October Eco-Bulletin
For many of us, October marks the beginning of Autumn, cooler weather, and growing anticipation for the holiday season. October also marks the end of ECOSLO's annual Creeks to Coast Cleanup! Thank you to those that participated in this year's cleanup efforts, to take of your neighborhood and favorite places all around SLO County. From clean-ups and advocacy updates to Eco-Talks and internship opportunities, we are excited to share with you all we are up to!
We hope you can get involved and stay connected with your local environmental center - ECOSLO.
A foggy morning at San Carpoforo Creek Beach, photo by Heath Hooper
In This Issue:
The City of SLO is Looking for Your Feedback
Make a Difference with your Donation
Thank You Creeks to Coast Cleanup Volunteers!
Have You Heard About Our Full Circle Grant?
Looking for an Internship for Winter or Spring?
Join us at Pirates Cove for a Beach Clean-up!
Santa Barbara ExxonMobile Trucking Update
Update on the Illegal Oil Drilling in Arroyo Grande
Join the Fundraising Committee
Did You Miss our Eco-Talk? No Problem!
Thank You, SLO County IWMA!
The City of SLO is Looking for Your Feedback
Families, outdoor enthusiasts, environmentalists, businesses, and residents of San Luis Obispo now have the opportunity to help shape the future of the community's urban forest, made up of more than 20,000 trees.
ECOSLO is proud to be part of recent urban forestry efforts, planting over 140 trees in the past two years! The City of San Luis Obispo is assessing its urban forest program and is asking the community to take a brief online survey to help determine how the City cares for the community’s urban forest over the next few decades.
The information gained from the survey will help guide the development of an urban forest master plan, which will guide how the City manages, enhances, and grows the community tree resources over the next 20 to 30 years.
Make a Difference with your Donation
Can you support ECOSLO by making a donation, or maybe you are interested in supporting us in other ways?
Check out our website for more information!
Thank You Creeks to Coast Cleanup Volunteers!
This year's Creeks to Coast Cleanup was a great success! Thank you to the 500+ of you who participated in the event throughout San Luis Obispo County, and thank you to all of our sponsors, distribution centers, and volunteers who made this event happen.
We would love to share some of the data we collected through the 2021 Creeks to Coast Cleanup! This year...
24,548 items were collected
and 4,036 pounds of trash and recycling was collected
Of the trash collected, the three most common items were:
cigarette butts (5,704)
food wrappers (2,510)
and construction materials (987)
Have You Heard About Our Full Circle Grant?
Most trees that are removed from urban areas end up in landfills, chipped into mulch or used for firewood. This can lead to negative environmental effects as trees are carbon-storing pros. They help keep harmful carbon-based molecules (like carbon dioxide) out of our atmosphere. This is part of what motivated ECOSLO to partner up with Deadwood Revival Design to embrace the full lifecycle of our urban forests with the Full Circle Grant.
From planting trees to creating wood products made from urban lumber, the Full Circle grant supports a diversified wood economy that promotes a closed-loop system.
Looking for an Internship for Winter or Spring?
ECOSLO is opening applications for our Winter and Spring Interns! We are providing three different 6-month long internship opportunities.
1. Eco-Event Coordinator: This internship will assist with planning ECOSLO’s community events throughout the year. This may range from coordinating fundraising events to helping with putting on ECOSLO's Eco-Talks!
2. Advocacy Researcher: This internship will consist of aiding ECOSLO’s advocacy efforts in local environmental protection and community awareness. You will learn skills necessary in the field of environmental activism especially as it applies to nonprofits.
3. Urban Forester: This intern will be focused on our Urban Tree Planting Program, which involves tree plantings and weekly tree care efforts. This internship will allow you to learn more about urban forestry, tree maintenance and give you the ability to create strong community connections.
If you would like to apply to any one of these internship opportunities or have any questions please contact Jamie, the Office Manager and Event Coordinator, at jamie@ecoslo.org.
Join us at Pirates Cove for a Beach Clean-up!
At our last Pirate's Cove cleanup, volunteers collected 201 pounds of litter from the area. That's a lot of trash! But we can always find more.
Join ECOSLO and County Parks for our next cleanup at Pirates Cove on Monday, October 18th, starting at 9 am. Due to necessary safety precautions because of COVID-19, please sign-up ahead of time. For this particular location, we ask that anyone who attends this volunteer event be 18 years of age or older. For more details, please reach out to our AmeriCorps Member, Allie, at allie@ecoslo.org.
Santa Barbara ExxonMobil Trucking Update
We are thrilled with the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny ExxonMobil’s proposal to transport oil by tanker trucks through Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties!
The Commission’s decision supports both the environment and public health across the Central Coast. So what's next? ExxonMobil’s proposal will now head to the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors, which we hope will act upon the recommendation made by the Planning Commission and deny the project.
Update on the Illegal Oil Drilling in Arroyo Grande
In August, the Center for Biological Diversity revealed that Sentinel Peak Resources has been drilling illegal oil wells for years in Arroyo Grande under an expired permit.
On Tuesday, October 19, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will be deciding whether to approve or reject Sentinel Peak Resources’ application to resurrect an expired permit to drill an additional 31 oil wells in the Arroyo Grande Oil Field. Although these permits were issued in 2005 and expired in 2015, the County has allowed Sentinel Peak to drill new wells in the oil field without renewing its permits by labeling them “replacement” wells. Continue to follow along on our social media and newsletters to find out how you can get involved to help make a difference!
Join the Fundraising Committee
The Fundraising Committee is responsible for overseeing ECOSLO's overall fundraising. They develop and implement many fundraising events, such as the most recent silent auction and raffles. This is a great opportunity to come up with unique ways to fundraise while creating connections with local organizations, businesses, and individuals. If you would like to join the Fundraising Committee or check out our other amazing ECOSLO committees fill out our online committee application.
Did You Miss our Eco-Talk? No Problem!
In order to celebrate the end of Creeks to Coast Cleanup 2021, ECOSLO hosted an Eco-Talk alongside The Morro Bay National Estuary Program and The Marine Mammal Center. We discussed the importance of local waterways, estuaries, and wildlife. Alongside these important environmental topics, we also discussed how waste and pollution affect all of these natural phenomena. Thank you to our wonderful speakers Rachel Pass of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program and Shayla Zink with The Marine Mammal Center.
If you were not able to join us for our Eco-Talk, you can view it on our Youtube!
Green Business Sponsor Spotlight: Thank You, SLO County IWMA!
We want to give a big shout-out and thank you to the SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority for becoming a San Luis Obispo County Green Business Program sponsor at the Efficiency Expert level! The IWMA is a continued supporter of ECOSLO and the SLO County Green Business Program from organizing waste audits of enrolled Green Businesses, to sponsorship and grant funding. We couldn’t do it without them!
The SLO County Green Business Program is an entirely free program because we believe sustainability should be a goal of all businesses, not just the ones that can afford it. Our amazing funders and sponsors help make this possible! Not only has the SLO County IWMA shown their commitment to the environment and our community by becoming a Certified Green Business themselves, but their decision to participate in our sponsorship program allows us to help other businesses in San Luis Obispo County become Certified Green Businesses as well!
Thank you for being a leader in our community and for all the hard work you do!
