Sustainable Communities

SB CAN is hosting a series of public workshops on "Creating Sustainable Communities."  Workshop participants and other interested community members can learn more about sustainability at the links below.

 

Website Resources
 
Local Resources - Community Organizations
 
Ag Futures Alliance, Santa Barbara County - http://agfuturesalliance.org/santabarbara/
 
Citizens Planning Association – www.citizensplanning.org
 
COAST – Coalition for Sustainable Transportation – www.coast-santabarbara.org
 
Community Environmental Council - www.communityenvironmentalcouncil.org
 
Environmental Defense Center – www.edc.net
 
Fossil-Free Landscaping Group, Santa Barbara - contact  odell@silcom.com
 
Santa Barbara County Green Business Program – http://www.greendifference.org
 
 
League Of Women Voters – www.lwvsmv.org
 
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network - www.sbpermaculture.org
 
Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition – http://www.sbbike.org/
 
Sierra Club, Los Padres Chapter – http://lospadres.sierraclub.org
 
Slow Food Santa Barbara - http://www.slowfoodsantabarbara.org/
 
The Sustainability Project - www.sustainabilityproject.org
 
 
 
General Information
 
Smart Communities - Information and services on how a community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well being. http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/
 
Sustainable Communities Network – Linking citizens to resources and to one another to create healthy, vital, sustainable communities. http://www.sustainable.org/
 
Center for Ecoliteracy – Education for sustainable living - www.ecoliteracy.org
 
Global Exchange - A membership-based international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic - www.globalexchange.org and environmental justice around the world and environmental ju
 
The Ecological Footprint Quiz - Ever wonder how much “nature” your lifestyle requires. This quiz estimates the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain your consumption patterns and absorb your wastes on an annual basis. After answering 27 easy questions you’ll be able to compare your Ecological Footprint to others and learn how to reduce your impact on the Earth. www.myfootprint.org
 
Center for Sustainable Urban Agriculture - www.cityfarmer.org
 
Sustainable Measures develops indicators that measure progress toward a sustainable economy, society and environment. http://www.sustainablemeasures.com/index.html
 
 
Cultivating Community Gardens
 
The Local Government Commission - Assists local governments in establishing and nurturing the key elements of livable communities: http://www.lgc.org/

 
Online Articles/Reports/Publications
 
Why Climate Change Could Wither Santa Barbara Agriculture : The End of the Land of Plenty - Sam Kornell, The Independent, Thursday, September 25, 2008
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/sep/25/why-climate-change-could-wither-santa-barbara-agri/
 
Open Space 2030 – SBC Newsletter, 2002
http://countyofsb.org/plandev/comp/programs/Newsletters/openlands/default.asp

Development of a Sustainable Community in Santa Paula, California - This Bren Group Project contains links and other resources on a variety of sustainability issues - including Building Materials (p. 28), Energy (p. 55), Landscape Management and Community Gardens (p. 81), Solid Waste Management (p. 94), Transportation (p. 111), Water (p. 132), and the Operations and Maintenance of a community (p. 134-138). Although it is specific to Ventura County, many of the resources are relevant to our region. Some of the resources could help people in Santa Maria and SB County.
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/research/documents/Limoneira_Final_Report.pdf

 
Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S. - June 16, 2009
Summarizes the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. For Full Report:
http://downloads.globalchange.gov/usimpacts/pdfs/climate-impacts-report.pdf
To Download/Order the Report or for sections of the Report:
http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/download-the-report
 
SBCAG Inter-regional Study on Housing, Jobs, and Mobility 2004
http://www.sbcag.org/PDFs/publications/FinalReport081604-complete.pdf

On Common Ground - The Summer 2009 edition of the online magazine of the National Associaton of Realtors, addresses transportation issues in the U.S. and examines opportunities for developing a new national transportation strategy. ''To say that we are at a pivotal time in addressing transportation would be an understatement. A confluence of factors -- including economic distress, politics, and changing real estate markets -- is posing a rare opportunity to create a new national transportation vision in a way not seen since the Interstate Highway system was created. The time is ripe for transportation to take a new direction. This issue will take a look at some of these new directions.'' http://www.realtor.org/government_affairs/smart_growth/on_common_ground_summer2009

 
Toward a Sustainable Community: A Toolbook for Local Governments http://www4.uwm.edu//shwec/publications/cabinet/reductionreuse/SustainabilityToolkit.pdf
 
Myths and Facts about Affordable and High Density Housing -http://www.hcd.ca.gov/hpd/mythsnfacts.pdf
 
YES – Living Communities Transportation Platform – SBC South Coast http://www.sbbike.org/docs/SCLCT.pdf
 
SBCAG Inter-regional Study on Housing, Jobs, and Mobility 2004 http://www.sbcag.org/PDFs/publications/FinalReport081604-complete.pdf
 
Government Resources - Local, State and National
 
Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District
California's Global Warming Solutions Act, signed into law in September, 2006, establishes a framework and timeline for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The California Air Resources Board is responsible for implementation of this landmark legislation. For more information on activities on the state level, see the state's climate change portal.  The District has been incorporating climate change in outreach and education programs for several years, and is currently working in a number of additional areas to help prepare the way for the state initiatives. http://www.sbcapcd.org/sbc/climatechange-apcd.htm
 
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments - The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is a regional planning agency comprised of Santa Barbara County and all eight incorporated cities within the county. SBCAG distributes local, state, and federal transportation funds and acts as a forum for addressing regional and multi-jurisdictional issues. http://sbcag.org/default.htm
 
Santa Barbara Car Free - Vehicles are a major source of smog pollution and greenhouse gases contributing to global climate change. The Santa Barbara Car Free Project is a cooperative partnership led by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District for cleaner air and a healthier planet. http://www.santabarbaracarfree.org/
 
California Air Pollution Control Officers Association : Climate Change
http://www.capcoa.org/climatechange/

CoolCalifornia.org
CoolCalifornia.org’s mission is to provide all Californians with the tools they need to voluntarily reduce global warming pollution. Includes carbon calculators, financial resources, and networking opportunities for individuals, businesses, and government.
http://www.coolcalifornia.org/

 
California Climate Change Portal : California’s Resource for Global Climate Change Information - California produces roughly 1.4 percent of the world's, and 6.2 percent of the total U.S., greenhouse gases. Our state has been working on and finding solutions to our impact on climate since 1988. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2005 executive order on climate change kicked into high gear to further advance clean renewable energy and other solutions to lower our state's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And the landmark California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 established the first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of GHG. http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/
FAQ - http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/publications/faqs.html
 
 
Assembly Bill 32: Global Warming Solutions Act
ARB Climate Change Program LogoIn 2006, the Legislature passed and Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which set the 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal into law.  It directed the California Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) to begin developing discrete early actions to reduce greenhouse gases while also preparing a scoping plan to identify how best to reach the 2020 limit.  The reduction measures to meet the 2020 target are to be adopted by the start of 2011. http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ab32/ab32.htm
 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : National Climatic Data Center
Global Warming FAQ
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
 
 
EPA Climate Change For Kids Site
http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/climatesys.html

 

U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606), which called for "a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change." Includes regional and sectoral climate information, publications, and other resources. http://www.globalchange.gov/

Global Climate Change Links - http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/links.html