REVITALIZING
EARTH DAY IN IV
BY CAT CONMY, EMMY ANDREWS,AND MELODY WANG
It all started with the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill...
35 miles long and more than 21,000 gallons of crude oil
killing
thousands of birds, fish, and sea mammals
Santa Barbara became ground zero for one of the most significant
conservation efforts
leading to 50 years of coastal protection over California
Images courtesy of LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-barbara-oil-spill-1969-20150520-htmlstory.html)
January 28, 1969
Tragedy struck when the largest oil spill the country had ever seen happened in January of 1969. Right off the coast of Santa Barbara, the spill was 35 miles long. 21,000 gallons of oil killed thousands of marine life and on-shore mammals, tarnishing the coastline and requiring years of replenishment. The incident was so monumental, President Nixon flew in to assess the effects of it, saying the incident has "touched the conscience of the American people". Soon after, laws regulating air and water pollution were crafted and put into effect, as it became vital to protect the species and coastal areas.
VIdeo courtesy FOX 11 Los Angeles Archives
As people, particularly college students, across the country were protesting the Vietnam War, the country saw that marches were an effective way to not only send a message to the government, but build a community around a particular effort. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S Senator from Wisconsin, was the person who brought about the idea to have a specific day attributed to raising awareness about the environment. He hoped the anti-war momentum would be carried over to environmental concerns, forcing environmental protection into the national political agenda. As he joined forces with a Harvard graduate student Denis Hayes, they planned for the first Earth Day.
April 22, 1970
With the target audience being college students, April 22nd was a perfect day to celebrate the first Earth Day, as it fell between Spring Break and Final Exams. Denis Hayes organized a national staff of 85 people to promote the day. From there, mainstream news outlets prepared for the event as well, promoting the upcoming Earth Day and advertising environmental health concerns. The day resulted in an instant success as thousands of Americans demonstrated advocacy for a sustainable environment.
A poster from CALPIRG on UCSB campus in 1988. This poster displays the sense of urgency that was placed on voting for environmental protection amongst UCSB students.
While the year is not specified here, this is also an old poster from CALPIRG promoting the student body of UCSB to do something to make a difference for the environment. These examples are extensions of Earth Day itself, as Earth Day was used as a catalogue to promote the continued action for environmental protection amongst students.
Paul Relis, a UC Santa Barbara 21 year old student at the time of the oil spill felt the powerful effects of the oil spill, as he recounts driving to campus when he heard the news on the radio, immediately turning around and driving to the beach to start clean up efforts. Paul Relis became a founding executive director of the Community Environmental Council (CEC). He says "[the oil spill] was my fateful decision in terms of my career path[...] I guess sometimes catastrophes give birth to extraordinary actions." While Paul Relis is just one example of how UCSB students were impacted at the time, other students came together to forge UCSB's environmental studies program– which is one of the nation's firsts, while some students forged Get Out Oil (GOO), and others joined Paul in the CEC.
Images courtesy of the UCSB Library Special Collections Archive: Student Activism
40 years ago marked an environmental devastation that sparked a global movement, and local residents of IV kept the spirit alive on Saturday during the first Earth Day festival.
Image courtesy of Daily Nexus (http://dailynexus.com/2015-04-26/i-v-earth-day-highlights-environmental-issues/)
This calendar of events for Earth Day in 1990 represents the importance of Earth Day not only in UCSB but amongst the community– so much so that the celebrations spanned almost an entire month! UCSB's radio KCSB aired Earth Day programs, Campbell Hall screened movies, UCSB hosted conferences and held 5K's. As the events were open to the public, the calendar displays that UCSB's student body integrated with the community to advocate for environmental protection, celebrations, and students worked hard to make a difference.
Image courtesy of the UCSB Library Special Collections Archive: Student Activism
Describe your image
Environmental Affairs Board presents IV Earth Day Festival
As the annual Earth Day neared, the Isla Vista community recognized its importance and the Associated Students Environmental Affairs Board (EAB) organized a festival full of eco-friendly shopping and entertainment, featuring live music in 2008. The EAB brought together several hundreds of celebrators to spread awareness about keeping the environment green. It became an annual event held in IV's Anisq 'Oyo' Park. The festival was not just a call to activism to show the local government that students care about environmental issues, but a celebration of the natural world as well.
"It's a really fun time here with the community coming together and putting environmental teachings into action," a UCSB student said. "I hope it inspires people to act more."
While Earth Day is celebrated all over the world, Isla Vista and Santa Barbara have a special claim to the day of the oil spill in 1969 as a catalyst to a modern environmental movement.
Isla Vista Earth Day 2018
Image courtesy of Daily Nexus (http://dailynexus.com/2015-04-26/i-v-earth-day-highlights-environmental-issues/)
THE STUDENTS ON EARTH DAY
As we shed light on how the environmental committees of Isla Vista celebrate Earth Day, let's shift focus to the everyday students of Isla Vista and what exactly they know about Earth Day's history. Do the students of Isla Vista know about the 1969 Oil Spill that started it all? "Yes, I know about it. I actually did a research paper last year about it in my anthropology class noting that an abundant amount of animals were killed during that time," says Emily, a junior at UCSB. Kelly, a sophomore attending UCSB, explained that she "vaguely heard about [the oil spill] happening", but doesn't know much about it.
When asked if they celebrated Earth Day, Emily stated, "No I don't sadly! But is Earth Day even a thing at UCSB anymore? I feel so out of the loop even though I go on Free & For Sale everyday. I feel like if people are conscious about the environmental impacts of their actions, it's celebrating Earth, even if there is no 'official celebration."' Sophomore, Kelly, actually attended the 2018 Earth Day festival in Isla Vista and had a great experience. She adds, "me and my friends loved just going around to the different booths, especially the IV Co-Op booth, where they had free samples and coupons."
Image courtesy of the UCSB Library Special Collections Archive: Student Activism
Students in Isla Vista celebrating Earth Day at a concert in the park, 2019.
"Having an inclusive community like Isla Vista enables students to come together and celebrate where we live, while also drawing awareness to the importance of protecting the environment. I spent my day planting succulents and listening to bands preform in the park with my friends!
— Catherine (left) and Maddy (right), Second-year UCSB students
UCSB STUDENTS CELEBRATING EARTH DAY ALL OVER THE WORLD
Alina, a senior attending UC Santa Barbara, has been active in environmental affairs at the school for all four years. She has been a sustainability chair for her sorority, a member of Greeks Go Green and UCSB Environmental Affairs Board, and now is a Marine Protected Area Watch Intern in Santa Barbara. So when asking her if she celebrated Earth Day in I.V., her answer was an ecstatic, "yes, of course!" She mentions, "in my years at UCSB, I have always attended the earth day celebrations in I.V., even tabling at some of them as part of my campus organizations. I like to spend the rest of the day outside, surrounded by nature."
Luckily, Alina got to spend Earth Day 2019 studying abroad in Australia. "I was able to spend the day exploring and studying the Great Barrier Reef! It was an amazing experience to spend earth day in one of the earth's most beautiful natural destinations."
CALPIRG TESTIMONIALS
The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) was formed around 1973 as a student directed non-profit organization across all of the UC schools. Students who join CALPIRG not only advocate with their peers for change, but they are able to come together with students at other UC's and pull from each other's resources. Ultimately, the students are capable of making a greater impact together.
While CALPIRG tackles a variety of issues from making college more affordable and promoting civic engagement across campus, Jennifer, the current chapter chair of CALPIRG, says CALPIRG is primarily "an environmentally focused group".
Jennifer says that CALPIRG "love[s] tabling for IV Earth Day events each year to bring awareness to climate change. [CALPIRG also has] students go to the Santa Barbara Earth Day festival and participate in those activities."
While IV Earth Day is special and unique to Isla Vista, it's important to note how inclusive the town of Santa Barbara is and how valuable the meaning of Earth Day is. The downtown festivals are seen as an opportunity to celebrate the chain reaction that occurred from the oil spill right in our home: from the 1970 National Environment Policy Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, to the 1972 Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, to the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Having UCSB students participate in those activities show the eagerness to come together despite age, where you're from, or who you are. Coming together as a community signifies the change that can be made as a group as opposed to individuals.
Isla Vista and UCSB's plans for the future
The Earth Day celebrations and traditions that students of this community have created will live on for years to come. Alexa Kerr, UCSB Environmental Affairs Board Coordinator for Earth Day 2020, explains that, "the message of Isla Vista's Earth Day Festival is to celebrate the environmental awareness, activism, and accomplishment of this town. This year is also the 50th Anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970, so it will be an extra special milestone celebration".
For the 50th anniversary, local organizations, like UCSB based environmental groups as well as I.V. Parks and Rec, I.V. Food Co-op, a few sustainable food brands such as Guayaki Yerba Mate, have teamed up with UCSB E.A.B. to celebrate this special occasion. "We hope to continue what the students of Isla Vista started so long ago", Alexa exclaims, where and when it all began in Santa Barbara on April 22, 1970.
AP Photo.
Getty Images
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg
AP Photo.
What had started in our very own backyard has now spread to a global movement. This is the impact of people who care...
students who care.
