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Community Environmental Council (CEC) — Join us for a community salon cohosted by CEC and TedxSantaBarbara (May 27), other events

by Community Contributor • May 14, 2026 • Comments Off

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Join us

for a community salon

cohosted by CEC and TEDxSantaBarbara

Curated by

CEC CEO Sigrid Wright

and Bluedot Living Founder Victoria Riskin,

this TEDxSantaBarbara Salon will

screen empowering TED Talks and feature community conversation on hope, climate, and what moves us all to make an impact.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

CEC’s Environmental Hub
1219 State St., Santa Barbara

Hope is not passive — it’s built through collective action, conversation, and courage. TEDxSantaBarbara and the Community Environmental Council (CEC) are hosting an evening of active hope in the face of the climate crisis. Join us at The Hub for “Climate Action: Energized by Hope” to explore how truth, voice, vision, and sustained action can help us move from eco-anxiety to meaningful impact.

Anchored in CEC’s A Year of Active Hope, this event will screen TED Talks from leading climate thinkers Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Dr. Hannah Ritchie, and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. The TED Talks will be paired with live discussion and guided audience reflection led by Sigrid and Victoria.

Become a Resilience Hub and Help Your Community Prepare for Disasters

The California Central Coast faces growing challenges from extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding, and poor air quality. Community resilience hubs — trusted local spaces like schools, libraries, community centers, and churches — can provide aid and resources before, during, and after these events. CEC can help activate your site to:

Provide clean air during smoke events
Act as cooling locations during extreme heat
Distribute food
Serve as an emergency shelter or hub for emergency services
Facilitate disaster preparedness training and neighborhood organizing
Host off-grid charging during power outages or shutdowns

Learn more about Community Resilience Hubs, take our short survey, and use our toolkit to get started today.

Upcoming Events

Oil and Water: Policy, Progress, and the Path Forward (Darcy Aston Memorial Lecture)

Friday, May 15, 2026

5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

CEC’s Environmental Hub

1219 State St., Santa Barbara

Join the Community Environmental Council (CEC), the UC Santa Barbara Environmental Studies Program, and the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) for a discussion around the risks of oil extraction and the ongoing work to protect our region’s vital resources. This annual Memorial Lecture honors the legacy of Darcy Aston, a 1981 UCSB Environmental Studies alum and beloved member of the Santa Barbara community, and brings us together to explore solutions for water quality, watershed protection, and environmental stewardship. This year’s program will feature a moderated panel discussion led by Linda Krop, Chief Counsel at EDC, featuring Assemblymembers Steve Bennett and Gregg Hart. They will reflect on the legacy of environmental action since the 1969 oil spill and examine the impacts of oil extraction and transport on water quality, the role of policy and advocacy in driving change, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. A reception with light refreshments will follow the discussion. Learn more and register.

Save the Date! Registration Coming Soon:

Tuesday, May 26, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m — Embodied Arts Workshop

Friday, June 5, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. — Climate Fridays Santa Barbara, focused on sea level rise and waterfront adaptation

Support Critical Work Like This

Recognized as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year and a City of Santa Barbara Climate Hero, CEC is led by CEO Sigrid Wright, 2022 Congressional Woman of the Year. See our most recent impact report to learn how we are serving California’s Central Coast by advancing rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.