BOLD CLIMATE ACTION

Fiercely Protecting California’s Central Coast Since 1970

2023
Impact
Report

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Photo by Matt Dayka

A Letter from our CEO and Board President

Photo by Sarita Relis Photography

Photo by J Andrew Hill

Dear Friends,

For more than five decades, the Community Environmental Council has focused on building networks of diverse, engaged activists who champion rigorous climate action. This impact report provides a brief snapshot of how we are stepping up our investment in collective power to meet the urgency of the climate crisis and garner significant, lasting change to reverse its impacts.

In July, we opened the California Central Coast’s first Environmental Hub, activating it as a collaborative epicenter for community-led climate solutions. We certified our 154th (and counting) CEC Climate Steward, and adapted the program for middle and high school students to empower the next generation of climate leaders. CEC’s Electrify Your Life concierge service has consulted with nearly 1,000 individuals on energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for their homes and businesses.

In 2023, we engaged 55,000 community members, expanding a groundswell of climate action that ripples out far beyond our region.

We hope you are inspired to make this report your own call to action. To stop climate change in its tracks, we need all of us, working together. We hope you’ll join us.

Sincerely,

Sigrid Wright
Chief Executive Officer

Jon Clark
Board President

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS*

During another year of significant growth, we continued to sharpen our focus and deepen our capacity to respond regionally to the global climate crisis. In 2023 we successfully closed our five-year, 50th Anniversary Campaign and opened an Environmental Hub for the community. We continued to diversify our revenue streams, increasing our billable grants and contract revenue by 55 percent. This allowed us to broaden existing programs, expand our service area, and develop new projects and partnerships. CEC consistently receives high ratings from GuideStar and Charity Navigator for financial health, accountability, and transparency.

$10.8 MILLION in assets

$4 Million operating budget (19% growth)

32%GROWTH in program investment

CEC’s Legacy:

50+ Years of Environmental Leadership

For more than 50 years, CEC has strategically catalyzed change on the Central Coast, influencing California and beyond.

Founded one of the nation’s first ecology centers
Founded one of the nation’s first learning and research community gardens
Opened one of the nation’s first community recycling centers
Pioneered hazardous waste collection and curbside recycling programs
Helped pass California’s recycling law, the first in the nation
Built the Watershed Resource Center at Arroyo Burro Beach
Shifted CEC’s mission to focus on climate change
Published one of the nation’s first carbon neutrality plans
Installed the first Rethink the Drink water bottle refill station in a local school
Launched a solarize program that helped nearly 1,000 homeowners and nonprofits install solar
Published a countywide community-driven food action plan that led to the launch of the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network
Secured city commitments to 100% renewable energy
Achieved Community Choice Energy for most of the region
Co-founded the Central Coast Climate Justice Network
Secured our region’s first wind farm
Named California Nonprofit of the Year
CEO Sigrid Wright named Congressional Woman of the Year
Opened our region’s first Environmental Hub in downtown Santa Barbara
Launched an Electrify Your Life service to help individuals and businesses switch to renewable energy and energy-efficient solutions
Trained and certified our 154th CEC Climate Steward, and counting

CEC is impressive: it recognized early on that we need to move beyond fossil fuel dependence. Their solutions can open a robust pathway for the global climate resilience we so desperately need instead.”

Sara Miller McCune

Photo by Matt Dayka

Our Work

CEC builds on-the-ground momentum to reverse the threat of the climate crisis.

We transform the systems that fuel it. We safeguard the community from its impacts. We lead, we partner, we act. And every day, we inspire people to create a more resilient California Central Coast.

As the modern environmental movement broadens to better reflect the racial, economic, political, and age diversity of our region, we are building networks of diverse, engaged activists who champion rigorous climate action.

By focusing our efforts, together we are making progress to:

REVERSE the trajectory of climate change by propelling a rapid, equitable transition to zero emissions and zero waste in the Central Coast’s energy, transportation, food, agriculture, construction, and waste sectors.

REPAIR the disrupted carbon cycle by accelerating and bringing to scale climate-smart agriculture practices that draw down excess carbon from the atmosphere.

PROTECT vulnerable populations from extreme weather and other climate impacts by deploying bold, community-led solutions rooted in climate justice.

2023 | CEC's Impact at a Glance

55,000

Community members were INFORMED, ACTIVATED, AND GUIDED ON CLIMATE ACTION by CEC through events, meetings, and webinars in 2023.

300

tons of compost applied on Gaviota Coast rangelands in 2023 reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1,303 metric tons.

1.5 million

Residents in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties have access to 100% renewable and clean electricity sooner because of CEC’s advocacy for community choice energy programs.

154

Community members are Certified CEC Climate Stewards equipped to play an active role in the statewide effort to advance rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.

961

Residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations accessed incentives for EVs, EV chargers, solar, energy efficiency, and renewable energy through CEC’s Electrify Your Life concierge service in 2023.

17,160

Residents will have access to CENTRALIZED DISASTER SERVICES, SUPPORT, AND EDUCATION at our region’s first three climate resilience hubs, launched in 2023.

50+ Years of proven success leading locally designed solutions to our region’s most pressing environmental challenges.

7.5 million

single-use water bottles were not used because of 125 community water refill stations installed as a direct result of CEC’s Waste Reduction program.

114

CEC Climate Activists in 17 cities across the Central Coast region are helping advance strong policies that bring equitable climate solutions to scale.

OUR WORK

CEC spent 10-plus years tracking, helping improve, and advocating for the Strauss Wind Farm, which opened near Lompoc this year with 27 wind turbines, generating enough electricity for 36,000 homes.
Photo by BayWa r.e.

OUR VISION

CEC collaborates with a diverse group of passionate and committed community members and partners to enact bold policies that bring equitable climate solutions to scale. When the California Central Coast advances ambitious climate goals and solutions, we illuminate a path for more aggressive policies across the state.

In 2023, CEC:

Scaled up environmental advocacy across city councils, boards of supervisors, and legislative bodies by engaging CEC Climate Activists to support climate policies in their communities.

Successfully campaigned for the City of Port Hueneme and County of San Luis Obispo to join community choice energy programs, bringing the total number of Central Coast residents who have access to clean energy to nearly 1.5 million. CEC is part of a coalition that pushed Central Coast Community Energy to adopt project selection criteria that incorporates strong labor and environmental justice standards
that serve as a model for other community choice energy programs.

Introduced an ecological framework for revitalizing downtown Santa Barbara to guide future development and ensure the well-being of residents and our environment.

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Enacting Bold Climate Policies, Together

The Community Environmental Council’s Climate Activists are spurring a groundswell of grassroots policy action across California’s Central Coast. Since early 2023, more than 100 residents from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties have asked to be notified of opportunities to take action in their communities. When a climate policy item is presented to a city council or board of supervisors, CEC Climate Activists in that region are alerted with details about the meeting and guidance on how to participate.

In 2023, activists spoke at city council meetings, submitted public comments, and rallied their communities in support of issues like building electrification and 100% clean electricity. The collaborative efforts of CEC, partner organizations, and community members play a crucial role in driving bold climate policies forward and building momentum for a just, resilient Central Coast.

CEC Climate Activist

A community member who, alongside CEC’s Climate Policy team, participates in public meetings, sends emails to elected officials, and shares opportunities for action with friends, family, and neighbors.

“Collective efforts create a meaningful impact that can effect change in the community.”

—Rodney Smith
CEC Climate Activist & Student Fellow, Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas

CEC Climate Activist Rodney Smith provided public comment in support of a building electrification ordinance in the City of Ventura.

Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

What’s Ahead

Advocate for the City and County of Santa Barbara and the cities of Guadalupe and Camarillo to adopt ambitious climate action plans that accelerate state mandates and timelines for reaching zero-carbon goals.

A groundswell of climate action

CEC is building a network of climate activists in cities across our region who are helping advance strong policies that bring equitable climate solutions to scale.

OUR WORK

City of Guadalupe residents are especially impacted by air pollution from pesticides, dust, and other agricultural inputs. Photo by Mar y Sol Productions.

OUR VISION

In a region with extreme wealth disparity and some of the highest poverty rates in the state, CEC is deploying bold, community-led action rooted in climate justice to protect our most vulnerable populations against climate impacts. We engage frontline communities and create spaces where underrepresented voices can directly participate in solutions.

In 2023, CEC:

Through the Guadalupe Community Air Project, collected and analyzed local air quality data and created bilingual resources and opportunities for community discourse on air pollution, pesticide exposure, and health.

Hosted 19 meetings with presenters from 15 partner organizations for Nuestro Tiempo (Our Time), a space for Spanish-speaking community members to learn more about how climate change intersects with key issues, share ideas and concerns, and design ways to take action.

Partnered with the County of Santa Barbara to deliver a Spanish-language electric vehicle (EV) training for 33 peer educators to help enroll low-income or disadvantaged households in CEC’s free EV purchase guidance services. The partnership more than tripled CEC’s capacity to conduct Spanish-language EV outreach and education in the region.

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Expanding Language Access

In order to build a climate-resilient future, we must involve everyone who is impacted, including frontline communities that speak many languages. One way CEC is working to ensure all stakeholders are involved is by deepening our partnership with Rooted Language Justice (RLJ), an immigrant women-led enterprise that provides Spanish-English language interpretation and translation services.

In 2023, RLJ provided over 200 hours of language services to facilitate live interpretation at 11 CEC events, translation for 125 educational materials, and consultation and training on best practices for integrating language justice in multilingual spaces. As a result, CEC has been able to more deeply engage Spanish-speaking communities in climate action — and inspire our partners to make language access a priority.

“Providing language services is one way we make this movement accessible to the communities most affected by climate change.”

—Javi Infante Varas
Co-founder, Rooted Language Justice

Nayra Pacheco Guzman and Javi Infante Varas of Rooted Language Justice help organizations like CEC integrate language justice into their work through language access.
Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

What’s Ahead

Through a new collaboration with Dignity Health, expand the Guadalupe Community Air Project to communities in the City of Santa Maria and Southern San Luis Obispo County that are disproportionately affected by air quality and more likely to have existing medical conditions. The project will bring together multilingual groups to share knowledge and learn how to protect themselves from health issues caused by intersecting climate impacts tied to agriculture, wildfire smoke, and heat.

“Air quality monitors
tell us what the air contains, how it affects us, and gives us information so we are able to protect ourselves.”

—Ranulfo Morales
Field Worker

Language access

The use of language assistance (i.e., interpretation and translation) so that people who speak non-dominant languages can have access to information, public services, and civic engagement.

Language justice

The just systematic treatment of people from all linguistic communities and respect for the fundamental language rights of all people.

OUR WORK

CEC, the Gray Panthers Santa Barbara Network, and the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara hosted a forum for seniors to address how they can prepare for extreme heat and play a more direct role in building community resilience. Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

OUR VISION

Building resilience requires a whole community approach that considers socioeconomic inequities and structural racism, and prioritizes community-led solutions that support a broad range of needs. CEC is pioneering climate adaptation and resilience efforts that are rooted in equity, catalyzed by place-based innovation, and integrated into long-term planning so that our approach evolves with our changing world.

Community-designed and led centers for resilience that offer centralized disaster services, support, and education to residents who are most vulnerable, or at high risk, during disasters.

In 2023, CEC:

Through the Santa Barbara County Wildfire Resilience Collaborative, prioritized 10 sites in the City of Goleta and surrounding areas for habitat restoration and wildfire resilience projects, and updated plans to accelerate the implementation of more than 50 projects identified by the Regional Priority Plan to Reduce Wildfire Risk and Improve Forest Health in Santa Barbara County.

Led community engagement, developed tools, and provided technical assistance for the California Central Coast’s first three climate resilience hubs. A Resilience
Hubs Accelerator program was designed so that we can activate more resilience hubs throughout our region, more quickly.

Joined the global Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance (EHRA) and collaborated with regional partners to raise awareness about the increasing threat of extreme heat events in our region. Together, we are identifying solutions that support our most
at-risk populations.

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Building Resilience for the Future

In an effort to build community resilience to extreme weather impacts, the Community Environmental Council is partnering with the County of Santa Barbara and several area non-profit organizations to establish our region’s first three climate resilience hubs. Having seen firsthand the traumatic effects of natural disasters on families in her community, Executive Director Jamie Collins was thrilled that Girls Inc. of Carpinteria was selected as a hub. She sees it as an opportunity to provide shelter and resources to community members during climate-related disasters and teach children how to talk about these events.

To further her organization’s impact, Jamie enrolled in CEC’s Climate Stewards certification program. She gained a deeper understanding of how climate change is impacting our region, how to communicate about these impacts, and how to take action. Jamie plans to incorporate this knowledge into future programming for the 1,000 girls her organization serves each year — and continue building strong collaborations with local nonprofits, including CEC, to support youth advocacy and foster climate resilience.

Girls, Inc. Carpinteria, led by CEC Climate Steward alumna Jamie Collins, is one of three climate resilience hubs that CEC is helping launch in Santa Barbara County. Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

What’s Ahead

Continue to lead and participate in regional and statewide adaptation networks, including the Central Coast Climate Collaborative, the Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation, and EHRA. These networks help us track, advocate for, and be ready to unlock significant state funding and investment for climate resilience, building capacity across the nexus of community-based organizations doing the work.

“Extreme heat causes more deaths annually than any other climate impact in California. The combination of an extreme heat wave and power outages could present a large-scale tragedy for our most vulnerable residents.”

—Em Johnson
Director of Climate Resilience, CEC

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria doubles as a climate resilience hub that can host up to 500 individuals during a disaster and offer 3 days of solar power during grid outages.

“My job is to prepare kids for the future, and that includes climate change.”

—Jamie Collins
Executive Director, Girls Inc. of Carpinteria

OUR WORK

CEC Climate Stewards attended a field trip at the UC Santa Barbara North Campus Open Space to learn about restoration and the protective barrier wetlands provide against sea level rise and other climate impacts. Photo by Kristen Weiss.

OUR VISION

With the increase in catastrophic climate events, we need more people to take an active role in protecting our communities. CEC is building networks of diverse, engaged activists who are equipped to champion rigorous climate action in their neighborhoods, businesses, and homes. Together, we can move at the unprecedented pace required to reverse, repair, and protect against climate threats.

In 2023, CEC:

Opened the Environmental Hub, a 10,000-square-foot epicenter for community activism, education, entrepreneurship, media, and art, located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. Since opening in July, the Hub has hosted more than 200 meetings and events.

Piloted our first youth climate workshop, adapting CEC’s Climate Stewards certification program for middle and high school students so they learn about climate change and feel empowered to take immediate climate action.

Informed, activated, and guided more than 55,000 individuals on climate action through events, meetings, and webinars.

OUR WORK

Spotlight: CEC’s Environmental Hub

In July 2023, CEC opened the California Central Coast’s first Environmental Hub as a nexus for advocacy, innovation, and community empowerment in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. Since then, the Hub has engaged more than 6,000 community members in dozens of events focused on climate action.

The 10,000-square-foot space boasts energy-saving technologies and sustainable building materials. It includes CEC staff offices, two meeting and event venues, and five mission-aligned non-profit tenants. Non-profit organizations have priority use of the space, and a handful of pre-selected volunteer-driven and BIPOC-led partner organizations are offered free and deeply discounted use of the Hub for meetings, workshops, and networking events. By catalyzing collective action and fostering a sense of community ownership, the Hub embodies the spirit of environmental stewardship and serves as a driving force for positive change.

“CEC’s Environmental Hub is galvanizing downtown Santa Barbara as an epicenter of bold community-led climate action.”

—Robin Elander
Downtown Santa Barbara

CEC’s state-of-the-art Environmental Hub was designed to provide innovative and collaborative space for gatherings of all kinds. Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

What’s Ahead

Continue to grow the network of 154 CEC Climate Steward alumni, and counting, to provide ongoing support and resources, and to evaluate the impact of their grassroots leadership in communities across our region.

“CEC’s youth climate workshops are an amazing way to learn about new ways to help in your community and meet new people who are passionate about the environment.”

—Valentina, 10th Grade
San Marcos High School

OUR WORK

CEC worked with Planned Parenthood California Central Coast to bring solar, battery storage, and EV charging to their Ventura healthcare facilities, allowing them to operate — and be more resilient — during grid outages. Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

OUR VISION

By transitioning completely to renewables and electrifying our vehicles and buildings, we can leverage clean electricity to get fossil fuels out of our region for good, while developing innovative, equitable, and replicable programs. CEC is working to rapidly move the California Central Coast to use 100% of the electricity that powers our homes, businesses, and cars from efficient, clean, and renewable sources.

In 2023, CEC:

Established Electrify Your Life, a free concierge service offering one-on-one support in Spanish and English to residents, businesses, and nonprofits that want to access incentives or information on energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades.

In collaboration with Communities in Charge, provided technical assistance to potential electric vehicle (EV) charging sites in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties. Because of our support, 20 sites are expected to make upgrades in 2024, ensuring reliable, energy efficient chargers for Central Coast EV drivers.

Through our EVs for Everyone/EVs Para Todos program, helped low- to moderate-income individuals use the best available incentives and rebates.

In support of the Tri-County Regional Energy Network’s (3C-REN) Home Energy Savings programs, CEC guided close to 200 single- and multi-family property owners and managers on how to access rebates for home energy upgrades. As a result, 538 housing units, and counting, across the Central Coast are transitioning to cleaner, more efficient energy.

What’s Ahead

Through a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, exponentially scale up EV adoption through expanded outreach, education, and one-on-one purchasing guidance to meet and exceed our region’s decarbonization goals.

OUR WORK

CEC’s partner White Buffalo Land Trust launched a pilot with Santa Barbara County farmers to scale the cultivation of the Western Blue Elderberry, a promising crop that has the potential to adapt to our warming climate, while expanding market opportunities for growers through increased market share. Photo by Liam Pickhardt.

OUR VISION

Through collaborations with California Central Coast agricultural operations, we are demonstrating that compost application, cover-cropping, and prescribed grazing practices can increase carbon sequestration, water infiltration, and biodiversity. CEC is working to bring these climate-smart practices to scale and create a network of land stewards and agricultural stakeholders so that together, we can adapt to climate change impacts and create stronger, more resilient food systems.

In 2023, CEC:

Developed a targeted prescribed grazing plan for a Northern Santa Barbara County homeowners association to leverage funding and accelerate the adoption of ecological grazing within the Wildland Urban Interface. The plan will help build wildfire awareness and a deeper understanding of mitigation tactics and serve as a template for other communities across the region.

In partnership with the Gaviota Coast Conservancy and Agromin, spread 300 tons of compost on Gaviota Coast rangelands to demonstrate how this climate-smart practice increases carbon capture and improves soil health.

In collaboration with White Buffalo Land Trust, supported small-scale and disadvantaged farmers in cultivating the native, perennial Western Blue Elderberry to demonstrate how climate-adaptive crops can expand pollinator habitat, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance growers’ economic viability.

What’s Ahead

Collaborate with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and the Cachuma and Ventura County Resource Conservation Districts to support growers in planting pollinator habitat on agricultural lands through financial incentives and technical support. More than 23,000 linear feet of pollinator hedgerows have been planned so far.

OUR WORK

CEC’s Plastic Free July Expo offered the community an opportunity to learn about the impacts of plastic pollution and how to reduce reliance on single-use plastics. Photo by Sarita Relis Photography.

OUR VISION

Recycling has been a landfill diversion solution for several decades — but it’s not enough to mitigate climate emissions. CEC is driving progress towards a zero-waste society with circular economy models that transition our waste stream to a closed-loop system of reuse and
turn hard-to-recycle waste streams into reusable resources that
reduce pollution.

In 2023, CEC:

Provided resources, equipment, and funding to CEC’s Santa Barbara County Food Rescue partner, Veggie Rescue. This support resulted in the recovery of 955,265 pounds of high-quality food that was distributed to local organizations that feed community members experiencing food insecurity.

Installed four new public water stations in the City of Santa Barbara, bringing the total to 125 bottle-filling hydration stations in schools, parks, and public spaces throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

Established an annual Plastic Free July Expo at CEC’s Environmental Hub, featuring more than a dozen community partners that shared solutions to plastic pollution and opportunities to advocate for plastic reduction regulations.

What’s Ahead

Push the City and County of Santa Barbara to follow the City of Goleta’s lead and pass laws that promote comprehensive single-use plastics reduction and circular economy policies, providing a model for other jurisdictions. Due to CEC’s advocacy, the City of Carpinteria updated their regulations to match the City of Goleta’s in January of 2024.

The Community Environmental Council believes that it will take all of us, working together in new ways, to solve the climate crisis. Bound together by a shared sense of urgency and accountability, we are partnering with businesses, organizations, schools, and governments on specific climate action outcomes to accelerate progress and build a truly resilient community.

In 2023, CEC partnered with:

Anonymous
Angela Antenore
Diane Boss
Catherine Brozowski & Steve Conner
Katie Davis
Chris & Bob DeVries
Laura Francis - Sea Forward Fund
Lee E. Heller
Sharyn Main & James Hodgson
Terry & Jane Honikman
Judi Stauffer & Rick Hubbard
Karl & Nancy Hutterer
Bonnie Jensen
John & Karen Jostes
Jean Kaplan
Bruce Kendall
Charles D. Kimbell
Marc McGinnes
Jessica & Michael McLernon
Carla Frisk & Jeff Newton
Mike & Betty Noling
Dennis Thompson & Lois Phillips
Paul Relis & Fanny Pearce
Michel Saint-Sulpice & Mary Staton
Ilene Segalove
John & Suzanne Steed
David & Karen Telleen-Lawton
Sally Warner-Arnett & G. William Arnett
Sigrid Wright & Matt Parisi

In memory of:
Jane & Robert O. Easton
Genevieve Estes
Ghita & Paul Ginberg
Selma Rubin
Tomi & Bob Sollen

$1 Million+

James S. Bower Foundation
Patricia and Paul Bragg Foundation
Zegar Family Foundation

$500,000-$999,999

Hutton Parker Foundation
Dorothy Largay & Wayne Rosing
Judy & Jack Stapelmann

$250,000-$499,999

Anonymous
Tom & Sheila Cullen
Natalie Orfalea Foundation
Michel Saint-Sulpice & Mary Staton
Yardi Systems

$100,000-$249,999

Ann Jackson Family Foundation
Anonymous
Anonymous, in honor of Karl Hutterer
Mary Becker
Leslie Sweem Bhutani & Ashish Bhutani, in honor of Pat & Derrell Sweem
Diane Boss
Elisabeth & Greg Fowler
John C. Mithun Foundation
Patricia MacFarlane
Charles & Betsy Newman
Stacy & Ron Pulice
Matt & Andrea Riley
John & Suzanne Steed
Elizabeth Weber

$50,000-$99,999

Dennis Allen & Jennifer Cushnie
Katie Davis
Emily, Dan, Casey & Willow Engel
Errett Fisher Foundation
Carolyn & Andrew Fitzgerald
Laura Francis
Karl & Nancy Hutterer
Bonnie Jensen & Dick Jensen
Living Peace Foundation
Santa Barbara Foundation
Sara Miller McCune
Ken & Jo Saxon
Peter Schuyler & Lisa Stratton
Anne Smith Towbes & Michael Smith, in honor of Hal Conklin
Weingart Foundation

$25,000-$49,999

Anonymous
Sally Warner-Arnett & G. William Arnett
Marguerite & Richard Berti, in honor of Hal Conklin
Carolyn Cogan, in honor of Jules Zimmer
Gene & Deanna Dongeiux
El Gato Channel Foundation
Tisha Weber Ford
Kristin & Richard Hogue
John & Karen Jostes
Charles D. Kimbell
Carrie Towbes & John Lewis
Barbara & Albert Lindemann
Elliott MacDougall
McCune Foundation
Jessica & Michael McLernon
SAGE Publishing
Leanne Schlinger
Stacy & Scott Semel
Holly & Lanny Sherwin
Geof & Laura Wyatt, in honor of Kathi King

$5,000-$24,999

Anonymous
Wally Arnold
Lynn Sarko & Laurie Ashton
Audacious Foundation
Audi Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara Auto Group**
B & B Foundation
Chris & Wendy Blau
Ruth H. Brown Foundation
Chandler & Nicole Buie
Bunnin Chevrolet**
City of Santa Barbara**
The Crawford Idema Family Foundation
Cultivate Events*
Dave & Jean Davis
Gwen Dawson
Deckers Outdoor Corporation
James & Deanna Dehlsen
Nicole Delesalle*
Allyson & John Harris Du Bois
Brad Fiedel & Ann Dusenberry
Nadra Ehrman
Oliver English*
Dodd & Beth Geiger
Ginberg Family Trust
Martin Gore
Belle Hahn
Holdfast Collective
JL Foundation
KARL STORZ Imaging, in honor of Hal Conklin
Bruce Kendall & Michelle Kendall
Pat McElroy & Bonnie Kerwin
Kind World Foundation
KJEE*
Pippa Hames-Knowlton & Christopher Knowlton
MarBorg Industries**
Maryanne Mott, in honor of Hal Conklin
Matilija Pure Water Systems*
Mike & Betty Noling
The Outhwaite Foundation
Pacific Beverage Co.**
Paul Relis & Fanny Pearce
David N. Pellow
PHAROS Creative, LLC*
Polestar Los Angeles**
Randy Solakian Estates Group
Tony & Kyra Rogers
The SAGE Trust
Brett Mathews & Ginger Salazar
Santa Barbara Independent*
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians**
Ken & Jo Saxon, in honor of Hal Conklin
Bryan & Eva Schreier
Herbert Schulte
Judy Stauffer & Rick Hubbard
Seth Streeter - Mission Wealth Management
Tana Sommer-Belin
Tomchin Family Charitable Foundation
Sherry Villanueva
WWW Foundation
Barbara Delaune Warren
Christel Wittenstein
Clifford & Crystal Wyatt
Katherine & Stephanie Yeung
Gail Osherenko & Oran Young

$1,000-$4,999

Ariadne Wealth Management
Allen Construction
Joseph Andrulaitis & Kent Mixon - Andrulaitis + Mixon Architects
Debbie Arnesen
William & Deirdre Arntz
B&B Foundation
Diane Beamer
Boone Graphics*
Brander Vineyard*
Bree’Osh*
Brighten Solar**
Brittingham Family Foundation
Bye Bye Mattress**
Karen & Peter Brill
Aniston Breslin
Laura Capps
Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition**
Central Coast Community Energy**
Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Santa Barbara**
Catherine Brozowski & Steve Conner
Cox Communications**
Julie Capritto
John & Marcia Cohen
Jon & Susan Clark
Mally Chakola & Dean Jackson
Shawn Dailey
Dancing Tides Foundation
Nicole Delesalle*
Christine & Robert DeVries
e-bikery**
Edhat*
Judy & Rob Egenolf
El Gato Channel Foundation**
Electric Bikes of Santa Barbara**
Dan Emmett
Claire & Lars Fackler
Brian Fahnestock
Jean Farley
Judith Favor, In Memoriam
Janet Garufis
Ken & Nancy Goldsholl
Willliam Goldsmith
Geoff Green
Grid Alternatives**
Jay Grigsby
Barbara Hirsch
Denis & Gail Hayes
Cameron Gray & Julie Heider-Gray
Jeremy Hilton
Islay Events*
Sharon James
Sharyn Johnson
Johnson Ohana Foundation
Jean Kaplan
Edward & Martha Kaufman
KIVA Cowork
Kleid Family Charitable Fund
LOACOM*
Ruth Loomer
Karen Lehrer
Louise LaMothe
MN Studio
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams*,**
Sally MacIntyre & John Melack
Montecito Bank & Trust**
Montecito Union School Nature Lab*
Moller Family Foundation
Kimberly Monda
Sally Morgan
Pete & Jillian Muller
Ben Sprague & Analise Maggio
Noozhawk*
Optimize Your Water*
PALMA Colectiva*
Constance Penley
Ivette Peralta
Dennis Thompson & Lois Phillips
Katy Powers
Rad Power Bikes**
Russell Radom
Carrie & Mike Randolph
Edgar Rhodes
Lisa Murphy Rivas
Rosenthal-Cohen Foundation
Sandhi Wines*
Laurie Ashton & Lynn Sarko
SBCC Foundation**
SBC Food Action Network**
SBC Air Pollution Control District**
James Semick
Justin Fantl & Katrina Sprague
Adam Stempel
SBC Air Pollution Control District**
Sunkissed Pantry**
Swell Energy Inc.**
Solectrac**
Solminer Wine Company*
Eric & Anita Sonquist
Terra Malia Designs*
Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN)**
Trippers & Askers*
Edward & Joan Tomeo
Bickley Townsend
Stacey & Christopher Ulep
Carol Vernon
Ventura Volkswagen**
Voice Magazine*
Whole Foods Market*
White Buffalo Land Trust*
William & Mary Zant
Danna & Zohar Ziv

$100-$999

Michael Ableman
Rachel Altman
Corey Anderson
Angela Antenore
Apiary Beverage Co.*
Joan Ariel
Grant Bane
Jeremy Bassan
Mary Baum
Elisa Atwill
Autumn Brands*
Jeremy Becker
Jocelyn Belloni
Megan Birney Rudert
Dianne Black
Ronald Blitzer
Steve Brillhart
Elizabeth Brown
W. Elliot Brownlee
Burns Levinson LLP
Pamela Bury
John Campanella
Canopy Club
Lois Capps
Nancy Clare Caponi
Geoffrey Carter
Claude Case
Sarah Cetrulo
Russell Chamberlin
Danuta Charwat-Mccall
Charu Chaubal
Linda Cheresh
Lee Chiacos
Darlene Chirman
Kate Christensen
Barbara Clark
Stephen & Marian Cohen
Dianne Coin
Irene Cooke
Michael & Marni Cooney
Carol Cottom
Rachel Couch
Margaret Crocco
John & Maria Felice Cunningham
David Cutler-Kreutz
Cuyama Beverage Co.*
Carla D’Antonio
Lynn Darnton
Michael Dean
Janet DeBard
Rita Donahoe
Ydun Donahoe
Bradley Dyruff
Sandra Eacret
Nicole Eads
Terry Eagle
Harriet Eckstein
Jon Edwards
Robert Else
Vivian Engel
Cassandra Ensberg
Elizabeth Fallows
Bill Ferguson
Philip Fine
Dick Flacks
Flair Project*
Cecilia Flanagan
Melissa Fontaine
John Forrest
Kristen Frascella
Carla Frisk
Flair Project*
Jonathan Gartner
Tish Gainey
John Gerig
Lucia Gill
Stephanie Glatt
Jessica Graham
Sandra Grasso-Boyd & Bill Boyd
Dwight Gregory
Frances Hahn
Michael Hamman
Ali & Drew Hanson
Bethany Harkrider
Gregg Hart
Barbara & Roy Harthorn
Jerry Hatchett
Paul Hayes & Maggie Moss Tucker
Julie Hayes-Nadler
Lee E. Heller
David Hennerman
Kelly Herting
Mary Heyden
Kelly Hildner
Lisa & Andrew Hill
Ashley Hollister
J.B. Holmes
Jean Holsten
Whitney Hoover
Mary E Howe-Grant
Jennifer Hulford
Hannah-Beth Jackson
Mary Jacob
Steve Jacobsen
Vijaya Jammalamadaka
Marian Jean
Emily Jensen
Ivor & Jean John
Mary Johnson
Ruth Johnson
Tammy & Belma Michael Johnson
David Jones
Thomas Kearns
Patricia Kelley
Hugh Kelly
Kathi & Jeff King
Scott Kipp
Jonah Klein
Kristen Koch
Whitney Kopf
Sara Kvaas
Lawrence Livermore National Labs
Mike Lazaro
David Landecker
Jennifer LeMay
Rikard Lesley
Kirsten Liske
Betty Little
RT Livingston
Brian Lloyd
Fred Loquasto III
Stacey Lydon
Mike & Mary Lynn Mallen
Connie Maday
Blake & Jennifer Markham
Gail Marshall
Jerry Martin
Sarah Martin
A. Michael Marzolla
Nancy McConnell
James McGee
Janet McGinnis
Riva McLernon
Antoinette McQueen
Megan Miley
Anne Milgrim
Clare Miner-McMahon
Jolea Moes
Richard Mokler
Leigh Ann Montano
Wayne Morgan
Gordon & Sheila Morrel
l Allen Mosher
Sierra Muller
Joan & Bill Murdoch
Mark & Shira Musicant
Robert Mustacich
Steve Nelson
Ginger & Daniel Oros
Carl Palmer
Kendall Pata
Paypal Giving Fund
Lanette Perry
April Peterson
Gregg Peterson
Kathy Pfeifer
Michelle Pickett
Sarah Pizzaruso
Bill Pollock
Jeanie-Marie Price
Gail Rappaport
REÅLEA® SKINCARE*
Melissa Riparetti-Stepien
Jessica Risko Smith
Alan Roberson
The Roddick Foundation
Doug Roberts
James Robertson
Gilbert Robledo
Yolanda Robles
Anthony Rodale
Burt Romotsky
Susan Rose
Marian & Steve Rothstein
Marni Cooney Rudert
Carol Sacks
Satellite SB*
Edward & Judith Savage
Peter Sawyer
Amy Schneider
Carol Schwyzer
Lilyan Cuttler & Ned Seder
Richard Segan, in honor of David Segan
Patricia Selbert
Henry Selick
Dana Seltzer
Brian Smith
Kristen Sneddon
Solminer Wine*
Virginia Souza
Lynne Sprecher
Jim Street
David Swanson
Luke Swetland
Karen & David Telleen-Lawton
Jenna Tosh
Nancy Tubiolo
Maureen Tunney
Alan Turnbull
Topa Topa Brewing Company*
Trinity Episcopal Church**
Ventura Rentals
Ventura Spirits*
Gene & Amy Zak Urban
Elizabeth Wagner
Rance Wall & Deborah Williams
Michelle Weinman
Corey Welles
Sherri West
Kathleen Wheeler
Gilbert White
Sheila White
Tracey Willfong
Das Williams
Sara Woodburn
Janet Wolf
Bob & Robbie Wright, in honor of Sigrid Wright
Wild Farmlands Foundation
Wylde Works*
Yola Mezcal*

*Indicates all, or part, was an in-kind gift
**Indicates 2023 Earth Day

VISIT CEC’s ENVIRONMENTAL HUB

Join us for an exciting line up of climate-centric lectures, workshops, and special events. View our calendar and learn more at envirohubsb.org.

ENGAGE IN CLIMATE ACTION

The climate crisis is daunting. But together, we can solve it. Find out all the ways you can engage by visiting cecsb.org/takeclimateaction.

INVEST IN A CLIMATE-SAFE FUTURE

Your support is critical. Join us in this urgent work by donating today and help ensure a climate-safe future. Give at cecsb.org/donate.

BOLD CLIMATE ACTION

Fiercely Protecting California’s Central Coast Since 1970

2023 ImpactReport

A Letter from our CEO and Board President

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS*

$10.8 MILLION in assets

$4 Million operating budget (19% growth)

32%GROWTH in program investment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CEC’s Legacy:

50+ Years of Environmental Leadership

For more than 50 years, CEC has strategically catalyzed change on the Central Coast, influencing California and beyond.

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CEC is impressive: it recognized early on that we need to move beyond fossil fuel dependence. Their solutions can open a robust pathway for the global climate resilience we so desperately need instead.”

Our Work

2023 | CEC's Impact at a Glance

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Climate Policy

OUR WORK

OUR VISION

In 2023, CEC:

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Enacting Bold Climate Policies, Together

CEC Climate Activist

A community member who, alongside CEC’s Climate Policy team, participates in public meetings, sends emails to elected officials, and shares opportunities for action with friends, family, and neighbors.

“Collective efforts create a meaningful impact that can effect change in the community.”

What’s Ahead

A groundswell of climate action

CEC is building a network of climate activists in cities across our region who are helping advance strong policies that bring equitable climate solutions to scale.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Climate Justice

OUR WORK

OUR VISION

In 2023, CEC:

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Expanding Language Access

“Providing language services is one way we make this movement accessible to the communities most affected by climate change.”

What’s Ahead

“Air quality monitors tell us what the air contains, how it affects us, and gives us information so we are able to protect ourselves.”

Language access

The use of language assistance (i.e., interpretation and translation) so that people who speak non-dominant languages can have access to information, public services, and civic engagement.

Language justice

The just systematic treatment of people from all linguistic communities and respect for the fundamental language rights of all people.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Climate Resilience

OUR WORK

OUR VISION

Community-designed and led centers for resilience that offer centralized disaster services, support, and education to residents who are most vulnerable, or at high risk, during disasters.

In 2023, CEC:

OUR WORK

Spotlight: Building Resilience for the Future

What’s Ahead

“Extreme heat causes more deaths annually than any other climate impact in California. The combination of an extreme heat wave and power outages could present a large-scale tragedy for our most vulnerable residents.”

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria doubles as a climate resilience hub that can host up to 500 individuals during a disaster and offer 3 days of solar power during grid outages.

“My job is to prepare kids for the future, and that includes climate change.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Climate Leadership

OUR WORK

OUR VISION

In 2023, CEC:

OUR WORK

Spotlight: CEC’s Environmental Hub

“CEC’s Environmental Hub is galvanizing downtown Santa Barbara as an epicenter of bold community-led climate action.”

2023
Impact
Report

“Air quality monitors
tell us what the air contains, how it affects us, and gives us information so we are able to protect ourselves.”

To change everything, we need everyone.
Are you with us?