It takes a village, and we aren’t the only ones who know that. The McCune Foundation is dedicated to fostering social capital within communities — in other words, they’ve figured out this game is about playing like a team.

The McCune Foundation, established in 1990 by George D. McCune and Sara Miller McCune, offers funding to inspired organizations with integrity and vision. The Foundation, however, realizes fiscal support is only part of the puzzle — a deliberate jigsaw composed of social change, empowerment, and community engagement.

The Foundation concentrates their support on grassroots programs that promote social justice on the community level, with the mindset that a grassroots, bottom-up method is the cornerstone to social movement.

The Foundation remains true to their mission, refusing to shy away from issues that are often swept under the rug.

“The mission of the foundation is really to develop leadership and develop a voice among people in the community who haven’t traditionally had a role in decision making,” Claudia Armann, Executive Director at the McCune foundation, said. “We want to support the groups that are pursuing different issues by empowering people to take a role in identifying what changes they want to see in the community.”

There is no tiptoeing around the fact that change requires moving and shaking, a process which can be uncomfortable.  So the McCune Foundation often offers resources to aid in the change-making process.  One such resources is found on the Foundation website, an instructional guide to Community Organizing written by Dave Beckwith and Cristina Lopez.  Among other things, it addresses the fact that self-interest in the nonprofit world is unavoidable, but navigable.

“Many people are uncomfortable with self-interest. They’d rather focus on values, on selfless giving, or on mutual aid as the highest virtue…” Beckwith says. “Effective community organizing can develop a broader sense of self-interest — this is where hope comes into the picture. How can we broaden the sense of self-interest? Through a process of building up the horizons of the people we are organizing.”

With funding and mentorship, the McCune Foundation is helping organizations like Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy CAUSE,  Families ACT!, and Future Leaders of America effectively influence change.

When the members of your community are as inspired by movement and positivity as the McCune foundation, the effect is contagious. It does take a village, and that’s something we love.

-Jenna Ryan, LoaTree

(Editor’s note: The McCune Foundation is a client of LoaTree.  LoaTree provides technical assistance to McCune Foundation grantees related to organizational development, community campaigns, events, marketing and branding.)

Each month, LoaTree convenes Green Drinks in Santa Barbara, joining inspired individuals together to mingle, share their passion for environmental business, and kick back with a few cocktails. This month, Green Drinks will take place on Tuesday, May 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Savoy Cafe and Deli.

Eric Shiflett, the Program Director for the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, will be presenting about “Greening the Bowl,” highlighting specific efforts the charming concert venue has spearheaded to walk the walk.

Jenna Ryan: So exactly what has the Bowl done to move towards sustainability?
Eric Shiflett: The biggest thing is that we sort all of our own trash — you don’t see recycle bins here because, in a lot of ways, that’s a type of green-washing. Recycling bins tell the customer that it’s their responsibility, but that’s not really true. In order to make sure that we’re reducing our landfill, we have to go through our own trash. We actually pay employees to sort through it the next day and ensure it’s all getting disposed of properly… We’ve signed a contract with Planet Solar to try and get us to net-zero emissions over the next several years, based completely on solar. We try to be as close to paper-free as possible, we’ve changed all of our lights to be low voltage, we use environmentally friendly paint with fewer chemicals and lower chemical emissions once it’s on the wall, we use CFL light bulbs. You know, we’ve got the small projects and the big projects that we’re constantly looking at and managing.

JR: Any fun stuff?
ES: Right now we have 150 goats on our property eating all of our fire hazard shrubbery down to the ground. We do it every 3 to 5 years through Brush Goats 4 Hire. The first department comes out here and identifies where to take it down. Instead of a bunch of guys crawling around all over the property with a bunch of motors going, we have all these goats. It’s really funny… and really cute.

JR: Are there any musicians that you’ve noticed prioritize sustainability more than others — what sort of environmental efforts do you see from artists behind the scenes?
ES: Bands are often very environmentally conscious. The cause for the music industry is not uncommon — it isn’t uncommon for bands like Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson to come in here and say, “Hey man, we’re doing everything we can to lower our footprint on the tours, and we need you to do the same.” We’re almost always already taking the measures they demand. We can either be forced to do it, or be a leader and say, “Hey, we’re already doing all that.” And, to be honest, by being more environmentally conscious we’re identifying places where we’re going to save money; there’s definitely an economic advantage that opens up a lot more opportunities.

JR: It sounds like you’ve had a huge hand in the Santa Barbara Bowl’s green projects. How did you get to where you are — was this the goal? Did you picture yourself doing something like this?
ES: I started playing violin when I was 5 years old, and ever since I began playing I knew I wanted to be in the music business. I came to Santa Barbara because Santa Barbara was cool and I started as a music major. I didn’t end up as a music major, but wanted to be around music. I honestly weaseled my way here, into the Santa Barbara Bowl; I began taking on tasks until they didn’t have a choice but to hire me full time. Ever since I was a little kid, the environment has been a real love and concern for me — I’ve been fortunate to take on the environmental aspect and do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. From my experience, you will get to do what you want if you stick with it. I’ve never seen somebody that is really dedicated to something not end up being able to do it. If the environment or music is your calling, keep chipping away at small things. Live by that, and trust me, work hard at it — you may go through a few lean years — but you’ll get there.

-Jenna Ryan, LoaTree

(Bowl photo from: http://sbbowl.org/photos.htm)

On a Saturday stroll in Dam Square, Amsterdam, I ran into Mary, a Danish dairy farmer, selling a variety of homemade cheeses to locals and tourists alike. In her thick accent, she told me of her 150 cows and how they roamed freely in pastures 150km from where we were now standing. She talked of the aging process for her cheeses, and the way they are hand-rotated on a daily basis for the desired number of years until they reached perfection. You could see and hear the love and pride Mary put into her work, and this was reflected in the amazing mustard/pepper Gouda I was now sampling.

One observation particularly stood out, and it arose in a conversation over why Mary didn’t offer milk at her cheese stand as she once did. She said that because farmers are not required to pasteurize their milk as they are in the US, the milk can present a health risk (via listeria, a bacteria) to sensitive individuals, and thus can only travel a limited number of kilometers from where it is produced. Makes sense. But if consumers want to purchase milk directly from any farmer, they can purchase it straight from the farm, and in fact, are encouraged to do so.

In the Netherlands, pasteurization is not required…you foodies out there know that this is a big deal. Consumers get to decide for themselves if they’d personally like to take the ‘risk’ associated with eating/drinking non-pasteurized products. And, the public is encouraged to buy products directly from the farm where it was produced! The last thing any health department in the US would tell you is to purchase fresh, unpasteurized cow milk from your local dairy.

So, we have some work to do. Things that are commonplace in other parts of the world are at times difficult for us as Americans to come by, even when they’re seemingly simple demands – fresh cheese or milk, for example. Luckily, many of us are finding our own unique ways to begin creatively addressing the various flaws in the American ‘food system.’ And best of all, this creativity seems to be spreading one community at a time.

So head on out and support your local ‘Mary’ by buying her product. If that happens to be goat or sheep’s milk on the underground, a growler of home brewed beer via a CSB (community supported brewery), a freshly harvested chicken or turkey from your neighbor, or eggs from a backyard poultry operation, all power to you.

Now, back to this amazing cheese.

-eric

by ERIKA LINDEMANN

Recently, I wrote a column about the ciclovías happening around the world, in which urban streets, usually in the heart of a city, are closed to car traffic and opened to city residents; they become a huge city park. I noted with anticipation that the next big CicLAvia (pronounced seek la vee uh) event in Los Angeles was coming in April and that I would be there with bells on my wheels.

On Sunday, April 15, 2012, I joined 15 of Santa Barbara’s Bici crew to learn firsthand what this event was all about. We joined an estimated 100,000 participants!

There was great coverage of the event, including stories by the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio’s Marketplace. The articles highlight the flexibility of urban streets to accommodate different users at various times of the week or day. These all-day Sunday events bring life and money into a commercial district that is otherwise fairly empty on weekends.

Here are some of my firsthand observations of this inspiring day, in the heart of Los Angeles, on bike. Check out the event map to orient yourself, then follow along on our journey of sites and sounds.

We piled our bikes into a trailer and on racks, packed into three cars, and headed down to West Hollywood. We parked in a random CVS parking lot, got our rides ready, including a Yuba cargo bike customized to pump music and styled out with faux zebra fur, and our posse began rolling toward the 10-mile block party that is CicLAvia.

The sun was shining, the air was warm, and the skies of Los Angeles were unusually bright and clear thanks to all the rain L.A. had gotten in the days prior to the event. I started getting giddy when I saw the “road closed” signs ahead, in anticipation of their being closed only to cars, not to us bikies, nor to walkers, skaters, runners, and strollers.

We entered the event at the “Bicycle District Hub” off Melrose Avenue. This was one of the areas in the event designed to get people off their bikes and exploring a neighborhood that they otherwise might not know existed. It was swarming with people, but imagine a scene in which everyone is moving as if in a slowed-down dream sequence in a movie. Most folks were walking their bikes, and lots of bikers were standing in clusters talking or simply taking in the scene. The businesses on the closed block were hopping. We felt especially proud to see the busy hub because our own Jim Cadenhead of Cranky’s Bikes in Santa Barbara helped start Orange 20 Bikes and the sister organization to Santa Barbara’s Bici Centro, the Bicycle Kitchen. Both shops were on proud display to the thousands of visitors meandering around the block.

The molasses-like pace of the crowd, now riding, continued as we headed down through residential neighborhoods (New Hampshire Ave., 4th Street, and on west toward the 110 freeway). Residents were hanging on their porches or selling snacks and water, calling out, waving, smiling, enjoying the spectacle. There were intersections in which the route crossed streets open to cars. At each such juncture there were crossing guards (some volunteer, some police, some private security guides), calmly directing us to stop or go.

I was immediately struck by the broad diversity of riders and by the unified and mellow energy – exhibited even by Los Angeles riders I would normally expect to have a more aggressive, fast, and impatient riding-style. They, too, were there beside me, smiling, patiently waiting at the lights, grooving to the music, taking in the wonder of a day without cars on L.A.’s streets. And most of these riders clearly had been riding bikes for a good while. These were riders with their own biking style, people who have learned to carve out a place for themselves in the urban world of street riding. And the kids were out en masse, charging forward on their little bikes, some still pedaling away on training wheels.

We took a quick stop on the bridge over Highway 110 for snacks, a change of musical genre (reggae!), and a chance to smile and wave at the hundreds of bicycles happily meandering past us. Cars on the freeway honked supportive honks, and we waved back. People would call out hellos to us, or simply bob their head to the music. A group of guys with pimped-out low-rider bikes cruised by, one of them working his hydraulic front forks up and down, up and down.

We found MacArthur Park filled with bikes and pedestrians and a group doing improvisational theater. There were booths of local environmental and bike groups, touting their programs, and again, hundreds of people simply milling around.

The block party really started bumping as we slowly rolled along West 7th and onto Spring Street. Bars and coffee shops were teeming with people, and parked bikes were three to four layers deep on the sidewalk. The City Hall Hub had DJs playing on the corners, more vendors and food trucks, and continual streams of smiling bikers, runners, skaters. We had a leisurely lunch at El Pueblo de Los Angeles and then headed back toward West Hollywood as the event was wrapping up.

Our ride home resembled a daydream I have often had while riding in traffic-clogged urban areas. Wide streets, filled with bicyclists, zooming along, not having to stick to the small strip of right-hand roadway. A dream come true, in the streets of Los Angeles!

The next CicLAvia is October 14, 2012. Who’s in this time?

(originally printed in the Santa Barbara Independent.  Used with permission of author. Photo credit: Claudio Baldessarelli)

Well, if you are in the Santa Barbara region, you have another option.  Terra Malia Designs (website) or her Facebook. Terra is a mother herself and succulent diva.  She plays in the dirt, grows her own succulents and even returns most of them back to the ground after major events that she provides decor for.  Shells, moss, driftwood.  Sustainable, beautiful and meaningful.

For Mother’s Day, she’s offering up small, medium and large designs for Mom’s.  The beauty is that these gifts will live for a very long time even if your mom isn’t a green thumb.   These gifts can be planted around in the yard when she’s done with them in the house.

Most importantly, just call your mom and tell her you love her.

-David

A facility dedicated to education, research, and outreach, the CCBER, comprised of only ten full-time employees, works hard to restore over 230 acres of native plant and animal resource space in the Santa Barbara community. Recently though, they have collaborated with local schools to provide perspective for children as young as 12 to begin to learn about restoration strategies, ecological preservation, and biodiversity.

-Oisin Lewis

The works unveiled today were:

1) “Plum Blossoms” and “Power Pole” by Robbin Légère Henderson at the corner of Berkeley Way and Oxford

2) “Leaf Study” and “Tree Cathedral” by Dotti Cichon at Shattuck and University

3) “Sending Signals” by Brad Aldridge at the corner of Hearst and Oxford

4) “Grow” by Erin Johnson at the corner of Durant and Telegraph

5) “Cross Section” by Keenan Gravier at the corner of Telegraph and Bancroft

Celebrating the new boxes was Associate Chancellor of UC Berkeley Linda Williams, City Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin, Kira Stoll of the UC Berkeley Sustainability Department, Jennifer McDougall and Jim Horner from UC Berkeley’s Office of Capitol Projects, Julie Sinai from the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund, Roland Peterson from the Telegraph Business District Association, Ariana Katovich from the Streets Alive Initiative, members of the Earth Island Institute, local artists and interested community members.

The walking tour included speeches by the artists who designed the box, a Q&A session with the printer and installer, Bay Area Sign Installation, and remarks from the University, the Earth Island Institute and Councilmember Arreguin.

(LoaTree Editor note: Big congratulations to Ariana Katovich, Earth Island Institute and the Streets Alive team for a job well done.  This article was printed with permission from Ariana Katovich.)

Between the colorful turkey proudly strutting through the festival and the live beehive exhibit, the non-human attendees captured countless imaginations at Santa Barbara’s Earth Day Festival yesterday. 

Perhaps hardest to miss were the three alpacas, nonchalantly munching on alfalfa while unsuccessfully attempting to ignore their newfound fame and glory. Even NBC Los Angeles was so enamored with these unique creatures that they mentioned them in the lead headline for their Earth Day story.  The alpacas belonged to the passionate and animated Hayley Jessup.

Jessup works with alpacas at West Ranch — the center for education and celebration of alpaca ownership. The ranch is run by a group of women who came together in 2005 to offer breeding services, a boarding facility, and goods made from alpaca fur. Jessup explained that the alpaca ranch has a low impact on the environment — the animal fur requires no chemicals to clean and the ranch has always made sustainability a priority.

Surprisingly, in all of her years working closely with alpacas, Jessup has only been spit at a handful of times — 10 at most, she says — and usually only because she was caught in the crossfire.

-Jenna Ryan

So much to talk about but some key stats and figures:

• 923 people took a test drive in one of the new electric vehicles in the Green Car Show. Thanks to the teams from Chevy Volt, Coda, Ford Focus, Nissan Leaf, and Toyota Prius for making this possible.
• We counted about 1,500 bikes at the festival. 850 took advantage of free valet bike parking in Bike World. Still more came by foot or bus. Special thanks to our partners at the SB Bicycle Coalition, MTD, and Santa Barbara Car Free.
• The amount of water distributed by our water stations this year was equivalent to 2,000 plastic bottles.
• 85% of the waste generated by the festival was diverted from the landfill. Special thanks to Green Project Consultants for hand sorting each piece.

Gratitude and Congratulations to the entire production team from Plus One Events, New Noise, and the LoaTree crew.  Special thanks to the Community Environmental Council for bringing out team on again this year.

GREAT year peeps..let’s do it again.

Fishbon’s art exhibits typically offer a sensory experience, and their heartbeat amplification was a manifestation of that. In Earth Day’s push to include more art exhibits to balance out the content of the festival, Fishbon delivered in a big heart-filled way.

-Oisin Lewis