Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) will present Zuniga with the Looking Forward Award during the North County Looking Forward Awards Dinner on Sunday, June 11, at 5 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Dr., Santa Maria.

SBCAN is honoring six individuals to thank them for their hard work, and to encourage others to be involved in the community. We think it’s important to recognize people who every day exemplify the kind of work we advocate and educate about, including protecting the environment and supporting social and economic justice.

We are lucky to have Santa Maria Community Television, a public-access station that makes programs like this and many others available to residents of Santa Maria and Orcutt on Comcast channel 25.

Other producers put out shows about local history, how to draw, how to play guitar, science, politics, religion, culture and more. Sometimes nonprofits will put on programs about the issues they are working on. Any topic can be addressed on this channel. It’s all about providing an outlet for local residents and organizations to get their messages out to those who live in the same community.

The city of Santa Maria runs the local public-access station and studio. For only $25 a year, anyone living in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo counties can become a producer and have shows run on channel 25.

In spite of these protections, the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to sacrifice these aquifers, allowing the practice to continue. In 2015, after reports revealed that wastewater was illegally being dumped into protected aquifers, the state gave the industry two years to submit exemption applications. The applications were due Feb. 15, but oil officials decided to ignore this deadline, and continue to dump toxic waste into protected Santa Barbara County aquifers.

Oil companies have already begun the process of asking for cover to pollute our underground water resources. The first level of review is with the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). This agency has recommended every application that has come across its desk so far, which is a good indication of how they’ll likely rule on Santa Barbara’s applications once they are submitted.

In my recent column, I asked how well the EPA, under the new administration, might be expected to protect our water. It is clear from Cabinet picks, appointments and statements made by President Trump that the fossil fuel industry will be strongly favored over cleaner, alternative energy, and favored over the environment.

It appears the best chance we have to protect our aquifers is to convince state legislators, Gov. Brown and his regulators at DOGGR to reverse course and deny the applications.

Four years ago we wrote about the importance of solar power, for our economy as well as for our environment. Rick Perry is the nominee for Secretary of Energy. When he was a presidential candidate he said he would eliminate the Department of Energy. Will he continue federal policies in support of alternative energy? Or will he work only to facilitate further reliance on fossil fuels?

The count provides a snapshot of who is homeless on a given night. This information will be used to plan local homeless assistance systems and to raise public awareness of homelessness.

The survey offers opportunities to provide people experiencing homelessness with information about shelter and services. It also provides volunteers with a first-hand chance to better understand the circumstances that lead to homelessness and the difficulties experienced by those currently lacking a home.

Volunteers need to donate just four hours to be trained and help count on the survey day. We are using a tool that is administered on a smart phone or tablet.

Join us to make a difference in the lives of homeless men, women and children throughout Santa Barbara County by taking part in the Point In Time Count. New volunteers will be paired with people who have prior survey experience.

In 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt took action by creating the USDA Soil Conservation Service, which recognized that "the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands … is a menace to the national welfare." In 1937, FDR encouraged states to create soil conservation districts to extend cooperative efforts and conservation assistance to more farmers.

Later, the Soil Conservation Service became the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the local soil conservation district became the Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD). Their efforts helped reduce soil erosion, increased water retention and led to many beneficial practices.

These agencies now work with other governmental and non-governmental organizations, landowners, universities and private foundations to help get carbon back into the ground where it belongs.

When I heard about the Green Team, I went to the team’s garden and was welcomed. The garden is just south of the Elwin Mussel Senior Center and is the first garden inside the city’s community garden, accessed from Oakwood Drive.

The team was building a garden to demonstrate that you can create a beautiful garden and eat its produce, too. Thus began my nature adventure and we continue to share with you that gardening can positively impact our lives.