September Eco-Bulletin
September marks a time for some of the most beautiful Central Coast sunsets, and soon a transition to Fall. But even as the leaves change color, ECOSLO is still hard at work organizing volunteer opportunities, virtual events, Creeks to Coast Cleanup, and addressing the local advocacy issues you care about. We are so excited to share with you all we have been working on!
We hope you can get involved and stay connected with your local environmental center - ECOSLO.
Black sage on Cuesta Ridge, photo by Heath Hooper
In This Issue:
Thanks for Your Support!
Creeks to Coast Cleanup Kits are Still Available
Keep an Eye on Urban Trees
Join The Next Beach Cleanup
Santa Barbara Exxon Trucking Update
Illegal Drilling in Arroyo Grande Oilfield Update
We're Looking for New Advocacy Committee Members
Join the Next Eco-Talk
Green Business: Sponsor Spotlight
ECOSLO at the SLO Thursday Farmer's Market
Keep Up With No New Plastic Week
Thanks for Your Support!
Thank you to everyone who came out to support ECOSLO last month in Grover Beach, SLO, Cambria, and Paso Robles - or joined us online for the silent auction - as we kicked off our 50th anniversary celebrations! We really appreciate your support in ECOSLO.
Over $4,000 was raised, and we are so grateful for our community's generosity. Be on the lookout for more opportunities next month!
Want to make a donation to support ECOSLO today, or support us in other ways? Check out our website for more information.
Creeks to Coast Cleanup Kit are Still Available!
You still have time to join ECOSLO for our 2021 Creeks to Coast Cleanup! SLO County Creeks to Coast Cleanup - as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day - will take place throughout the last two weeks of September - starting next Thursday, September 16th through Thursday, September 30th.
Cleanup kits are designed for 5 people or less and contain cleanup supplies, educational materials, and goodies from local businesses and organizations. If there are more than 5 people in your group, you can sign up for additional kits! You can choose where you would like to do your cleanup at a time that is convenient for you.
Keep an Eye on Urban Trees
Trees need extra care with summer heat and the smoke in the air. With over 140 trees planted by ECOSLO these past two years, we're grateful to local homeowners and volunteers
caring for these new trees each week. We suggest giving young trees at 10 gallons of water a week during this time of year.
If you ever spot one of ECOSLO's trees around town that needs extra water or other maintenance, we would appreciate your help in letting us know. Send an email and a description of the location of the tree letting us know what you saw to trees@ecoslo.org! We are also always looking for volunteers to care for ECOSLO's planted trees on an on-going basis.
Join the Next Beach Cleanup!
Join ECOSLO and County Parks for our next cleanup at Pirates Cove on Monday, September 27th, starting at 9am. Due to necessary safety precautions due to COVID-19, please sign-up ahead of time. For this particular location, we ask that anyone who attends this volunteer event needs to be 18 years of age or older. For more details, please reach out to our AmeriCorps Member, Allie, at allie@ecoslo.org.
Santa Barbara Exxon Trucking
In 2015, the Plains All American Pipeline ruptured, spilling thousands of gallons of oil along the Central Coast. Now, 6 years later, ExxonMobil has proposed restarting its Santa Barbara offshore platforms and loading the offshore oil onto tanker trucks.
These trucks would then transport 470,400 gallons of oil per day through parts of San Luis Obispo County and bring with them the potential for substantial and unavoidable environmental impacts. Despite this, all Exxon needs to put this plan into motion is a permit from Santa Barbara County. The cities of San Luis Obispo & Morro Bay have stated their opposition to this plan, and now it is your turn. You can take action today by following this link and asking the Santa Barbara Planning Commission to focus on requesting a thorough Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this plan. The Commission must make a decision that is truly best for both the environment and the health of the residents of the Central Coast.
Please submit your comment as soon as possible as the hearing is scheduled to begin on September 29th.
Illegal Drilling in Arroyo Grande Oilfield
Last month 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. Over the past three years, records show that Sentinel Peak has abandoned and plugged old wells, then proceeded
to drill new wells that are labeled as “replacements." By law, Sentinel Peak should have drilled no new wells since 2015, when its request for a permit extension was appealed by the Center. But the latest findings from the Center show that the County of San Luis Obispo Department of Planning and Building has signed off on 37 new wells since 2017, all under the radar. On Tuesday, October 19, the County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to let Sentinel Peak drill 31 additional wells. ECOSLO is joining our partners at the Center to call for the Board to grant the appeal filed by the Center to deny Sentinel Peak’s 2015 extension request, cease permitting of "replacement" wells, and revoke any and all unlawful approvals. We will have more information soon on how you can get involved to help make a difference.
Join the Earth Advocacy Committee
We're look for a few more volunteers to join the Earth Advocacy Committee! This is a great way to get involved in local environmental advocacy with ECOSLO.
You will be able to connect with like-minded volunteers, as well as our Community Organizer staff member, Grant. This committee is a great way to learn about local issues from fellow community members and get involved, or if you have experience in a particular area that can help ECOSLO stay on top of local concerns and opportunities. If you would like to apply to join the Advocacy Committee - or check out other ECOSLO committee member opportunities - please fill out the online committee application.
Join Us for an Eco-Talk!
Join ECOSLO for an Eco-Talk (formerly, Green Drinks) on Thursday, September 30th at 7pm! We will host a virtual talk alongside Rachel Pass from the Morro Bay National Estuary Program and Shayla Zinc from The Marine Mammal Center, who will give insight into how pollution affects wildlife, waterways, and estuaries. This is a virtual event that will be held through Google Meet. Register ahead of time to receive the virtual program link.
Green Business Sponsor Spotlight: Thank You, City of SLO!
This month, we want to give a huge thank you to the City of San Luis Obispo for becoming a San Luis Obispo County Green Business Program sponsor at the Efficiency Expert level!
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! The City of SLO is currently working to become a Certified Green Business at their City Hall building, and their decision to continue to participate in our sponsorship program allows us to help new businesses become Certified Green Businesses as well.
Thank you, City of SLO, for being a sustainability leader in our community!
Come say "hi!" to ECOSLO at the Downtown SLO Thursday Farmer's Market
For the next two weeks, come find us at the Farmers Market - Thursdays, September 16th and 23rd. We will share all about upcoming events, ways to get involved, what ECOSLO stands for, and more. This is also a chance to sign up for and pick up a Creeks to Coast Cleanup kit!
We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in helping out at our booth to share about ECOSLO. If you would like to volunteer at the ECOSLO booth, please contact our C2C Cleanup Coordinator Intern, Maddie, at programs@ecoslo.org.
Keep Up With No New Plastic Week!
We all know everyone’s number one priority at a farmer’s market is to fill our kitchens with delicious, local foods, right? Ever try to use the market as an opportunity to reduce your plastic waste?
Buying your fruits and vegetables at the farmers market allows you to skip all of that plastic packaging found at the stores and bringing your own cloth or reusable bags is a great way to skip the plastic bag.
Shopping local at farmer's markets also means that you're shopping in season. This means reduced transportation costs, packaging usage, and fresher produce. The ECOSLO crew hopes to empower you to find ways to realistically live a more sustainable lifestyle one step at a time. During the last week of each month, we encourage you to use what you have and not buy or receive any new plastic items. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for more tips and tricks on how to reduce your plastic consumption.
