Community Environmental Council<\/a> knows that you\u2019re probably not one of them.![\"kking-2014\"](\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/02\/kking-2014.png\")
<\/p>\nWhether you\u2019re striving to be greener or you just like to do a solid for Mother Earth now and then, the Community Environment Council (CEC) is your advocate. The organization specializes in \u201creal life solutions for environmental problems.\u201d This is accomplished largely by meeting people where they are mentally and financially and then working from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur overall mission can be difficult to digest but we\u2019re trying to make the pieces of our mission more tangible, palatable, more understandable,\u201d begins Kathi King, Donor Relations Manager. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve created a menu of choices so people can pick and choose what part of our mission appeals to them the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CEC has divided its mission into five components: reducing the use of plastics, nixing carbon emissions, increasing solar power production, eating local, and minimizing fossil fuel usage.\u00a0 On the website, users can find practical resources on how to make optimal impact in each area.<\/p>\n
The organization has applied the divide-and-conquer rule to its internal operations as well. Fossil Free by \u201933 has become the master campaign, receiving the majority of the staff\u2019s focus. In short, CEC would like to see the region weaned off of fossil fuels in one generation\u2019s time. It plans to do so in a way that creates jobs, saves money, and strengthens the economy. It\u2019s the sort of big picture goal that most people have a hard time conceptualizing.<\/p>\n
Kathi and the staff maintain ![\"RobHoffman_img_1653\"](\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/02\/RobHoffman_img_1653.jpg\")
realistic expectations. \u201cWe will never get 100 percent away from some usage of fossil fuels, be it natural gas or oil in some way or another,\u201d says Kathi. \u00a0\u201cBut we\u2019re moving towards a net zero approach, where we are exporting wind power or solar power so that our energy usage equals out to zero, hopefully by 2033.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fossil Free by \u201933 requires a broad reach of collaborative efforts. CEC is pushing for large-scale utility solar projects that can feed into the grid, making the grid more renewable. \u201cDriving on sunshine\u201d is another big factor, promoting the use of electric vehicles that are charged by solar power. Lastly, creating a community that\u2019s more focused on biking, walking, and local food ties the vision into a pretty bow. \u00a0(If you\u2019re wondering, local food is important because it minimizes the need for fuel-guzzling food shipments and vast, petro-chemical reliant monoculture.)<\/p>\n
With enough people on board, a net-zero Santa Barbara lies within the realm of feasibility. Once one city shows that it can be done, the model\u2014complete with best practices gleaned from trial and error\u2014can be duplicated and customized throughout the world. That\u2019s the ultimate goal, the ultimate way that CEC wants to make a lasting impression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are small enough to make big changes but we\u2019re also big enough to make a difference\u201d Kathi says. \u201cWe can outsource what we\u2019ve learned. It\u2019s on our wish list to create a model that can be replicated in other places.\u201d<\/p>\n
It all starts with you. Visit the website, see what sustainability effort speaks to you, and start doing your part today! Learn more about the CEC and other environmentally focused organizations and businesses at the annual Earth Day Festival<\/a>, April 26-27, 2014 at Alameda Park.<\/p>\n![\"CECinfographic\"](\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2014\/02\/CECinfographic.jpg\")
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You know those people with the electric car, the one that\u2019s charged by the solar panels on the roof of their net-zero, LEED Platinum house? The people that only eat organic produce that\u2019s delivered by bike from the local co-op? The Community Environmental Council knows that you\u2019re probably not one of them. Whether you\u2019re striving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":9747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1717,5,3354],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-9744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-people","category-team-yardi","tag-yardi-corporate-philanthropy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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