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Oct. 17 — Community Environmental Council (CEC) — Get Behind the Wheel at Drive Electric Ventura and more events Oct. 2, 9-11, 16, 29

by Community Contributor • January 1, 2026 • Comments Off

Get Behind the Wheel at the

Drive Electric Ventura Event

Test drive, ask questions, explore incentives, and find out what driving electric could look like in your everyday life.

Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Ventura Unified School District

255 W. Stanley Ave., Ventura

When it’s time to choose your next car, there’s a lot to consider. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming an affordable option for many Californians, and there’s no better way to get a feel for electric driving than to get behind the wheel. Once you see how clean driving rebates, incentives, and lower running costs fit into the picture, you may find an EV makes more sense than you expected.

Join CEC and Drive Electric Ventura on October 17 for a free Electric Vehicle Fair where you can test drive an EV, explore your options, and get answers from local drivers, dealerships, and community partners. Find CEC at the event to get information about ways to save and charging options. We’ll tell you what incentives you qualify for in real time.

Join us at other upcoming local National Drive Electric Month events. You don’t need to be ready to buy. National Drive Electric Month is all about exploring your options, so come take a ride and see if an EV could be a good fit for you!

Learn more

Other Events

Climate Fridays Santa Barbara: Regenerative Agriculture in Action

Friday, October 2

4–5:30 p.m.

CEC’s Environmental Hub

1219 State St., Santa Barara

Join us for October’s Climate Fridays Santa Barbara as we explore how climate-smart agriculture can build healthier soil, strengthen local farms, and support a more resilient future. CEC Climate-Smart Agriculture Program Manager Brian Sweeney will talk with local farmers Austin Sharron of Pilgrim Terrace, Stefan Selbert of Las Cumbres Ranch, and Margo Redfern of Wanderment Farm, about their experiences with climate-smart agriculture and what it looks like on the ground here in Santa Barbara County. Bring your questions, curiosity, and friends interested in the topic — we’ll leave time at the end for networking and conversation. Climate Fridays Santa Barbara are hosted by CEC, the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Sierra Club on the first Friday of each month to create space for fellow climate activists, students, allies, community partners, and friends to take collective action and collaborate to protect our planet. Learn more and register.

UC Environmental Stewards Statewide Conference Comes to Santa Barbara

October 9–11

UC Santa Barbara’s Corwin Pavilion

6085 UCEN Rd, Isla Vista

Join the Community Environmental Council (CEC) as we welcome the UC Environmental Stewards Statewide Conference to Santa Barbara this fall. Bringing together climate changemakers from across California, the conference will feature keynote presentations, hands-on workshops, community conversations, and field trips exploring climate resilience, participatory science, and equity in conservation. CEC is proud to serve as the local partner for this gathering. CEC CEO Sigrid Wright will join Mia Lopez, Chumash Cultural Educator and Founding Director of Su’nan Protection, to welcome attendees on opening day. CEC Director of Education and Operations Kathi King will also lead a workshop highlighting how CEC’s Climate Stewards course empowers community members to take climate action. Learn more and register.

Upcycled Coutour Sustainable Fashion Show

Friday, October 16

7–10 p.m.

Community Arts Workshop

631 Garden St., Santa Barbara

Join the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) for an evening celebrating creativity and sustainable fashion. The Upcycled Contour sustainable fashion show will showcase designs made from repurposed materials, exploring the environmental and climate impacts of the fashion industry. The event will also feature perspectives on fast fashion and its connection to climate change, offering attendees an opportunity to learn more about how we can rethink the way we make, wear, and reuse clothing. The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is proud to serve as a promotional partner for this community event. Learn more.

Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative Network Event

Thursday, Oct. 29

9:15 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

The Mission Club

4300 Club House Rd, Lompoc

The Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative brings its network together in Lompoc for its annual event, celebrating two years of the Guadalupe-Lompoc Initiative and the projects, partnerships and community benefits it has helped cultivate. The gathering offers an opportunity to reflect on what has emerged through collaboration and explore opportunities for continued learning and coordination across the region. Attendees can also take an optional afternoon tour of Collective Cultures Creating Change, a community garden supported through the initiative. Learn more and register.

Other Opportunities

Share Your Feedback: Help Inform CEC’s Climate Work

We want to hear from you! Take a few minutes to complete CEC’s Community Feedback Survey and share how CEC is doing, what environmental issues matter most, and how you like to connect. Your feedback will help shape how we focus our work, communicate with our community, and create meaningful opportunities for climate action across the Central Coast. The survey is fully anonymous and all questions are optional. Complete the full survey for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Take the survey here.

Save on Your Next Home Heating or Cooling Upgrade

Goleta residents can save more than $200 on eligible home electrification projects through the City of Goleta’s Heat Pump Permit Fee Waiver Program. The pilot program waives permit fees for residential projects installing electric heat pump water heaters and HVAC systems at the time of replacement, including in single-family and multi-family homes. The fee waiver can be combined with other local electrification incentives for even greater savings, but funding is limited to $10,000 and available until exhausted. Learn more.

In Case You Missed It: Climate Stewards in Action

A new blog from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources highlights how Climate Stewards are turning climate knowledge into action in their communities. The story follows local Climate Steward Jason Scott-Sheets and his work to launch a stormwater response program that will mobilize volunteers to help protect Santa Barbara’s waterways and beaches after major storms. It also explores how the Climate Stewards program equips participants with science, communication skills and practical tools to build community resilience. Read the full story ahead of the UC Environmental Stewards Conference, happening Oct. 9–11 at UC Santa Barbara.

Where Santa Barbara’s Changemakers Gather

Planning a board meeting, strategic retreat, workshop, or community event this fall? The Community Environmental Council’s Environmental Hub offers flexible, sustainably designed meeting and event space for nonprofits, educational institutions, and government agencies.

With competitive nonprofit pricing, professional AV, and versatile spaces for meetings, trainings, film screenings, and community gatherings, The Hub provides the perfect setting to bring people together. Every booking also supports CEC’s work to advance climate solutions across the Central Coast.

Explore the space and book your event.

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 reportto learn how we are serving California’s Central Coast by advancing rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.