Environment California recently released a study comparing adoption of solar among California cities. As expected, big cities, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Jose (respectively) came in on top for total number of installed systems, and total installed capacity. Environment California also analyzed small and medium sized cities, and installations per capita. That’s where things get interesting.

Of the 170 municipalities in California with populations over 50,000, Santa Barbara ranks 9^th in number of solar installations per capita (0.81 installations per 100 people). While we don’t fair quite as well in installed capacity per capita (19^th), we are by far above average in both categories.

The other cities in our region that made the list are Ojai, ranked 12^th in the small cities category with almost four solar installations per 100 people, and Paso Robles ranked 7^th in the large town category with 0.17 installations per 100 people.

We give credit for this accomplishment to a combination of forward thinking individuals and good government policies.

Ever since the 1969 oil spill, Santa Barbara residents have recognized the importance of moving away from our dependence on fossil fuels for environmental and economic reasons. By installing solar, residents have stabilized their energy costs and those with electric vehicles have switched to fuel supplied by the sun for their transportation needs. We at CEC like to think that we might have helped some of those people make the decision to go solar with events like CEC's Earth Day Festival and Solar SUNday, and our publications like Get Started with Solar (PDF).

The City of Santa Barbara also deserves recognition. Not only has the City has installed solar on government facilities; they have also created a streamlined permitting process for rooftop solar, allowing homeowners to get a permit in less than an hour. Streamlined permitting creates certainty and reduces costs for solar. CEC is proud to have helped develop that process years ago and continues to work with the City on further improvements to the solar permitting process.

Read the full study (PDF) >

And a big thanks to Environment California for collecting and analyzing the data. We look forward to next year’s report.

We’ve all been stuck in dreadful traffic near a school. In fact, during morning rush hour on certain routes, up to 30% of all traffic can be attributed to parents driving their kids to school. The problem is getting worse as fewer kids are taking the bus, carpooling, walking or biking to school. Instead, their parent chauffeurs are getting busier and busier.

CEC and Traffic Solutions are working with the Dos Pueblos High School Traffic Committee to reverse this trend through our Walk and Roll Initiative. Our most recent project is the Dos Pueblos Carpool Challenge, a one week event that is taking place right now. CEC helped the Traffic Committee and the student leadership class plan the event and secured prizes and incentives, with a grand prize of two concert tickets donated by the Santa Barbara County Bowl!

The students are buzzing with excitement about the Carpool Challenge, and as of yesterday, over 123 have signed up to DP’s new carpool matching list, with more coming in every day. There are banners around school promoting the Carpool Challenge, school bulletins, and a preferential carpool parking area with music and a table where carpoolers pick up raffle tickets and donuts. The Traffic Committee and the student leadership class did a great job making it fun to carpool to school!

Carpooling is the easiest way for anyone to “double their gas mileage in any car.”

In CEC’s Transportation Energy Plan, ridesharing is the top strategy to quickly reduce fossil fuel use, congestion, and pollution on our roads. Ridesharing doesn’t require expensive new vehicles or infrastructure - it uses our existing cars and roads to increase efficiency. If everyone carpooled one out of every five trips they would normally have driven alone, we’d experience a 20% drop in fossil fuel use and traffic would be much less of a hassle!

Work toward that goal – visit Traffic Solution’s online carpool matching webpage to find a carpool: http://www.trafficsolutions.info

More information about the Dos Pueblos Carpool Challenge >

A buzz was in the air and Coffee Cat was teeming with people on Saturday, January 21^st. We put the word out about our Carrot Mob on Facebook, Twitter, and our email list, and you (along with hundreds of your neighbors) showed up for the “buy-cott” to help green a local business.

Hundreds of activists came together and bought cups of coffee, crepes, and bags of coffee beans, all in the name of energy efficiency. The mood was upbeat as carrots danced on the street and a band played inside, with bikes stowed next door at Bikestation bike valet. Check out the photos on Facebook >

The results

Carrot Mob was a success!  

From 10am to 3pm, 440 people came to the Carrot Mob to support Coffee Cat’s efforts to go green. And it showed - Coffee Cat’s sales for the day more than doubled! The Carrot Mob produced $1,400 above what Coffee Cat would normally bring in. 100% of those funds will pay for major lighting improvements that will increase energy efficiency and reduce the shop’s carbon footprint.

YOU made energy efficient lighting a reality for Coffee Cat – Thank you! Krista Fritzen, owner of Coffee Cat, is grateful to have the community rally behind her efforts to make the shop more sustainable, and is eagerly preparing for the installation process.

Watch this video from the event:

Next steps

Coffee Cat will be swapping out old, energy-wasting lamps for new, efficient lamps. We’ll take you behind the scenes during the installation so you can check it out for yourself. Stay tuned for updates on Facebook, Twitter, and by email.

Thank you for mobbing, mob again soon!

Thanks to our Partners:

Bikestation, CALPIRG, City of Santa Barbara, Edible Santa Barbara, LoaTree, Plus One Marketing, Santa Barbara Bike Coalition, Santa Barbara High School Dons Net Cafe, The Sustainability Project, Sustanability Socially, and UCSB Environmental Affairs Board.

We all agree that rooftop solar is important. But what about utility scale solar? At CEC, we think that both have a place in our energy future, but only if they are completed in a responsible, environmentally beneficial manner.

Right now we have the chance to shape solar in our community through two opportunities. First, the County of Santa Barbara has begun a scoping process for the environmental impact report (EIR) for a solar project in Cuyama Valley. Second, the County is considering an amendment to the Land Use and Development Code that would allow solar on agricultural land. If you have concerns or comments on either of these topics, it is crucial that you get involved now so that those issues can be examined and addressed. This is the time during the planning process to have your voice heard.

CEC does not take a position on any project until we have examined the final environmental impact report. However, we do participate throughout the process, increase transparency, and encourage public participation.

To get involved, examine the project proposal. Then email or mail comments, suggestions, or concerns to:

Kathy McNeal Pfeifer ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Planning & Development, Energy Division
123 E. Anapamu St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Send your feedback by Friday, January 20.

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is a small and dedicated non-profit with a very big mission: ending the Santa Barbara region’s dependence on fossil fuels in one generation. It's been a busy year for CEC. After all, moving our region off fossil fuels is no small task. Check out this infographic of our most impressive accomplishments from 2011.

Thank you to everyone who helped us this year: donors, green-minded businesses, Solarize SB participants, Facebook fans, Earth Day attendees...  you all help power the clean energy movement in Santa Barbara. Consider giving back by making a donation to CEC this year.

Share this infographic on Facebook and Twitter.

Click the image for a full size version.

Share this infographic on Facebook and Twitter.

The days are getting shorter, but it's still bright and sunny in the solar realm. Both the City and County of Santa Barbara are working to make it easier for residents to get permits for rooftop solar arrays.

As with any construction project, solar permits are required for homeowners and businesses that want to install solar panels on their roofs. Processing time varies widely depending on the city or county where the permit is granted.

A new, expedited solar permitting process makes solar installations go more smoothly for all parties involved. This improved system lowers regulatory barriers for local businesses and simplifies the process for homeowners. It reduces the amount of municipal staff time needed to process the permits. It also cuts the amount of time solar companies spend on the process, which brings down the cost of solar overall. Solar that costs less, paired with a hassle-free process, makes it easier for Santa Barbarans to generate clean, local and renewable energy for our region. It's a good deal for our local environmental and economic health.

The City of Santa Barbara has lead the way for years with an over-the-counter permitting process that is quicker than most other cities. The City has recently revised their guidelines to make them even more user-friendly. With a little nudging from CEC, the County of Santa Barbara recently stepped up as well. They rewrote their guidelines for residential rooftop solar permitting to expedite the process (read the new County process). A process that used to take 2 to 6 weeks will now only take 2 days. We applaud the elected officials and dedicated staff who made these changes possible.

Now, CEC is working with the other cities in Santa Barbara County to take a second look at their permitting processes, as well as encourage expedited permitting for commercial projects.

Are you in?

Fossil fuels have carried us a long way. But after 100 years, it's time to call it. The age of fossil fuels is over.

If we do it right, we can shift into a new economy fueled by clean, renewable energy. One that results in a net gain of $1.5 billion to our county’s economy by 2030. This is CEC’s mission, and we need your help.

Step 1: Watch

Check out this fast-paced 2-minute video about a movement in Santa Barbara to get off fossil fuels in one generation:

A New Movement | Community Environmental Council

Love the video? Share it with your networks. Build the movement.

Share on Facebook | Tweet it

Step 2: We need your support

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) relies heavily on support from the community. We've been pioneering real life solutions to environmental problems for 41 years. Learn about our results in 2011 (PDF download). Invest in a future powered by clean energy. Invest in CEC.

		Support solar power and wind power  Your $60 membership moves our region away from dirty energy. CEC links homeowners with solar installers, helps non-profits go solar, and advocates for large-scale wind and solar farms.
		Stand up for more efficient vehicles Your $60 membership paves the way for more electric cars and hybrids. CEC hosts 3 Green Car Shows a year and is helping to locate and install more than 50 new charging stations this year.
		Choose a more walkable and bikable community Your $60 membership creates a community that centers around people, not cars. CEC gets citizens involved in community planning, and advocates for more walkable, bikable neighborhoods.

Back in August, we reported that Coulomb Technologies would be installing 50 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Santa Barbara as part of the ChargePoint America program. This week, CEC learned that we can expect even more charging stations throughout our region thanks to a similar project overseen by Ecotality, which recently expanded its efforts to include the Santa Barbara and Ventura regions. The EV Project is a $230 million public-private partnership that aims to put 14,000 EV charging stations across America. CEC is now working with them to identify appropriate locations on the South Coast.

Why electric?

CEC is excited about electric vehicles because they offer revolutionary, not incremental, benefits compared to gasoline cars. They get around 100 mpg equivalent, produce zero tailpipe emissions, and reduce greenhouse gases by 75% on California's green grid. Installing public charging stations for electric vehicles makes it easier to drive electric. Read more about CEC's efforts >

How you can help

CEC is working with Ecotality to help identify locations to install these charging stations in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. An ideal spot would be accessible to the public – such as a business, workplace, or hotel. It helps if you are the owner, an employee, or a loyal customer who can help champion the process. If you know of a good location, please contact CEC's Transportation Specialist, Michael Chiacos at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you picked up the Independent recently, you’ll remember a cover story they did on the ultra-sustainable Victoria Garden Mews Development. They dove head first into all the “green” features of the building including the rainwater harvesting system, drought tolerant landscaping, creative parking solutions, and more.

We were also glad to see an impressive solar array on the rooftop as well as energy efficient LED lighting throughout the property. When homes generate the energy they need, our community takes a step closer to a future that relies on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

All together, these features earned the building platinum LEED certification. The LEED score was the highest score ever given to a residential project. Now the development stands as an inspiring model for future green building projects. Read the full article >

We’re proud to congratulate the builder of the project and CEC’s board president, Dennis Allen. He was recently recognized by the City of Santa Barbara as a “Water Hero” for his work on Victoria Garden Mews – which also happens to be his new home. The building conserves the water it uses with dual flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators. Beyond those measures, Allen raised the bar on water conservation by designing the building to collect rain water for watering the garden.

Read more about his recent recognition on Noozhawk and Edhat.

CEC's Green Gala, the eco-chic event of the year, looked and felt exquisite -- but still reflected CEC's core environmental ethic.

Almost everything at the event was borrowed, repurposed or vintage: the costumes, the greenery, the décor, the centerpieces, and more. All food and drink was carefully sourced, with an emphasis on local, organic and in many cases vegetarian for every course.

In addition, we hand-sorted all the waste at the end of the evening. For the last two years, over 90% of the waste generated by the Green Gala has been recycled or composted. This year, CEC is proud to announce that we diverted 97% of the waste generated. These numbers far exceed waste management practices of any standard event and are exemplary even for an event striving to be considered "zero waste." Read the full report from Green Project Consultants...


Thank you to Merryl Brown Events for paying such close attention to these details. It is this kind of effort that has won Merryl and her team prestigious national awards for the Green Gala, such as the 2010 International Special Events Society (ISES) Esprit Award. Special thanks to Green Project Consultants for helping us manage the waste that evening.

This beautiful gypsy caravan can be yours! It is the featured auction item at CEC’s Green Gala.

Ideal as an artist studio, guest cottage, romantic getaway or over-the-top conversation piece, the Gypsy Caravan has been built in the Ledge style of gypsy caravans — a narrow base with upright sides, extended living space, and arched roof.

Our Gypsy Caravan features sleeping quarters for two in a custom-built and dressed double bed, built-in desk and closet, indoor and outdoor sconces and a painted chandelier with antique Austrian crystals, powered by an off-grid solar panel. Built from the ground up using mostly reclaimed wood and found material, the entire piece features charming and eclectic recycled, bartered and repurposed items—in true gypsy fashion.

Jim Forsha of Imagine Design Studios and Jamie Nelson of Jamie Nelson Construction in Santa Barbara are the architects, visionaries and builders of this masterpiece. Galvin Painting designed the base painting. The copper roof was donated by Craig Roof Company. The caravan's entire decorative painting, antiquing, processing of the colors, and custom artwork, both inside and outside was done by renowned artist Maryvonne LaParliere. The solar panel was donated by Sun Pacific Solar Electric. Merryl Brown Events coordinated the project from conception to completion. Together, these artisans have created a unique and amazing masterpiece valued at $80,000!

Bidding starts at $20,000. Advance bidding begins Tuesday, October 11 on CEC’s Charity Buzz online auction page.

For more information, contact Kathi King at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

CEC, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, and the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST) developed a questionnaire for candidates running for Santa Barbara City Council. The questionnaire focused on current transportation issues, such as the attractiveness of alternative transportation and the jobs/housing imbalance.

We asked the following questions:

1. Do you agree with the City's Circulation Element vision statement, "Santa Barbara should be a city in which alternative forms of transportation and mobility are so available and so attractive that use of an automobile is a choice, not a necessity"? If not, how would you improve it?
2. Given that dangerous walking conditions that exist in Santa Barbara's Eastside, what might you do to make the Eastside a safer place to walk - more lighting, re-pavement of crosswalks, speed bumps, more police enforcement, or something else?
3. Is it the City's duty to improve the jobs/housing imbalance in Santa Barbara? If so, what would you have the City do to accomplish this? If not, how can this imbalance be best addressed?
4. Please list three specific things you would prioritize to improve our regional transportation. How would you pay for them? How long would it take to accomplish them?
5. Do you support the State of California's goals for new and retrofitted "net zero energy" buildings that generate as much energy as they use? If so, how can the City be a leader and help its citizens meet this challenge? If not, why?
6. Given projections of increased traffic levels in Santa Barbara, how would you best mitigate our upcoming street congestion?

Eight Santa Barbara City Council candidates responded to the questionnaire. As CEC’s status as a 501(c)(3) does not allow us to endorse candidates, the unedited answers are provided here:

Please vote, and remember that the City of Santa Barbara’s upcoming election is entirely vote by mail.

• Monday, October 10: Voter Information packets mailed including pre-paid postage for returned ballots
• Monday, October 10: Vote-by-mail period begins
• Monday, October 24: Last day to register to vote
• Tuesday, November 8: Election Day - Last day City Clerk’s Office can receive vote-by-mail ballots.  There will be also be five drop-off centers throughout the City, allowing voters the option to vote in person
• Three City Councilmember seats are on the ballot.

More information at www.SBCityVote.org

Bottled water is energy intensive

One way to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels is to reduce usage of products that are energy intensive to produce, like bottled water. The amount of oil used to produce and transport bottled water in the USA is enough to fuel 1.5 million cars for a year. Millions of bottles are sent to landfills every day for a product that costs 1,000x more than what comes out of the tap for free.

The good news is that "hydration" stations are popping up in Santa Barbara through the Rethink the Drink project and they are appearing in airports, parks, office buildings and colleges across the country (read an article from USA Today).

Change in Santa Barbara

Rethink the Drink is a project of the Community Environmental Council, funded primarily by the Orfalea Foundations and their s'Cool Food Initiative. Last year's pilot project installed refill "hydration" stations to Santa Barbara High School and Franklin Elementary, as well as Santa Barbara Junior High, the Westmont College Gym and Montecito Union Elementary (through corporate and private partnerships).

The refill stations provide cold, filtered water either from a regular water fountain spout or a refill mechanism that fills reusable bottles quickly. The stations have a "counter" that reflects the number of uses, effectively showing the number of plastic bottles not being used by opting to refill.

Last school year, Franklin Elementary's plastic bottle usage dropped more than 80% in the first two months of Rethink the Drink implementation. The stations were met with enthusiasm at all locations during the pilot; they were used cumulatively more than 46,000 times during their first four months of operation!

Stainless steel canteens were given to all students and staff at Franklin and donated to the Dons Net Café student marketing group at SBHS for their student store. The Dons Net Café also helped to establish a baseline of bottled water usage prior to refill station installations and continues to serve as a "go-to" group for photo shoots and school outreach.

Project Renewal

We are so pleased to announce that project has been renewed for a second year with generous support from the Orfalea Foundations' s'Cool Food Initiative and we are thus far welcoming Adams, Harding and Monroe Elementary Schools to the program. All these schools will receive a refill station and stainless steel canteens for students and staff. An education component accompanies the program, with CEC staff offering presentations to students, staff and parents as well as an opportunity to screen the film "Bag It."

The SBHS gym is also receiving a station as part of the second year program, as is the Boys and Girls Club on Canon Perdido. This reflects a focus on athletics for the 2011-2012 school year, as bottled water usage is particularly high among student athletes. Rethink the Drink aims to offer an economically viable alternative to purchasing bottled water in addition to providing education about the need to reduce our dependence upon energy intensive products.

Contact Project Manager Kathi King ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more information, and visit Rethink the Drink on Facebook to stay up-to-date.

As so many of us have hoped for years, solar is finally front page news. Unfortunately, not all the news is good; some is downright troubling and leads to more questions than answers.

Let's start with the good news.

The cost of solar is down.
The cost of solar for commercial and residential buildings dropped 17 percent from 2009 to 2010 and an additional 11 percent in the first six months of 2011 according DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Utility scale projects (very large projects that sell energy to the electricity grid) have also seen a dramatic decrease in price. This means cheaper electricity for all. It also means cleaner electricity as more utilities, businesses and homes install solar. The U.S. currently has 2.7 gigawatts (GW) of solar installed, which is equal to the capacity of almost three nuclear power plants.

There are two main reasons for the decrease in cost of solar. The first is a drastic change in subsidies in Italy. In anticipation of a huge Italian market, solar integrators demanded more panels from manufacturers. When Italy unexpectedly ended its subsidy program, integrators were left holding more panels than they knew what to do with. The law of supply and demand went to work and we have seen a decrease in the cost of solar.

The low cost of solar is spurring industry growth.
According to the 2011 Solar Jobs Census the solar industry is employing 6.8 percent more workers than last year. The industry now supports over 100,000 people. That is great news in a slow economy.

Unfortunately that's not the full picture.

Irresponsible solar manufacturing in China
Some of the low cost solar panels are not from increased supply, but from decreased quality. In those cases, cost savings are coming from decreased quality of the panels (less efficiency) and decreased quality of the manufacturing process. Less efficient panels aren't always a bad thing, but typically these panels are coming from unregulated manufacturing companies that are spewing pollution into our air and water. Stereotypically, these polluting companies are from China, and while there are some responsible companies manufacturing solar in China, there is some truth to the stereotype. Just this week China closed a solar power plant and fined the company after four days of protest by local villagers over dirty air and water. As with most products, cheaper is not always better, so we as consumers must buy our solar from responsible companies.

U.S. renewable energy policy
There is also a lot of noise about the fall and major scale-back of several big solar companies in the U.S. What this will mean to the larger market is yet to be determined, but given the grumblings about Solyndra, a company that received loan guarantees from the federal stimulus, we should take a moment to examine our federal policies on renewable energy.

First and foremost, any investor (including the government) should be careful about how it invests, and CEC supports thorough oversight. At the same time, investing involves some level of risk and we need stimulus on the research and development (R&D) efforts for renewable energy. Government supported R&D is required to keep pace with other countries who are actively trying to catch up to us in the solar market. The U.S. currently has a trade surplus from solar technologies. It will be difficult to maintain this surplus if we depend solely on manufacturing, given the low cost of labor in other countries. To keep the U.S. competitive, there must be continuous development of new technologies and consumers support of responsible manufacturing and development processes.

More importantly, government needs to set a long term price signal for carbon. Renewable energy companies will continue to fail if they do not get to play on an even playing field. Right now fossil fuel companies have direct subsidies from the federal government and indirect subsidies from society. By allowing them to pollute for free, we are lowering the costs of fossil fuels; (this is also applicable to the polluting solar plant mentioned above).

The true cost of fossil fuel dependence

What we aren't paying at the pump or plug, we're paying in disaster relief. We have had ten $1billion natural disasters in the U.S. this year. Most of them can be associated with the changing climate. Society is paying for our dependence on fossil fuels, only it is not directly associated with the fuels themselves, which leads to a false price. If we set a price on carbon either through a carbon tax or a cap and trade system, it will help the price of fossil fuels reflect the true cost. Only when we pay true costs will renewable energy will be able to compete with fossil fuels on an even playing field.

Did you watch the film "Who Killed the Electric Car," about the auto industry's backlash against California's electric car requirements and how GM crushed the EV1? The film is a cult classic and inspired many of today's electric vehicle owners or future owners to pledge that their next car would be electric.

Now for Revenge

On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, CEC and The Sustainability Project are bringing an exclusive preview of the sequel - "The Revenge of the Electric Car" - to the gorgeous Marjorie Luke Theater. The film captures the auto industry, one of the mightiest industries of all time, at a time when it is almost forced to collapse by the Great Recession, and being pushed by government regulations to design greener and more innovative products. Reviewers note that "Revenge" director Chris Paine gained extraordinary access to the automotive industry's movers and shakers, and tight editing and a spiffy soundtrack make the film highly entertaining. Even for those not interested in cars, the film has received rave reviews:

"Fascinating ... a hugely entertaining portrait. (Revenge) makes for a refreshing and ultimately very effective change of pace compared with the strident, propaganda approach so often employed by similar documentaries. Even the most skeptical global warming deniers are apt to find themselves rooting for this disparate group of risk-takers who may well be spearheading the long delayed transition from oil reliance to new technology."
-Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

Watch the Trailer

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Today's Electric Vehicles

The modern electric vehicles like the Tesla, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf are a revolutionary product compared to gasoline cars, at least from the perspective of environmental impact and energy independence. With EPA ratings often exceeding 100 mpg equivalent, they produce zero tailpipe emissions, and on California's green, domestic grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent. Most inspiring, home owners with solar panels on their roof can power their car without using a drop of oil or generating emissions.

Event Details

On Wednesday, October 5, CEC will be hosting an electric car show from 5:30 to 7 pm. The Mobile Café will be on site selling nutritious food, and local businesses and organizations will provide informational displays. We will have reserved parking for electric vehicles (EV), in hopes of having the largest collection of EVs in Santa Barbara. If you are driving your EV to the screening, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to reserve parking.

The film will begin at 7 pm and will be followed by a panel of EV experts and owners, who will join documentary director Paine for a discussion about the benefits and difficulties of EV ownership and the future of the EV industry. CEC Transportation Specialist Michael Chiacos will also join panel and will highlight the latest in Plug in Santa Barbara's efforts to build charging stations and make it easier to drive electric vehicles.

The event is a benefit for The Sustainability Project, and tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 on their website, along with more information, at www.TheSustainabilityProject.org or for $15 at the door.

RSVP on Facebook >