by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist (read the original in Noozhawk by clicking here)
Decades ago, my I husband and I attended a cocktail party in Cincinnati, where we’d recently moved from California. Our distinct memory was a guest enthusing, “I think Cincinnati is just about the best city in these United States!”
Dave and I have chuckled at that statement many times since, both its heartfelt enthusiasm and bold declaration.
Nevertheless, I am almost willing to make that pronouncement considering the place I’ve called home since 1980. Santa Barbara certainly has its problems, not least of which are housing affordability and homelessness.
Notwithstanding these, our fine city accomplishes world class environmental work.
I defend my position by recounting 2018 accomplishments of a few of the more than 50 community environmental groups.
Each nonprofit accomplishes the volume of work you would expect to find in much larger organizations. Thousands of hours of volunteer work support their successes.
The Environmental Defense Council (EDC), partnering with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, forced the government to stop issuing permits for fracking and acidizing off the California coast.
This ruling means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will consider the drilling technique’s impact on sea otters, snowy plovers and other wildlife. Speaking of sea otters, they are welcome again in southern California after the EDC’s nine-year battle to protect them in their native habitat.
Endangered whales (and all of us) will benefit from another successful partnership, this one among EDC, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District and others.
The ocean vessel speed reduction program was expanded in 2018, lowering the chances of fatal whale collisions while reducing emissions and ocean noise.
The Community Environmental Council (CEC) approached emissions from another angle. It is providing tools and partners to implement renewable energy agreements with Santa Barbara and Goleta. The 2017 agreements commit each city to a goal of 100 percent renewables by 2030.
With Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, the CEC also pushed for ordinances to ban Styrofoam containers for food service and retail sales. The Santa Barbara law went into effect this month. Their next step is to reduce sources of single-use plastic trash from our coast and wildlife.
Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) is closing in on 25 years of habitat restoration, wetlands research, environmental education, and natural history tours.
Notably, in 2018 they grew and planted more than 16,000 native plants on San Nicolas Island for the benefit of animals like the San Nicolas Island fox and the island night lizard. This was possible with the dedication of some 300 volunteers who made one or more of 60-plus trips to that island.
On the mainland, CIR staff and volunteers hiked a cumulative 3,400 miles throughout the Los Padres backcountry to survey for and remove tamarisk. Tamarisk is one of the most destructive invasive weeds in our region.
Considering Santa Barbara as a mecca for environmental activism, I was surprised to find we are not listed among the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S. Ecophiles assembles this list, which names larger cities like San Francisco; Portland; Honolulu; Washington, DC; and Seattle.
Their criteria include safe bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly roads, great public transport, and green spaces. They also consider green technology, sustainable architecture, renewable energy, and policies for cutting waste and reducing water consumption.
As someone who bikes the roads for transportation as well as recreation, I bet Santa Barbara is a few bike lanes short of making the list in that category.
Check out UCSB Environmental Studies’ list of environmental NGOs to see where you can share your enthusiasm for the planet. Then we can celebrate our considerable successes while aspiring to make the Ecophile list.
Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist
Karen Telleen-Lawton is an eco-writer, sharing information and insights about economics and ecology, finances and the environment. Having recently retired from financial planning and advising, she spends more time exploring the outdoors — and reading and writing about it. The opinions expressed are her own.