CEC's Blog

Action Alert: Support Community Choice Energy for Santa Barbara.

July 9, 2018
Nicole Wald

Community Choice Energy is the single most powerful program we can launch locally to move toward a clean energy future. After a long road, Community Choice is now poised to become a reality.

Updated Action Alert: Success! City of Santa Barbara Moves to #DitchPlastic

July 6, 2018
Nicole Wald

It's time to cut the cord to single-use plastic. Take a pledge to say no to these polluters in the month of July, and sign a petition to encourage Santa Barbara City Council to adopt policies that move toward eliminating plastic straws, cutlery, and stirrers, as well as food service styrofoam.

Solarize Santa Barbara Open Until August 30! #gosolar

June 1, 2018
April Price

CEC's community-led, solar group-purchasing program is back to help residents of Southern Santa Barbara County #gosolar. This year's program will…

Clean Fuel Vehicle Incentives #driveclean

May 3, 2018
Cameron Gray

Thanks to programs that CEC has helped initiate, our region has one of the highest per capita rates of electric…

Announcing the 2018 Environmental Hero & Youth Award Recipients for #SBEarthDay

April 12, 2018
Nicole Wald

We are proud to announce the recipients of our 2018 Environmental Hero Award: water activist and author Florencia Ramirez of…

Announcing Solarize Nonprofit: A No Cost Solution To Help Nonprofits #GoSolar

April 12, 2018
April Price

CEC is proud to announce the launch of Solarize Nonprofit, a new pilot program to help local nonprofits go solar…

CEC Welcomes Barbara S. Lindemann to Board and Alexis Donaire to Partnership Council

March 26, 2018
Nicole Wald

We are pleased to announce new members to our Board of Directors and Partnership Council. Addition to CEC Board of…

Drought, Fire & Flood: Climate Change and Our New Normal Community Town Hall

March 20, 2018
Nicole Wald

Community Town Hall – Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 7:00 PM, The Granada Theatre Join the Facebook page here and invite…

Local Ranch and Conservation Agencies Receive California Healthy Soils Award #rethinkfood

March 16, 2018
Nicole Wald

The Community Environmental Council (CEC), Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD), and Ted Chamberlin Ranch have been awarded a major statewide…

SCE’s Energy Solicitation: Great Opportunity for Developers, Local Property Owners #cleanenergy805

March 8, 2018
April Price

With the suspension of proposed power plants in Oxnard and Goleta, a turning point approaches to transition our local economy…

CEC Welcomes New Officers and Members, including Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

February 2, 2018
Nicole Wald

We are pleased to announce our new Board officers, as well as the addition of multiple new people to our…

A December to Remember

January 19, 2018
Nicole Wald

This op-ed article by Dr. Karl Hutterer, CEC's Board Treasurer, originally appeared in the Santa Barbara Newspress on January 7.…

Updated Alert: Success! Goleta Votes Unanimously for 100% Renewable Energy by 2030

November 30, 2017
Nicole Wald

Original Alert: Support a goal of 100% renewable energy in Goleta City by signing a petition, sending a letter to city officials, and attending the community hearing.
Result: In a unanimous vote, City of Goleta council members committed to moving the city's municipal facilities and community-wide electricity supply to 100% renewable power by 2030. They also resolved to have at least 50 percent of electricity use by municipal facilities come from renewable sources by 2025. To support these goals, the city authorized investigating the feasibility of a city-wide Community Choice Energy program that could encourage more local renewable generation.

Community Invited to Take Action on Food System #rethinkfood

October 12, 2017
Nicole Wald

The Community Environmental Council (CEC), Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Barbara Foundation will hold Building Our Resilient…

Working Toward Our Region’s Sustainable Food Future #rethinkfood

October 6, 2017
Nicole Wald

CEC is heavily invested in ways to #rethinkfood. In Paul Hawken’s Project Drawdown – a comprehensive plan to reverse global…

Welcome New Board and Partnership Council Members #cecnews

September 19, 2017
Nicole Wald

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new member to our Board of Directors, which plays a vital…

Celebrate National Drive Electric Week at Green Car Shows #driveclean

September 6, 2017
Nicole Wald

National Drive Electric Week is just around the corner, Saturday September 9 - Sunday September 17. The annual celebration aims to…

CEC Helps LACI Clean Energy Initiative Launch #actonclimate

September 6, 2017
Nicole Wald

One of CEC’s greatest strengths is its extensive partner network. This month, we are proud to share about our work…

A More Progressive Path for Tajiguas Landfill #rethinkfood

August 24, 2017
Sigrid Wright

CEC's CEO/Executive Director Sigrid Wright and Gaviota Coast Conservancy's counsel Marc Chytilo weigh in on the Tajiguas landfill project, urging local leaders…

Ready For 100% - Santa Barbara And Goleta

Updated Alert: City of SB to go 100% Renewable by 2030 #readyfor100

April 8, 2017
Nicole Wald

Original Alert: Support a goal of 100% renewable energy in Santa Barbara City by sending a letter to city officials and attending the community hearing.

Result: Over 1,200 signatures were gathered, and citizens turned out in record numbers to show support for renewable energy, filling Santa Barbara City Council's chambers, overflow room, and even the balcony. In a 5-1 vote, the council committed to setting a goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030.