SBCAN & SBCORE Fall Harvest Picnic

2008 Fall Harvest Picnic

Sunday, October 26, 11 AM-4PM

El Capitan Ranch, Gaviota Coast

Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN)

Santa Barbara Council of Research and Education (SB CORE)

Here on the Central Coast among the rolling hills, oak trees, vineyards and strawberry fields, we live in one of the most spectacularly beautiful and bountiful regions in the world. Please join us in celebrating the bounty of the fall harvest--local produce and H.O.T. Heroes--on October 26^th at El Capitan Ranch on the magnificent Gaviota Coast.

High on a hillside overlooking the coast, a team of culinary wizards led by Chef Adam Newman will treat us to a smorgasbord of harvest delights, all prepared with fresh local produce from Santa Barbara County farms.

Bring the family and enjoy a hayride from the ranch entrance to the picnic site, along with toe-tapping blue-grass music, and live and silent auctions.

At this event we'll be honoring our 2008 "H.O.T. Heroes"--individuals and organizations making a welcome difference through their efforts in the areas of Housing, Open space and Transportation: Mickey Flacks, Marc Chytilo, the Environmental Defense Center and Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau.

Mickey Flacks will be honored for her longtime advocacy of affordable and workforce housing. Her vast accumulation of knowledge on housing issues makes her a force to be reckoned with as she champions those struggling to find affordable housing in one the most expensive housing markets in the nation.

As a member of the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners and the County's Affordable Housing Taskforce, Mickey has helped to create much needed housing for moderate to low income families across the county. More recently, Mickey helped to create Santa Barbara for All (SB4ALL), where she serves as co-chair. This coalition of engaged citizens seeks to create a thriving community that balances protection of the environment, economic well being, and social equity. Central to that is finding practical solutions to housing the City of Santa Barbara's diverse workforce.

During Mickey's long career as a community activist, she has served on the board of directors of the Santa BarbaraWomen's Political Committee, Environmental Defense Center, and Citizens Planning Association, among others. Mickey's heartfelt service to the community in the cause of peace and social justice has served all of us well.

Marc Chytilo is being honored for his hard-fought advocacy for sustainable transportation. As a public interest environmental attorney for over 20 years, Marc has represented numerous community groups and individuals in a wide range of environmental issues, often pro bono.

In 2002 he represented COAST in a pro bono lawsuit that resulted in the funding and establishment of the then-new intercommunity public transit service in northern Santa Barbara County, Breeze Bus, serving Lompoc, VAFB and Santa Maria. His work also led to the development of the van pool service offering safe, reliable, and affordable transportation to Santa MariaValley farmworkers. That settlement also resulted in the funding and completion of a North County Transit Plan, which set a blueprint for north county transit system upgrades. Additional advocacy has resulted in the approval of a centralized Transit Center in both Lompoc andSanta Maria.

Marc provided pro bono services to the Coalition for a Fair Measure D, advocating for public transportation, bike and pedestrian facilities in efforts to reauthorize Measure D, the County's half cent sales tax for transportation, which is now up for renewal on November 4th as Measure A. It's clear that Marc's work has transformed transportation inSanta Barbara County in ways that will benefit all of us for generations. 

The Environmental Defense Center and the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau will also be honored as co-founders of the Santa Barbara County Ag Futures Alliance (AFA), where members of the agricultural, environmental and social justice communities will be working together to find common ground in promoting the long-term viability of local agriculture.

Spearheading this Alliance has been no mean feat in a county where the environmental and agricultural communities are often poles apart on issues, and mistrust and harsh words are not uncommon. Reaching out across that contentious divide was a personal and professional risk for leaders of both organizations, but well worth taking. After twelve meetings building trust, respect, and understanding, members of the Alliance have agreed on two important projects-ag land preservation and farmworker housing.

Santa Barbara's AFA is one of several coalitions throughout California that raise awareness about of the importance of local agriculture in creating sustainable communities and maintaining a healthy planet. This importance is highlighted by the Roots of Change Fund, which supports this work: "How food is grown, processed, distributed, sold, and eaten affects the very fabric of the state. It effects our open spaces, the development of our cities, our health, our children's health, the economy, the health of our landscapes, biodiversity, the climate, air, water, and soil, in short - our connection with, and care for, the natural world."

Guest speaker James Murphy, Ph.D., will talk about the importance of sustainability in community development. Dr. Murphy isa highly-regarded expert who has worked globally on the front-end of this evolving field, most recently with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the world's leading think tank for international affairs, where he was responsible for a new initiative in climate change and energy security.

"Sustainability is a journey rather than a final destination," Dr. Murphy explains. "We know that the paradigm that emerged from the industrial revolution is no longer tenable; but the shape of the new paradigm hasn't yet entirely formed. Rather than speak, though, of 'sustainability', I propose we think in terms of 'thrive-ability', not just focusing on scarcity of resources, but on the creation of abundance."

Olivia Uribe