serving up local wines and its new “805” brew in the Earth Day Gazebo from 2 to 6 p.m.
Click here for more information about the event, including its sponsors and schedules.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. This article includes information from Noozhawk contributor Robert Bernstein. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.