Community Environmental Council Postpones 2020 Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival

Organization seeks to support public health; explores alternate ways to honor 50th Anniversary in April 

“While we are eager to bring our community together in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, our focus is on ensuring we do this in a safe way that supports public health,” stated Kathi King, Earth Day Festival Director. “As one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country, this event is a cornerstone of environmental action in our region, and we did not make the decision lightly.”

CEC is looking for other meaningful ways in April to honor Earth Day and the good work of the regional environmental community, and welcomes input and ideas onto what this could look like.

Sigrid Wright, CEO of CEC, stated, “CEC’s long-term mission to provide regional solutions to the many threats evolving from a warming climate has never felt more relevant. We are leaning into this current public health crisis to do what we have always done: work closely with the community to build solutions that leave us healthy, strong and resilient.”

As CEC continues to monitor the evolving coronavirus situation, they will post updates to events at SBEarthDay.org. In the interim, there are still ways to sign up and get involved with the festival:

• Exhibit: Event registration for vendors is still open at SBEarthDay.org/exhibit
• Sponsor: Over 130 eco-friendly businesses and organizations sponsor the festival each year. Learn how you can support the festival while receiving wide recognition at SBEarthDay.org/sponsor.

CEC is partnering with Carp Events, Cultivate Events, LoaTree, Lucidity, New Noise Music Foundation, Oniracom, Pharos Creative, WA Event Management, and Write Kinda Girl to produce the festival.

About CEC’s Santa Barbara Earth Day

Widely acknowledged as the birthplace of Earth Day, Santa Barbara’s involvement began with the devastating 1969 oil spill off its coast. This led a local group of concerned citizens to begin discussing a different way of looking at environmental systems. During that time, Senator Gaylord Nelson visited Santa Barbara to view the oil spill damage. When he returned to Washington, D.C., he introduced a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Over the next few years, the environmental movement was born across the country – including CEC. In the spring of 1970, CEC incorporated and, in its initial act as a new non-profit, hosted Santa Barbara Earth Day, one of the first celebrations of its kind in the country. We recognize that ‘every day is earth day’ and that special events like this are a way to bring our community together as a reminder to always tread lightly on the planet.

For up-to-the-minute information on CEC’s Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival:

• Find Santa Barbara Earth Day on the web at SBEarthDay.org
• Like “Santa Barbara Earth Day” on Facebook.com/SBEarthDay
• Follow the event on Twitter @SBEarthday and on Instagram @SB_EarthDay
• Call CEC at 805-963-0583 Ext. 112 or email earthday@cecmail.org

About the Community Environmental Council (CEC)

Since 1970, CEC has incubated and innovated real life solutions that directly impact climate change. Our programs lead to clean vehicles, solar energy, resilient food systems and reduction of single-use plastic. We educate and activate the community by producing events like the annual Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival. Find CEC on the web at www.CECSB.org and on Facebook.com/CECSB and Twitter.com/CECSB.