Taking it to the streets.

CicLAvia started in 2010 and is a biannual event that temporarily closes down streets on 10 miles of major arterial roads through downtown L.A. It repurposes the space as a ‘public park’ for the community to enjoy. Common activities include bicycling, walking, dancing and fitness classes, shared art, music, sports, games, public talks and more. More than 100,000 people from all walks of life attended the most recent CicLAvia, held in October 2012. Plans are now underway to expand CicLAvia to other locations throughout L.A. County, such as Long Beach and Santa Monica. Four events are planned for 2013 and six are planned for 2014.

The concept of CicLAvia is not a new one. The name CicLAvia is an L.A. adaptation of the term Ciclovia (Spanish for ‘bike path’) that was first coined in Bogota, Columbia in the late 1970s. Thirty years later, more than two million Colombians enjoy 120 kilometers of car-free streets every Sunday. In the past five years, this concept has spread around the world including over 80 similar events in the United States. The new term for these initiatives is Open Streets.

Open Streets initiatives look very different from place to place, but all events share a car-free environment that encourages exercise and the exploration of a city without a car. In addition to the many physical activities found at Open Streets, there is an important do-it-yourself element to these events. Opening up the streets provides an opportunity for locals to invent creative activities to share with their community, such as sand boxes, chalk drawing, giant chess boards, yoga classes and anything else they can dream up.

Saskia Lucas, the organizer of Santa Cruz Open Streets, finds the family-friendly aspect to be one of the more magical qualities of these events. “It was amazing how many families with children showed up, including many very young children on scoot bikes who you’d never normally see riding in the road,” said Lucas.

For all the time we spend in our cars on a daily basis, Open Streets provides a refreshing alternative. It helps us get out in the fresh air and establish new ties to the places we live. If you are interested in bringing an Open Streets initiative to your community, find out more at www.OpenStreetsProject.org.

The article above first appeared in LoaLiving Magazine, vol. 2, winter 2013.

By Kent Epperson, LoaLiving Magazine Contributor

Adam C. Hall

Mr. Hall formed Renaissance Holdings in 1989, a Regional Real Estate Development and Investment Banking Firm. He has 27 years of expertise in all facets of real estate. In that time, he has acquired, developed, and redeveloped a broad range of real estate asset classes, including land development.

As a real estate expert, Adam was living the quintessential American dream: a beautiful wife, three gorgeous daughters, a big house, and a successful business. Despite this, he came to realize something significant – he was fundamentally unhappy. This deep-rooted feeling prompted Adam to get to the bottom of what was missing, because although he had attained everything he thought was important in life, he still wasn’t content. This was the point at which Adam made the life-changing decision to embark on a transformational journey.

Adam’s book, The Earthkeeper: Undeveloping the Future – The Extraordinary Story of an Earth Conqueror Turned Preservationist Who Uncovers Our True Nature and Reveals the Creative Power of the Universe, is an amalgamation of the journey that transformed his life. The book isn’t simply about personal transformation, but also shares what Adam experienced along the way.

The book showcases the power of nature and that of our greater environment as a whole. For Adam, one of the most sacred places he had ever been to was deep in the amazon jungle. It was there that he found himself. “The gift of that changed my life forever…as a matter of fact, it saved my life,” he says. Adam hopes that his book will inspire his readers and encourage them to dream their own dreams, rather than the dreams of others.

EarthKeeper Alliance – The Legacy

The book’s subtitle, “Undeveloping the Future,” is Adam’s trademark. The term has two meanings, the first coming from his desire to “undevelop” his past life and develop into his greatest potential. He wants to fulfill a destiny and legacy. “Each of us has a legacy,” says Adam. “It’s just a matter of showing up for it.” The second meaning behind the term pertains to obtaining ‘development rights’ to specific properties and undeveloping vast portions of the land in order to preserve it in a natural state, which Adam began doing in 2007.

The EarthKeeper Alliance was born out of an evolution of Adam’s long experience in real estate. He started his transformation by wondering about better ways to serve the planet, the people, and communities, and was looking to shift his paradigm of ‘highest and best use’ used in the real estate world. In this world, ‘highest and best use’ is best realized by the maximum number of entitlements and developments placed on a given property, with profit as the ultimate goal. Something about this didn’t feel right to Adam, so he decided to shift the paradigm to do something that he felt was more supportive of the land. Out of this desire, Adam created The EarthKeeper Alliance, a for-profit company that began acquiring tracts of land that were slated for development and bringing them into conservation “undevelopment” as he calls it.

The core mission of The EarthKeeper Alliance is to: preserve the maximum amount of acreage possible; preserve habitat and the biodiversity associated within those habitats; and to restore potential habitat, all in addition to providing sustainable development options to support family legacies. The name “EarthKeeper” comes from the indigenous cultures of the Americas. Earthkeepers were entrusted with the responsibility to tend to the well being of not only planet earth but also its people and all its living inhabitants. Adam considers himself a modern-day Earthkeeper.

When asked how the traditional real estate world views his work, Adam is optimistic and says there has been receptivity to his platform, albeit with many questions that arise from the traditional sector. Despite this, Adam is hopeful at the transformation he believes is coming from within the real estate world.

Green Drinks with Adam C. Hall

Meet Adam by joining LoaTree for another Green Drinks event at Workzones in the Paseo Nuevo shopping center in downtown Santa Barbara on Tuesday, May 21 from 6 to 8 pm. The event is FREE. Adam will be giving a talk: “Undeveloping the Future: Realizing tomorrow’s promise, today.” He will be talking about his book, The Earthkeeper: Undeveloping the Future – The Extraordinary Story of an Earth Conqueror Turned Preservationist Who Uncovers Our True Nature and Reveals the Creative Power of the Universe.

Learn more about The EarthKeeper Alliance and become an EarthKeeper yourself at www.earthkeeperalliance.com. You can pre-order Adam’s book, coming out on June 3^rd, here. Join our Green Drinks Facebook event for specific details!

By Laura Ingulsrud, LoaTree Intern. Laura assists LoaTree with content creation and communication, including researching and writing new stories for the LoaTree blog, working on social media, and researching best practices for communication strategy. Laura loves traveling, long runs (or walks) on the beach, playing volleyball and soccer, good music, and spending time with her friends. She believes everyone should adopt the LoaTree motto and “live for a better world.”

Adam C. Hall

Mr. Hall is the Founding Steward and Managing Partner of The EarthKeeper Alliance, a for-profit investment fund that works to acquire large tracts of well-located pristine land in the United States that is slated for development. EarthKeeper then ensures that this land forever remains in its natural undeveloped state.

Before founding EarthKeeper, Mr. Hall had achieved the American Dream in all its glory, but woke up to the nightmare of his own life condition. Once a financial power broker and real-estate developer, Adam undertook a life-changing metamorphosis that would ultimately alter his mind-set from Earth Conqueror to Earth Guardian.

Mr. Hall formed Renaissance Holdings in 1989, a Regional Real Estate Development and Investment Banking Firm. Since that time, Mr. Hall has acquired, developed, and redeveloped a broad range of real estate asset classes, including land development. He also has extensive expertise in structured finance, having raised in excess of $1.5 billion in equity and debt from private and institutional sources alike, resulting in an exceptionally broad range of high net worth and institutional capital relationships. In 2007, guided by his new perspective as an Earth steward, he began to acquire large tracts of land for conservation undevelopment. Mr. Hall has 27 years of expertise in all facets of real estate.

The Earthkeeper – Undeveloping the Future, is being released June 3, 2013. Pre-orders are available on www.amazon.com.

LoaTree is a Santa Barbara based lifestyle company that profiles changemakers, builds community and inspires action through unique storytelling, the arts and events. For more information about LoaTree or Green Drinks, call 805.886.0355 or email eric@loatree.com.

Ridership in Santa Barbara is strong. The Census Bureau found that from 2000 to 2011, Santa Barbara County saw a whopping 63% increase in bicycling. At the recent Santa Barbara Earth Day festival, over 1,000 bikes were valet parked, while an additional 600 were self-parked at bike racks provided by Bici Centro. Yet even with this level of growing popularity, bicycling is still in the minority (4% of workers commute by bike in the county) and faces a number of challenges. Access to secure parking, safety and theft issues are a constant dilemma.

The issues that bikers face are all symptoms of a greater fundamental problem, according to Ed. “At the most basic level, it’s about legitimacy and making bicycling a legitimate form of transportation,” he says. “When you look around at how bike theft is treated versus car theft, for instance, you see the disparity. Finding a stolen bike is a low priority for police, but that bicycle could have cost over $1,000! This type of ‘entry-level crime’, if caught early on, could halt repeat offenses. But its just not a priority.” This quickly gets to the heart of a common problem for those trying to commute or travel by bike: not being taken seriously.

‘Bike Moves’ in Santa Barbara. Get on your bikes and ride!

In a world with over 7 billion people, bicycling should be given much more prestige. Consider the following. In a full life cycle assessment in the EU, a single bicyclist was found to emit 21g CO2/passenger/kilometer versus a car at 271g CO2/passenger/kilometer. In a 2009 study by the US Dept. of Transportation, titled the National Household Transportation Survey, it was found that the average trip to or from work for the average individual was 6.85 miles, while trips to school or church were 2.24 miles. According to Rails-to-Trails, making “mode shifts” from car to bicycle for these types of shorter trips (1-3 miles), could save over 1 billion gallons of fuel per year in the US alone. But until bicycling and bikers are taken more seriously, the benefits offered to society by this environmentally friendly mode of transportation will continue to evade us.

Bicycling to get around goes against the grain of how we have culturally envisioned transportation in the 21st century, possibly because it seems antiquated and inferior in the era of the automobile. But cyclists, marginalized on the road, understand the value bicycles bring to their community and to the natural environment. And from the fringe, they’re finding their own ways of growing a bike advocacy movement.

Guerilla biking: reflective pylons for the people.

The Reasonably Polite Seattleites recently made a guerrilla installation of reflective pylons on an unsafe bike line. Artistically inclined New York City cyclists paint bike lanes themselves. In Toronto, the Urban Repair Squad was one of the original pioneers of makeshift lanes to give bikers safer distance from cars. And in Santa Barbara, Bike Moves amasses dozens of bikers to claim the road for a (law abiding) car-free joyride one night per month.

At Earth Day in Santa Barbara, referenced earlier, the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, in conjunction with Bici Centro, set-up their popular Bike Valet program. The point of this program, explained Ed, is to create a VIP experience for bikers. Before this unique bike parking program was implemented at Earth Day, cyclists didn’t even have the minimalist ‘hitch’ bike posts to park their rides. Now, Ed explained, “bikers get to park the closest to the event, in a secure area where they can leave their belongings, for free, and they can come and go as they please. This legitimizes biking as a valid form of transportation by treating bicyclists as a priority, and keeping their bikes and valuables safe.”

Not everyone can look THIS good, but sometimes…

As the conversation wound down, Ed made a passing comment that he and other bike advocates wanted Santa Barbara to be “the Copenhagen of the Pacific Coast.” Copenhagen enthusiasts state, “40 years ago, Copenhagen was just as car-clogged as anywhere else but now, 36% of the population arriving at work or school do so on bicycles from all over the Metro area.” In referencing Copenhagen, what Ed and other bike advocates and nonprofits are really trying to achieve is ‘livable’ cities, where despite increased population and development, people can still enjoy getting around easily and being outside without the accompanying traffic, air, and noise pollution.

If you are one of the many who care about the future of bicycling, wherever you live, get involved. In Santa Barbara, it’s CycleMAYnia all month long! CycleMAYnia is program run by Traffic Solutions with funding from SB County Measure A, and provides an open invitation for bike enthusiasts and newcomers alike to learn about your bike’s mechanics, to volunteer with like-minded folks and organizations, and to dig into the alternative transportation scene. There are meetings and discussions regarding new bike paths, traffic problems, safety, and City Master Plan updates. With over thirty opportunities to get involved all month long, there’s no excuse not to check it out!

To build livable cities and liveable communities, we must find a way to value biking and make it and other sustainable transportation options the most convenient, safest and quickest means of transportation. There’s a growing group who believe it can be done. What’s your vision?

By Sarah Clark, Contributing Author. Sarah graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies from Brown University in 2008 and received her Master of Environmental Science and Management degree from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara in 2012. She currently works at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). An avid nature-lover since childhood, Sarah shares an equal passion for the great outdoors and writing. 

Ripping a little lip on an ECOBOARD

Consider the laid-back and generally health and eco-conscious vibe exemplified within the surfing community. When contrasted with the negative environmental impacts embedded within the creation of a single surfboard, a clear picture emerges of an industry in need of transformation.

“The reality is that the surfboard – the iconic symbol of surfing – is one of the most toxic vehicles in all of action sports,” said Whilden. “Surfing cannot become sustainable without first cleaning up the surfboard.”

Enter The ECOBOARD Project, a program to help surfers choose a “high performance sustainable surfboard made with the latest advancements in green chemistry and renewable materials, designed to reduce the board’s environmental and toxic impact.” The ECOBOARD Project provides an ‘eco-label’ to shapers based on the use of sustainable materials when creating new boards. By meeting these specific and measurable criteria, shapers can certify that their boards are made using less toxic materials.

“Surfing is such an appealing lifestyle,” said Whilden. “Surfers can help catalyze the transformation to a sustainable society just by living a natural lifestyle while we have fun.”

Eco-resin being applied to a new board.

Because no current industry-wide standard exists for what qualifies as an environmentally responsible surfboard, manufacturers are now looking at The ECOBOARD Project as the standard bearer, with industry giants such as Channel Islands Surfboards, Lost Surfboards and Firewire jumping on board early.

“We hope to have our benchmarks become the future standard that all shapers use,” said Whilden. With other major brands now lined up to consider their own involvement in The ECOBOARD Project, the reality of an official standard being adopted soon is a very real possibility.

Waste to Waves, another program launched by Sustainable Surf, aims to clean up the planet while promoting a healthier surf culture. Polystyrene (more commonly referred to as Styrofoam) ranks high among environmental “no-no’s” but is the primary material in surfboard production. Because of its extremely light weight and relatively large bulk, Styrofoam is difficult to recycle in an economically viable manner.

Waste to Waves currently works with surf shops from San Diego to Los Angeles, which act as Styrofoam collection stations. Marko Foam, a leading manufacturer of surfboard blanks, picks up this Styrofoam waste when making normal deliveries to surf shops. The Styrofoam is returned to Marko Foam’s Irvine headquarters instead of ending up in a landfill, or worse, our oceans. This waste foam is then ‘densified,’ delivered to surfboard shapers, and eventually crafted into your next twin fin, longboard, or gun.

Waste to Waves – or in this case, an epic new blank.

“Waste to Waves, turns an annoying piece of trash directly into an exciting product,” said Whilden. “It’s one of the most interesting recycling programs ever. It also helps drive sales of ECOBOARDS.”

With a series of other projects and outreach activities underway, Sustainable Surf has quickly found itself in a leadership role as it seeks to help green an industry that owes its entire existence to the natural world. Indeed, if it weren’t for a clean, blue ocean, the ancient trees first used for riding waves, or the sound of breakers on long forgotten non-polluted shores, surfing as we know it would not exist.

Can surfing be the greenest industry in the world? Yes. Should it be? Absolutely. Learn more at www.sustainablesurf.org.

This article first appeared in volume 2, Winter, of LoaLiving Magazine.

By Eric Cardenas, LoaTree

Douglas photographing Xuyen Pham amongst Vietnamese taro plants in her home garden in New Orleans

These terms, newly coined in many cases, are abundant and just plain hard to decipher. How am I as a consumer really supposed to know what they mean or even what I’m eating?

Douglas Gayeton, the founder of The Lexicon of Sustainability, has taken the initiative to educate the public about these new and emerging changes to our vocabulary. From ‘cage-free’ to ‘grass-fed,’ ‘urban farmer’ to ‘green collar,’ or ‘food miles’ to ‘carbon footprint,’ new phrases are packed with important meaning not commonly understood.

Douglas journeys through the United States seeking true and applied meanings for the most important, newly coined terms that describe the foods we buy and the story behind them. His unique and interactive approach relies on  story-telling and visual stimulation. He spotlights practitioners at the forefront of sustainable practices who shed light on what these terms really mean in practice. The artistic personality embedded in the visual definitions make this project one of a kind.

What sustainability means to Running Squirrel.

Douglas’ photographs and videos of his encounters embody personality and passion, adding more value to these words. Definitions are artistically spread over a visual depiction of a given term, helping people understand sustainability through understanding vocabulary.

The term that stood out to me the most was locavore: a person whose diet includes foods grown, harvested, or produced within a 100-mile radius of where it is consumed. This practice aims to keep “food miles” at a minimum. Farmers markets provide local, sustainable choices for locavores. Adopting a locavore lifestyle helps the local economy, and though the products may be pricier (though not always) than at a grocery store, the quality of foods offered is substantial while the money spent circulates within the local community.

How far does your food travel until it reaches your home?

To spread the word, the Lexicon promotes pop-up shows for people around the nation to exhibit the project. Margie Bushman, Program Coordinator for Santa Barbara City College’s Center for Sustainability, works with the two organizations that sponsor the Lexicon exhibit in Santa Barbara. The SOL Food Festival and the Center for Sustainability were both chosen in 2011 to be local curators for the national tour.

Since its Santa Barbara debut two years ago, the Lexicon has been on display at the SOL Food Festival, Santa Barbara Earth Day,  downtown 1^st Thursday events, and the Lucidity Festival. Additionally, the exhibit can be found on the SBCC campus at the beginning of each semester for kick-off events and a weekly Community Market, where thousands of students go streaming by.

“We are proud to have taken this project even further by fostering two students to do a project involving local pioneers of sustainability in Santa Barbara,” Margie tells me. “The students took a semester to interview two local food pioneers in the sustainability of agriculture – Oscar Carmona and Mark Tolefson – with the hope of having Santa Barbara create its own lexicon.”

Students take notice of the pop up show at Santa Barbara Earth Day.

The Lexicon’s goal at the national and local level is to help illuminate terms and ideas in order to define and differentiate the many new products swirling around us. Being an educated consumer is important, and the Lexicon offers an opportunity to become more knowledgeable through aesthetic insight and artistic creativity. And knowledge is power.

To find out more about The Lexicon of Sustainability, visit http://www.lexiconofsustainability.com.

By Emily Oberhand. Emily is one of LoaTree’s newest bloggers and social media coordinators. She will be graduating this June with a B.A. in Economics and Accounting, with a minor in Professional Writing.

“We are creating an intersection between food, culture, and community,” said Ahmadi. “Building community is the fundamental way to make progress- towards lifestyle change, health, and overall social well-being.”

People’s Community Market, a for-profit venture, is an offset of the successful People’s Grocery in West Oakland (creators of the first mobile market in the country). Ten years in the making, once built, this physical retail shop will help eliminate retail barriers and “food deserts” in surrounding low-income neighborhoods.

“Residents were telling us what they wanted…a full grocery store in the neighborhood,” said Ahmadi. “Inspired by other models around the country, we saw the impact we could have in the Oakland community.”

Addressing needs beyond the retail proposition, People’s Community Market will focus on quality fresh food offerings, something significantly lacking in the current food landscape of West Oakland. Often times this community does not have access to quality, family restaurants or places to gather to have a good meal.

“There is a real lack of positive social spaces currently in place in West Oakland,” said Ahmadi. “We hope to create a fairly significant cafe – a place to have a pleasant meal with family and friends.”

A depiction of the People’s Community Market.

Coined the “Front Porch,” this space will include a covered courtyard, stage, patio, and small play area for children. It will act as a place of recreation – a place to have a meal and socialize. Scheduled to incorporate programming events and guest speakers, People’s Community Market will aid in building community and social connection.

“We were inspired to really utilize grocery spaces as community centers, said Ahmadi. “Beyond retail, it will help anchor the economic and social development of those communities.”

Also critical to the community will be the market’s focus on health and education. With only one health center currently serving the greater community, many people must wait weeks before receiving service or treatment. Hoping to assist, the Market will partner with various health organizations to offer services to the community free of charge.

“We are interested in being a resource to the community, building and managing a network of providers,” said Ahmadi. “From food selection and preparation to general nutrition education, we want residents to become more knowledge about wellness.”

Brahm Ahmadi discussing the Market with a group of supporters.

In addition to modeling the market as a type of social movement, People’s Community Market will also act as a space for economic development. The for-profit venture will allow stakeholders an opportunity to buy shares in the company, giving California residents the opportunity to directly invest in the Market, and its ongoing drive to build a healthy community.

“We really valued the opportunity for ownership with this project,” said Ahmadi. “Each contributor will have a stake in the venture – it becomes much more rooted and creates an economic empowerment platform.”

In addition to investing, supporters are encouraged to become a “champion” of the project by spreading the word. Individuals and households who believe in the positive impact and want to support their mission can request a champion toolkit, which includes fliers, posters, bumpers stickers, and lawn signs. To learn more about being a champion, visit http://peoplescommunitymarket.com/be-a-champion/.

“The most important aspect when opening a business like this is social capital,” said Ahmadi. “We have created a solid foundation and vision to launch forward with our retail operation.”

By Rachel Hommel, LoaTree team writer

With the sun on my back and a notebook in my hand, I made my way through various booths while meeting fantastic people, seeing great things, and listening to some great music! The diversity of the festival struck me – from sustainable food to recycled shoes made from motorbike tires – the event highlighted the many different angles now captured within the modern environmental movement.

The following write up describes my experience at this annual festival, a Santa Barbara favorite!

The Food:

As I made my way into the festival and through the eclectic groups of people, I ran into a great booth called Alter-Eco, which works with local farmers in countries like Bolivia and Peru to bring sustainable treats with a twist to market, like dark chocolate and quinoa, as well as raw products like fair-trade quinoa, rice, and sugar. With what wonderfully seemed like unending samples of their “Dark Coconut Toffee” and “Dark Quinoa” chocolate, Alter-Eco is redefining the lines of sustainable foods. Their delicious quinoa salad made with organic corn, tomatoes, and onions was, for me, an instant hit. Alter-Eco products can be found at stores like Whole Food, Lazy Acres, and local food co-ops. I highly recommend their “Dark Coconut Toffee” chocolate as it is a sweet alternative that you can feel good about… and something that may even convert the toughest chocolate critic to a sustainable chocolate connoisseur.

SOL Food Kitchen, slinging locally grown treats all weekend long.

With my sweet tooth thoroughly satiated at the Alter-Eco Stand, I was craving something a little more solid for lunch. I of course I made my way to the SOL Food Kitchen stand which was decorated with educational signs including the likes of “Thank You to Our Farmers” and “Food Is Medicine,” firmly establishing its message about the importance of eating locally and sustainably. The presentation of these slogans and additional facts at the stand really did make a difference as I found myself drawn to their food stand simply to read what they were all about. SOL Food Kitchen bases its heart and soul in telling the public about where the food people are eating comes from, and how the environment is affected by consumer decisions in what they choose at the market.

The overarching theme of many of the food stands in the food court was the importance of eating and shopping sustainable, organic, and local (SOL) – the premise of the burgeoning food movement. Food is a key connecting factor between communities, and the food stands at Earth Day truly represented the importance of connecting people with real, healthy, and eco-friendly food. I felt that the food options presented at the festival were a good reflection of the broader sustainable food scene in Santa Barbara.

Kids Corner:

A young dancer is captivated by a slithering friend.

Young laughter and the chirpy sounds of childhood emerged from the Kids Corner, where children were getting educated about the environment through various hands on activities hosted by organizations like Sprout Up and Quail Springs Permaculture Farm, to name a few. The Kids Corner consisted of environmental education through fun activities like painting, drawing, various arts and crafts, and story time. The Kids Corner is an integral part of the Earth Day Festival as it is crucial to instill a sense of environmental obligation from childhood. Kids Corner made every effort to showcase the different aspects of the environmental movement through fun, bite-sized pieces of information that re sure to have a lasting effect on the children that participated.

Live Green Zone:

The Live Green Zone boasted a variety of information on alternative energy as well as sustainable landscaping, farming and water use. Companies like California Solar Electric, Chapala Gardens, and Built Green Santa Barbara were some of the stands that really seemed to capture the overall theme of the Live Green Zone at the festival with an emphasis on “living” eco-friendly. The Live Green Zone highlighted options available to everyone, from the new home-buyer to those interested in different kinds of energies, to the green thumbs that wanted to learn more about sustainable farming practices.

Giant Plastic Wave:

Sigrid Wright, CEC’s Associate Director, tucked into the Dopper plastic barrel.

One of the most eye-catching artistic pieces at the festival was the giant plastic wave created completely out plastic bottles, arranged together to look like a wave. Created by the reusable Dutch water bottle company Dopper, the 14 ft. tall, 17ft. long wave is a powerful visual representation of the waste created by consumer culture. The wave was created out of 6,000 single use plastic bottles, representing the number of bottle discarded by American’s every 4 seconds!! People looked at the wave in awe, and were invited to ‘surf’ the plastic wave by standing on a surfboard tucked under the wave’s curl. For me, this display was one of the defining aspects of this year’s Earth Day Festival. The Dopper, a water bottle widely used in Holland, has almost replaced single use plastic water bottles in Holland entirely. At $15 for a 16 oz. bottle, the Dopper is both stylish and affordable and hopefully will become more of a trend in Santa Barbara and beyond.

CEC Booth:

The hosts, coordinators, and main “brain” of the Earth Day Festival, the Community Environmental Council had their own beautifully laid out booth where I found festival director/ CEC Associate Director, Sigrid Wright, managing a dozen festival components with ease and grace. At the CEC booth, CEC board members and volunteers provided information to visitors about CEC’s mission to shift towards a ‘fossil free’ future while providing further details about the organization and it’s mission. CEC has helped put Santa Barbara on the map as a leader in the environmental movement around the globe.

Social Media Lounge:

#GetSocial with #LoaTree and #Oniracom

Attending to all the media needs of the Earth Day Festival was LoaTree and Oniracom’s Social Media Lounge, the heart and soul of the festival’s social media outreach efforts. Here, people could see live streams of festival-wide photos on a pair big screen televisions that captured the full flavor of Earth Day festivities. Anytime someone hashtagged #LoaLiving or #SBEarthDay on Instagram or Twitter, the pictures would automatically upload to the screens, making them visible to the masses. You could almost feel the social media buzzing as the booth was full of people, computers, tv’s and wires, helping generate a real life and online Earth Day experience.

Serving as LoaTree’s headquarters for the festival, the Social Media Lounge also featured a photo booth courtesy of Outrageous Photo where people could have some fun, snap a few pics, and walk away with an Earth Day keepsake, all while finding out more about LoaTree, LoaCom, and Oniracom’s message of social and environmental stewardship.

This festival-wide social media presence presented a unique opportunity for attendees, allowing them to highlight their experiences – essential pieces of the festival – by illustrating the diversity of the Earth Day Festival and the collaborations on various levels of people coming together to make a positive impact.

Environmental Hero Award:

The CEC is the formal presenter of the annual Environmental Hero Award, which in past years has gone to the likes of Daryl Hannah, James Cameron, Elon Musk, and local legend Selma Rubin.

Mr. Van Jones, giving his his acceptance speech. Photo by Matt Perko.

Presented at the main stage, the 2013 Environmental Hero Awards were presented to Van Jones and Bill Nye. Receiving the award on Saturday, Van Jones, former Green Jobs Advisor for the Obama administration and now director of Rebuild the Dream, discussed the negative impacts associated with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, presenting statistics on emissions, impacts to farm properties resulting from construction of the pipeline, and information about the “26 permanent jobs” created by this disastrous proposal. Currently on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Van Jones is a revolutionary when it comes to the concept of “green collar jobs,” and his speech was invigorating and honest, resulting in a rousing applause from the audience.

Bill Nye with Earth Day staff. Photo by Matt Perko

Bill Nye’s award acceptance and speech on Sunday had a different feel, as Bill Nye has always been associated with educating the masses using science as his platform. The way Mr. Nye incorporates humor into his presentation is distinctly his own, and is appreciated by fans of all ages, especially youth. His show, “Stuff Happens,” is an eye opener to the consumer as it shows in great detail how individuals can make a difference one step at a time. His innate sense of humor radiated throughout the speech, and his versatility shined through as he accepted his award in front of a large and cheering crowd. “We need to do more with less,” said Bill. I couldn’t agree more.

Volunteers:

The Volunteer tent was buzzing with movement as volunteers efficiently moved about to carry out their various festival responsibilities. The 250 volunteers who showed up at Earth Day are the “doers” of the festival. Without them, the event would be all but impossible to pull off in such a smooth fashion. From assisting exhibitors with set-up, to helping food vendors, hauling trash, helping with parking, and attending to festival-goers needs, the volunteers hold the Earth Day Festival together, allowing for an enjoyable experience for all. The volunteer tent, located behind the main stage, served as home base for volunteers throughout the day. When I swung by the tent, volunteers were munching on pizza and sandwiches while receiving their next set of instructions, providing me a glimpse of the many roles volunteers play at this annual community gathering.

The Music:

Easy Leaves, providing some Saturday afternoon jams.

The Blue Suns: On the Main Stage, The Blue Suns graced the stage with bluesy riffs and dusky vocals that left the audience impressed. Comprised of Carly Powers, Sam Kulchin, and Harry Menear, The Blue Suns provided that quintessential Santa Barbara ‘surf-rock’ sound with bluesy tones that left me swaying to the beat. Carly’s rendition of “Valerie,” sung in an Amy Winehouse style that was a treat for the ears, was perfect for the mood that highlighted the day. With a varied set, The Blue Suns set the music scene at the festival early on, and their memorable tunes stayed in my head the rest of the day.

Indian Trading Furs: With a sound reminiscent of Mumford and Sons, Indian Trading Furs brought the hip element to Earth Day as their music had people dancing and singing along. The band is locally based and has a hearty sound that echoed through their set. The Earth Day music scene this year was varied and talented. Bands like Dante Elephante, Owen Plant, the Falling Leaves, and Saturday’s closers, The Mad Caddies, also played, creating a rocky, reggae, bluesy feeling that offered something for everyone.

Beer and Wine Garden:

Emma Montalvo ‘bedazzling’ her Klean Kanteen on Sunday morning at ‘Mimosas with the Mermaids.’

Probably one of the highlights for a number of the Earth Day attendees was the energetic and social scene found at the beer and wine garden, located in front of the main stage. People enjoyed the live music while sipping local brews and wines from Santa Barbara County and the Santa Ynez Valley. Organized by Plus One in collaboration with New Noise, beer and wine garden provided a break from the heat and was a perfect spot to enjoy some tunes and catch up with friends. Local chardonnays and cold beers were a popular choice, and the mood in the garden matched the friendly vibe of the festival.

Klean Kanteens…we got one for ya!

A key highlight in the beer and wine garden was a concerted effort made by festival organizers to reduce waste generated in the beer and wine garden. To accomplish this, Klean Kanteen cups were sold both within and outside of the beer garden, allowing festival goers to drink responsibly – and sustainably. Save the Mermaids, a local educational organization, even hosted ‘Mimosas with the Mermaids’ where attendees could ‘bedazzle’ their new reusable cups!

The Fashion:

Indosole: “Soles with Soul” is the slogan of this San Francisco based company that takes used tires from Bali to create the soles of their fashionable shoes. Offering styles that are comfortable and sustainable, Indosole is further changing the way “eco-friendly” shoes are defined. Their stand was bustling with energy and color, offering both women’s and men’s shoes that were attracting young and older customers alike. Each pair of Indosoles are handmade and help support local Balinese communities, Using fair-trade practices and ensuring healthy working and living conditions for its workers, Indosole is definitely a company you can feel good.

Gaia Goddessa goods.

Synergy Clothing: The Synergy Clothing stand at the festival was also eye-catching with its simple yet stylish designs all created with organic cotton from India. Synergy’s garments are created in Nepal using fair trade practices and have an unmistakable aesthetic with its flattering and neutral colored blouses, skirts, and dresses. With an overreaching theme of sustainability that is hard to miss, Synergy Clothing strives to ensure that their clothing reflects not just a unique creative element, but also a reduced environmental footprint. Racks of comfortable skirts and shirts with different embroidered decals lined the Synergy booth, making it irresistible to festival attendees.

Gaia Goddessa: Gaia Goddessa, created by Brittney Asteya and Tarin Still brought the ‘hippie meets Lucidity meets Earth Day’ element to the festival with handmade jewelry that incorporates feathers, beads, stones, and even upcycled fur. The pieces are brought to life by their individual flavors and intricate colors that would make any ordinary outfit stand out. Based out of San Diego, Ca., Gaia Goddessa’s message is the importance of the “interconnectedness” of life, vividly displayed through their one of a kind pieces.

The Earth Day Festival in Alameda Park never seizes to amaze me with its unique mixture of people, activities, and representation of environmental issues in some of the most creative ways. From sustainable fashion and food companies to iconic displays like the Dopper plastic wave, the 2013 Earth Day Festival is sure to be a memorable one for many who participated. It’s that overall theme of community building and inspiring action that makes Santa Barbara Earth Day one of the most enjoyable things to be a part of every year – people of diverse backgrounds coming together to create something educational, eye-opening, and fun.

 By Apoorva Chiplunkar, LoaTree guest contributor. Apoorva is a second year student in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara, as well as an avid singer, writer, and blogger; Photos by Collin Hyatt, Eric Roland, Apoorva Chiplunkar, Matt Perko and LoaTree

A riff off of the traditional flea market, MYM will focus on sustainable new or re-purposed items, creative food and drink, all while retaining small town flavor and direct contact with dozens of designers and craftsmen/women. Rather than playing a massive online guessing game, you’ll soon be able to meet local vendors in person and purchase your next crafted item without waiting for shipping, paying additional fees, or worrying about that good ‘ol carbon footprint.

Journey To Market

Valerie Velazquez’s forte is organizing, event planning and utilizing technology to design efficient business solutions for creative “makers.” With a degree in Fine Art from UC Santa Cruz and inspired by the artist communities of Ojai and the surrounding region, Valerie seeks to provide exposure and market opportunities for artists at the communal level. In an interview for this article, Valerie explained that a lot of artists are so focused on their shop or workspace that they have little opportunity to take their products from ‘bench to store front.’ It was a simple transition to begin coordinating artists, crafters and designers on a larger scale in order to “make a hobby a job” and focus on the sales side of art.

Valerie described the process of creating this project as identifying a gap and working to fill the void. In this case, she observed that most locally owned artisan shops or artisan events, such as Art Walk, focus on decorative goods. “One of the things I wanted was a place to buy socks or cleaning products for the house or other conventional things,” said Valerie. “There was no equivalent to a farmers market for handmade, household items from crafters.”

Valerie Velasquez, MYM Founder.

In addition to wanting access to locally produced utilitarian items, many consumers often look for ways to buy sustainable products from socially and environmentally responsible businesses. But they want to be able to trust vendors and their production practices to ensure that they truly are as sustainable as they might claim to be. MYM’s vendor application process ensures not only a high quality, hand-crafted product, but also social and environmental responsibility by requiring vendors to meet several criteria (more on sustainability below).

“What’s so special about Santa Barbara,” Valerie explained, “is a thriving artist community, the receptivity of the City to sustainability and crafts, and the consistent tourist traffic.” Inspired by this trifecta, Valerie chose Santa Barbara to be the launching place and home for MYM!

The Sustainable Business Model

In the big picture, MYM is a small business itself, and Valerie explains that self-sufficiency is key. Sustainability, she explained, is not just about recycling. It’s also about asking deeper questions. “Is my lifestyle sustainable? Is my income sustainable? Is my model sustainable?”

Regarding local economies, Valerie asked herself ‘What kind of impact could a consortium of socially responsible businesses, organized into a market format like MYM, have on the economy?’ She realized that the consumer aspect of the MYM model is key, as it shifts people’s buying habits away from big box stores and companies where revenue traditionally leaves the city, county and even state, instead retaining it in the community. Spending where one lives supports a thriving local economy, buffered from outside economic forces and reliant on the web of people supporting the local businesses. We move away from a hierarchical business model focusing wealth and opportunity on only a few, unblocking individual potential and innovation.

While Valerie makes no claims about MYM being a solution to economic woes that currently impact cities throughout the region and state, it’s entrepreneurs like her who are able to inspire new ways of thinking about money, buying and social venture/value.

In her model, Valerie is planning to ensure high quality, sustainable products from ethical businesses that consumers can trust. She will be looking at aspects of quality, health, uniqueness, artistic merit, modernity, and price point. There are also social aspects: Is the product fair trade? Is the business giving back? Are the businesses supporting underrepresented groups through their work or partnering with disadvantaged communities? Through its application process, MYM will tease out a slew of socially responsible businesses that have the potential to transform the Santa Barbara consumer landscape through clear sustainability principles and a holistic operating structure.

Participate!

Enter promotion code ‘LOA’ when applying to receive a discount!

The first market will take place in Summer 2013 (July 6th) at Plaza De Vera Cruz in Santa Barbara, the same location as the annual Sol Food Festival. MYM will run concurrently with the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market time.

“It’s so synergistic to couple MYM with the weekly farmers market. People go to farmers market because they need great, local food every week. Now shoppers will be able to find other handmade and sustainable goods in one central location,” Valerie stated enthusiastically.

Starting with a 3 month summer season from July through September, Valerie will evaluate MYM’s progress before moving into the fall season. Her plan is to hold 2 seasons every year and, as a future goal, expand to other cities. But in Santa Barbara, Valerie’s hope is that MYM becomes a well known trademark, much like the community’s annual Earth Day celebration.

Who Should Apply?

Anybody doing handmade, recycled or upcycled products is encouraged to apply. If it’s produced locally, has elements of sustainability, and/or is artisanal in nature, MYM wants to help you sell it. Half jokingly, half serious, Valerie stated: “If you’re a small business making whatever you’re making, you should apply. We want as much variety as possible!”

Applications can be found here and are now being accepted. The application period for the summer season closes June 14. There is a $30 non-refundable fee to apply. To receive $5 off of the application fee, enter promotion code ‘LOA’ on the application form. If and when selected, vendors will have the option to choose from various packages dictating how often they participate at market per season.

MYM seeks to be the first-of-its-kind fair, bringing together artists and artisans with local consumers. Expect a vibrant hub for ideas, exchange, laughter, community building and a locally based commerce system where the economy, the environment and the people are the winners.

To learn more, please visit http://www.meetyourmakers.org. And don’t forget to spread the word!

By Sarah Clark, LoaTree Contributing Author