50 Years After the Santa Barbara Oil Spill: A Call to Action

A FREE community event to commemorate the first 50 years of the modern environmental movement, assess progress to date, and call for renewed engagement and civic action. Through special guest speakers, music and more, we’ll tap into the spirit catalyzed by the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill and create a path forward in the face of our current climate and environmental crises.

When:
Sunday, January 27, 2019
3:00 p.m. –  5:30 p.m.
Non-profit tabling from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Where:
Arlington Theatre
1317 State St., Santa Barbara, CA, 93101
 
Who:
Speakers 
Annie Leonard, Greenpeace USA Executive Director
Congressman Salud Carbajal  
Rose Strauss, UCSB Student Activist
Others TBA        

Music
Zach Gill 
Glen Phillips 
No Simple Highway 
Soul Majestic 

Event Organizers
Community Environmental Council (CEC)
Environmental Defense Center (EDC)
Get Oil Out! (GOO!)
UCSB Environmental Studies Department

Why: Fifty years ago, the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill ushered in the birth of the modern environmental movement worldwide, leading to new laws and regulations, new branches of academic study, grassroots action, and even new language. The 50th anniversary presents a unique opportunity to reflect on the movement’s accomplishments and current climate-related challenges, and set an ambitious path moving forward – one that addresses social justice, reinvigorates bipartisan leadership, and invites in those who were not at the table 50 years ago, including women, youth, immigrants, indigenous peoples, the elderly, people of color, and low-income communities. The oil spill commemoration will kick off two years of Golden Anniversaries; 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Community Environmental Council, Earth Day, and the UCSB Environmental Studies Program.

Click here for history of the oil spill and Earth Day.