The Community Environmental Council (CEC) will host the 2012 Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival at Alameda Park on Saturday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 22, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s theme, “Mobilize,” will capture the power of grassroots action in protecting and preserving the environment, with a specific emphasis on CEC’s mission of moving the Santa Barbara region away from fossil fuels.
CEC’s Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival is FREE for attendees. This year’s festival will introduce seven color-coded zones — Bike World, Campus Point, Eco Marketplace, Green Car Show, Kid’s Corner, Live Green and Public Square — to make navigating Earth Day easy and fun for all ages. The event also includes a food court, beer garden, main stage, and four mini stages.
“Santa Barbara has a long legacy with Earth Day. In fact, this festival is one of the longest running, consistently held, community organized Earth Day celebrations in the country – and one of the largest on the West Coast,” said Sigrid Wright, Associate Director of CEC. “More people are attending now than ever before, and the solutions that people are talking about are increasingly sophisticated. When I see how Earth Day has grown and continues to grow – even after 42 years – it says to me that we need this opportunity to gather with other people who care about the environment, to share stories and ideas, to enjoy food and music together, and to take inspiration for ways we can create a healthier lifestyle.”
As details are announced, the best way to get the most updated information – including schedules, maps, and stories — will be on
* Twitter (@SBEarthday, http://www.twitter.com/sbearthday),
* Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sbearthday) and
* CEC’s festival website (www.sbearthday.org) – including a just launched mobile website (www.m.sbearthday.org).
Advance events leading up to the two-day festival include:
* Opening Night Reception on Wednesday, April 18 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Oreana Winery in Santa Barbara, hosted by Earth Day production partner Plus One Events. Tickets on sale at www.sbearthday.eventbrite.comwww.SBEarthDay.org .
How to get to CEC’s Earth Day Festival:
Earth Day organizers work closely with the Bicycle Coalition, MTD, Santa Barbara Car Free and other partners to inspire attendees to come to the event “car-free.” Check in with an Earth Day greeter at any entrance to claim a Clif Bar or Raw Revolution reward, then head to the Santa Barbara Car Free booth to register for prizes. The Grand Prize is a pair of round-trip tickets for two, including roomette accommodations, from Santa Barbara to Portland or Seattle on the Amtrak Coast Starlight.
Seven zones at CEC’s 2012 Earth Day Festival:
1. Green Car Show, featuring twice as many cars this year to test drive. Location: on Santa Barbara Street, between Sola and Micheltorena Streets. Look for the light green flags. The 13th Annual Santa Barbara Green Car Show hosts the largest assembly of efficient and alternative-fueled vehicles between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and is the longest-running public Green Car Show in the United States. The collection features the latest all-electric vehicles, which get the equivalent of 100 mpg, such as:
o the brand new 2012 Ford Focus Electric, which will kick off its national “Go Further Tour” at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, and the Coda Sedan, just coming out on the market;
o 2012 editions of the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, and Toyota Plug in Prius. (Toyota also will be registering participants for an upcoming attempt to set a Guinness Book of World Records for a parade with the most hybrids at one time later this summer);
o the newest hybrids and vehicles that run on biodiesel, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen – including the Honda Clarity;
o local businesses that are greening their automotive fleets, such as Cox Communications, Green Star Coffee, and Verizon.
Other highlights of the Green Car Show include
o Free “Ride & Drives” will be available both days to potential customers interested in getting behind the wheel of an advanced fueled vehicle. The Ride & Drive filled up fast last year, so be sure to get there early! Location: on Micheltorena between Santa Barbara and Garden.
o A working Solar Carport built in partnership with Solforce, will showcase how some residents are generating solar electricity by day and charging their electric vehicles at night, effectively “driving on sunshine.” Location: in the center of Santa Barbara Street.
2. Bike World. Location: near the corner of Anacapa and Micheltorena. Look for the orange flags. A large bike culture hub, which includes bike vendors and a free bike DIY repair shop by BiciCentro, with assistance from REI’s Bike Techs and Santa Barbara Middle School’s Bike Monkeys. Bike World will also include a large, secured, free BIKE VALET hosted by the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, capable of parking up to 1,000 bikes. A small stage will be powered by ‘pedal power’ by the audience itself.
3. Campus Point. Location: on the West side of the park, near the corner of Anacapa and Sola. Look for the purple flags. Highlighting leading-edge efforts from students around the central coast. Hear about the efforts that youth are making to target waste reduction on their campuses, source local and sustainable food, and educate others about the environment.
4. Eco Marketplace. Location: on the West side of the park, near Santa Barbara Street. Look for the turquoise flags. This zone connects those looking to adopt healthier, more eco-conscious lifestyles with green businesses that support a vision of consuming less and choosing products that use fewer resources. Products include shoes with soles made from recycled tires, hand crafted clothing made from recycled fabrics or organic cotton, soap made from vegetable oils, and solar powered reading lights.
5. Public Square: Location: on the West side of the park, near Anacapa Street. Look for the dark blue flags. A new feature this year, this section will offer the community an opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas with elected officials through public office hours, interact with one another, “say something nice” on one of the festival’s four mini stages, ask questions and more.
6. Live Green: Location: on the East side of the park. Look for the dark green flags. Enables like minded community members to share knowledge on ways to be green. Includes two full days of talks on one of the festival’s mini stages, on topics such as backyard gardening, financing for energy efficient home upgrades, beekeeping and other ways to green your life.
7. Kid’s Corner: Location: on the East side of the park, near Sola Street. Look for the yellow flags. Organized by LearningDen Preschool, with arts & crafts, musical performances, storytelling, face painting, and two days of activities on a mini stage (see www.sbearthday.org for a full schedule). . In addition, visitors can pick up a Family Passport at the Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District booth, then travel to 8 stations around the festival offering activities for kids. The ‘passports’ will be stamped at participating booths and, once complete, can be redeemed for a free gift that promotes green practices.
Main Stage and 4 Mini-Stages: schedules available online at www.sbearthday.org
* Earth Day Main Stage Entertainment: On the solar and bio-diesel powered Main Stage, Earth Day production partner New Noise Foundation will present a stellar array of musical talent. Stage schedule online at www.sbearthday.org and in the Earth Day Festival Guide (published in the Santa Barbara Independent on Thursday, April 19).
o Environmental Hero Award: The 2012 Environmental Hero Award will go posthumously to activist Selma Rubin on Sunday, April 22 at 1:30 p.m. Recent Environmental Hero Award recipients include Actress Daryl Hannah (2011), Director James Cameron (2010) and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk (2009).
o Ozomatli performs special kids set on Sunday, April 22 from 2:30pm – 3:20pm at the Earth Day Main State. Ozomatli has spent 15 years working diligently to spread its message of peace, communication and understanding through music, with a long standing tradition of performing for children all over the world. More recently, the band’s focus is on “oZoKidZ”, a special family friendly set geared towards performing for children and adults alike.
· 4 Mini-Stages will be located at Bike World, Kid’s Corner, Live Green, and Public Square:
o Bike World demonstrations and talks will include topics like “Fix a Flat Tire,” “Theft Proof Your Bike,” and “How to Make a Low Rider.”
o Kid’s Corner will feature fun activities like “Mommy and Me Fitness” and a performance by the Santa Barbara Children’s Choir.
o Live Green will offer information on greening your life, with presentations ranging from backyard gardening to watching live alpacas getting their fur spun into yarn.
o Public Square will offer the community an opportunity to attend office hours with Congresswoman Capps and other elected officials, make announcements about upcoming events and activities for your organization or community project and more.
Food and drink:
* Food Court. Location: on the East side of the park, near Santa Barbara Street. Dig into healthy food where all vendors are powered partially by solar.
* Beer Garden. Location: near the Main Stage. Firestone Walker beer and a variety of local wines all day.
Santa Barbara Earth Day History:
In the wake of the devastating 1969 oil spill off Santa Barbara’s shores, a group of local concerned citizens began talking about a different way of looking at environmental systems. Over the next few years, around the country the environmental movement was born – including the Community Environmental Council, which was incorporated in the spring of 1970. During that time, Senator Gaylord Nelson visited Santa Barbara to view the damage from the oil spill. When he returned to Washington, D.C., he introduced a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. In CEC’s first act as a newly established non-profit, it hosted one of the first Earth Day celebrations in the U.S. in 1970.
About the Community Environmental Council:
Since 1970, the Community Environmental Council (CEC) has led the Santa Barbara region – and at times California and the nation – in creative solutions to some of the toughest environmental problems. Today CEC is focused on eliminating the use of fossil fuels in the Central Coast region in one generation – Fossil Free by ’33. Find the CEC on the web at www.cecsb.org on Twitter @CECSB and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cecsb
Partners:
This year, CEC is partnering with LoaTree, New Noise Media Group, Oniracom, and Plus One Events to produce the festival. Cox Communications is the lead sponsor. Major sponsors are the City of Santa Barbara, Ford Motor Company, MarBorg Industries, QAD, and Gold Coast Toyota Dealers. Other significant sponsors include Albertson’s, Allen Associates, Chevrolet, Red Nectar, Santa Barbara MTD and Sonos. Major Media Sponsors are KJEE, KRUZ, The Surf, KTYD, and KLITE. Other Media Sponsors are Univision, Noozhawk, and the Montecito Messenger/The Daily Sound.
For more information on CEC’s Earth Day Festival:
* Go to the website, www.SBEarthDay.org, or the mobile site, www.m.SBEarthDay.org
* “Like” “Santa Barbara Earth Day” on Facebook www.facebook.com/sbearthday
* Follow the event on Twitter @SBEarthday
* Call CEC at 805-963-0583 ext. 100.