Pre-Earth Day Events 

The Community Environmental Council’s Santa Barbara Earth Day festival – one of the longest-running such celebrations in the country – has become a massive two-day event full of exhibitors, speeches, music, workshops and more. The green extravaganza  doesn’t arrive until the last weekend of the month, but given our history as the arguable birthplace of the environmental movement in the U.S. (Earth Day began in the wake of the devastating 1969 oil spill off our coast, as did profuse public awareness and landmark environmental legislation), there are other important Earth-centric events in town this month. 

Explore Ecology’s annual Environmental Stewardship Awards luncheon – slated for 12 pm on Thursday, April 17, at Cabrillo Pavilion by the beach – honors students, teachers and schools who promote environmental stewardship through education and action, and initiate positive change and/or inspire their peers and colleagues in Santa Barbara County. The local eco-heroes number a dozen for 2025, with awards spread among teachers, students, and classes & clubs. These include Kim Berman and Danielle Weill, Montecito Union School teachers whose Climate Change and Student Activism Unit empowers students to take meaningful environmental action.

The awards ceremony includes an environmentally-conscious mid-day meal provided by Quail Canyon Catering, and powerful stories from teachers, students and community leaders including Dr. Mary Kahn, Superintendent of the Goleta Union School District, who will share insights about the importance of environmental education. Visit https://exploreecology.org/event/environmental-stewardship-awards-luncheon

Also, the Marjorie Luke Theatre launches its Green Film Series for 2025 with a screening of Broke, Gail Osherenko’s documentary about the rupturing of the 2015 Plains All-American’s onshore pipeline, which spilled 140,000 gallons on the Gaviota coastline. The one-hour 2018 film employs storytelling and investigative reporting to cover the incident’s causes, its devastating effects on marine life, local communities and the region’s ecosystem, and ongoing efforts to prevent future spills – a public conversation that is back in the news right now thanks to Sable Offshore’s efforts to revive offshore drilling and replace the pipeline. 

The 4 pm screening on Sunday, April 13, will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts and community leaders, including Osherenko, Environmental Defense Center chief counsel Linda Krop and others. Visit https://luketheatre.org/events