Hundreds of students and multigenerational community members
came together in Isla Vista’s People’s Park on Sunday to celebrate
sustainability at the first annual Chilla Vista festival. The event
was the brainchild of sociology student Jake Lehman, who enlisted
his friends’ help to turn a class assignment into an all-day event.
Films such as Don’t Bank on Amerika and The Power of the Sun
screened in nearby Embarcadero Hall, while bands ranging from
bluegrass to Brazilian funk to spoken word rocked out on stages
powered by the sun and soybean oil. The Isla Vista Food Cooperative
and UCSB’s Environmental Affairs Board – one of the festival’s
sponsors – held organic farmers markets; a sustainable market
featured merchandise such as organic T-shirts and pesticide-free
home products. The concept of sustainability was upheld until
Chilla Vista’s close, when all waste that could be recycled or
composted was put in its proper place.
