SB festival one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country

EARTH DAY

Continued from Page A1 release.

The 2023 festival, which is free to attend, anticipates all of the fun of past years. Now in its 53rd year, Santa Barbara’s communityorganized festival is one of the longest-running Earth Day celebrations in the country and is one of the largest Earth Day festivals on the west coast. Santa Barbara’s reputation as a pioneer in the environmental movement attracts national media, celebrity attention and local crowds. The 2019 festival drew over 30,000 visitors.

Highlights of this year’s event include:

• The longest running Green Car show in the United States that will feature the latest electric and hybrid vehicle technology. Festival-goers can get a firsthand feel for the latest electric vehicles and electric bikes by participating in the free Ride & Drive experience.

• Over 200 eco-friendly exhibitors.

• Beer & Wine Garden, featuring local beer, wine and food.

• A Kid’s Zone organized by LearningDen Preschool and Explore Ecology, with arts & crafts, musical performances, storytelling, face painting and eco-activities, along with a family passport that promotes kidfriendly activities throughout the park.

• Two full days of music on the Main Stage.

• A plant-forward Food Court featuring locally sourced, regenerative ingredients from ecologically-focused chefs, caterers and food artisans.

• A Homegrown Roots Zone and Homegrown Roots Stage curated by Cultivate Events to showcase the farmers, ranchers, food producers and organizations who are working to create a more regenerative food system along the central coast.

• A Free Bike Valet, with complimentary bike tune-ups and secure all-day parking provided by MOVE SB County.

• A commitment to reducing waste as on average, more than 93% of waste produced at Santa Barbara’s Earth Day is recycled or composted.

Earth Day 2023 highlights the role the CEC has played across the region for more than 50 years, shining a light on the system changes, policy implementation and individual actions needed to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. Key to this is the Annual Climate Leadership Summit, which highlights climate actions that organizations and individuals are undertaking throughout the region, with an emphasis on strategies that leverage intergenerational collaborations. More details on the Annual Summit will be available soon on the Earth Day website, www. SBEarthDay.org.

Event registration for vendors will open in mid-February, with early-bird pricing through March 17. For information, go to https:// www.sbearthday.org/exhibitors.

Those wishing to sponsor the festival can get information at https://www.sbearthday.org/ become-a-sponsor.

To nominate an “environmental hero” for an Explore Ecology Environmental Stewardship Award, go to https://exploreecology.org/ environmental-stewardshipawards/. The nomination deadline is March 31.

The CEC is also hosting a series of Earth Month events including, but not limited to:

• Ice Cream for a Cause, which invites community members to visit any of McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams seven scoop shop locations on April 22nd and opt for an earth-friendly cone instead of a cup - $1 from every cone sold will benefit the CEC.

• The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians annual Earth email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Day celebration is set to take place on April 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Draughtsmen Aleworks presents Trivia Night, a benefit for the CEC, on April 11 starting at 6:30 p.m. at their Goleta location (53 Santa Felicia Drive). Goodland Waffles will be onsite that night offering their signature waffles and melts. In addition, for those who visit either Draughtsmen Aleworks location in April and order a pint from the Karma tap, $1 of every pint sold will benefit the CEC.

Current Earth Day sponsors include the Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5), Channel Islands Restoration, Draughtsmen Aleworks, McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream, Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, Santa Barbara City College Foundation, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, Sunkissed Pantry and Tri-County Regional Energy Network. Earth Day production partners, who contribute their time and expertise to produce the event, include Cultivate Events, the Downtown Organization, Explore Ecology, LOACOM, Learningden Preschool, MOVE Santa Barbara County, Oniracom, Pharos Creative and the Santa Barbara Independent.

Bill would prohibit COVID-19 mandates without Congressional approval

Bill

Continued from Page A1 were weakened by Democratic leadership prior to the bill being passed last year and signed into law by the president, Sen. Cruz said, prompting him to file this new bill.

The Allowing Military Exemptions, Recognizing Individual Concerns About New Shots (AMERICANS) Act of 2023 was filed on Jan. 24. U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., filed a companion bill in the House.

“Our military continues to feel the effects of the Biden administration’s reckless, misguided, and now-prohibited vaccine mandates,” Sen. Cruz said. “I’m glad that we were able to remove the COVID-19 vaccine mandate last Congress, but there is more work to do. The AMERICANS Act would correct the wrongs done to unvaccinated service members who were discharged for exercising their conscience.”

Rep. Bishop said, “While last year’s NDAA directed that SECDEF rescind the DOD’s authoritarian COVID vaccine mandate, it didn’t prohibit the DOD from issuing a similar mandate in the future. The bill also

Biltmore

Owners of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa didn’t provide any meaningful remedies for servicemembers who were kicked out due to the mandate. This is completely unacceptable. Sen. Cruz and my bill, the AMERICANS Act, will close these glaring loopholes.”

The AMERICANS Act would prohibit the Defense secretary from issuing any replacement COVID-19 vaccine mandates without Congressional approval. It also would require the Department of Defense to reinstate any service member separated solely for COVID-19 vaccine status who wants to return to service, to credit all service members with the time of involuntary separation for retirement pay calculations, restore their rank if they were demoted, and compensate them for any pay and benefits lost due to demotions.

It also would require “general” discharges to be changed to “honorable” and for any records with adverse actions based solely on COVID19 vaccine status, regardless of whether the service member previously sought an accommodation, to be expunged.

It also would require the DOD to provide a COVID-19 vaccine exemption process for service members “with natural immunity, a relevant underlying health condition, or a sincerely held religious belief inconsistent with being vaccinated.”

Barbara are reportedly suing Lloyds and other large insurers. They are alleging millions of dollars in unpaid damages followed it and forced the Montecito hotel’s closure, according to Pacific Coast

From August 2021 to December 2022, thousands of service members were discharged for noncompliance with the mandate and whose religious accommodation requests (RARs) were denied, prompting multiple lawsuits in multiple states. So far, all U.S. District judges have ruled the mandate’s application and denial of RARs was unconstitutional and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Lawsuits are ongoing.

Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, which is representing multiple service members of the Navy and Marine Corps, filed a declaration that revealed “shocking evidence of the abuse, intimidation and retaliation military members are facing over the Biden shot mandate,” including at least two service members who committed suicide.

Republican co-sponsors of Sen. Cruz’s bill include Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch of Idaho, Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven of North Dakota, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio of Florida, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Mike Braun of Indiana, Steve Daines of Montana, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Josh Hawley of Missouri.

Dave Mason

WENDY McCAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Publisher

ARTHUR VON WIESENBERGER . . . . .Co-Publisher

YOLANDA APODACA . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Operations

DAVE MASON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Editor

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