If you missed the SBParent.com 2010 CAMP GUIDE... click to find 100+ amazing camps for your toddlers through teens >>

This week is about GOING GREEN & celebrating Earth Day and local families that embrace the purpose of being Eco Friendly! We can all take small steps toward living a greener lifestyle, click for some Green Tips > and check out all of the Green Businesses > that are committed as well. Participate in the upcoming E-Waste Recycling Event > And read about the recent discussion over adding a bag tax in Santa Barbara: Noozhawk article > and  Daily Sound Article >

• We recently reviewed a great eco- friendly product: Flings - Pop-Up Recycling Containers "These are the best idea for a party. A great way to collect bottles and cans and an effortless way to be eco-friendly. Every parent will love this for kids birthday parties. It makes clean up a snap!"  Read full review>>

This year, the EARTH DAY celebration will be on Saturday AND Sunday - be sure to stop by our booth and say hello and enjoy the children's section filled with activities.

The GREEN FAMILY CONTEST is one of our favorites since we can all learn from the examples these families set. These winning families will be honored during the Earth Day celebration at Alameda Park.  SB Mayor Helene Schneider in conjunction with the Community Environmental Council will recognize these green families at the main stage on Saturday at 2pm. Please join us to cheer them on! Congratulations to our 2010 winners! Here are some snippets from their nominations:

The Brody Family
"My dad is named Eric and he kind of started this being healthy thing. Jana is my mom and she basically just follows through on my dads advice. I have one brother who is 7 named Judah and a sister named Shira who will be 5 on Earth Day. I, Riva am 10.  I think we should be nominated beacuse we eat healthy and recycle & reuse most of our stuff. We all can read labels and have our own organic garden. I'm really proud of my family. At first all the changes were hard but now we're used to it and its good to know we are helping the earth."

The Pearce-Allen Family
"They're always ahead of the pack on knowing their 'green' alternatives and sharing their knowledge with friends and colleagues in a helpful and non-judgmental way. They always encourage swapping of hand-me downs, even for themselves. Katy was recently the point-person who arranged a clothing exchange for her PEP group - not for the babies, but for the moms! They survived one of the greatest challenges to any busy new family - they have exclusively cloth diapered their son Thatcher for 18 months!"

The Romeo-Conrad Family
"They live a green life and have been doing so for as long as I've known them. (20 some years) They have had an earth awareness that has influenced so many people in all of the towns where they live. They ride bikes instead of driving, they were recycling when recycling wasn't "cool." They buy local produce or grow their own. Their whole lifestyle would make mother earth smile.

Click here to view all of the Green Family nominations >

Non Profit in the Spotlight...this month we are highlighting the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara....click to learn more about their organization and how you can support them with two upcoming events: the Barbara Ireland Walk on April 24th and Kidz for a Cure on May 8.

SB Teen Idol Contest...calling all junior high and high schooler singers - auditions are being held to find Santa Barbara's Teen Idol>> This event leads up to a spectacular fundraiser Let's Fall In Love on May 22nd at the Granada Theatre, benefiting Dos Pueblos Theater and the Granada Arts Education program.

How to Come to Earth Day CAR FREE...

TAKE THE BUS: MTD buses and shuttles stop near the Festival location at Alameda Park, and buses from all over the South Coast, including UCSB, Goleta and Carpinteria, stop at the MTD transit center, only five blocks away. See www.sbmtd.gov or call 963-3366 (answered by MTD staff weekdays 6am-7pm, Saturdays 8am-6pm or Sundays 9am-6pm) for routes and schedules. 

• Ride anywhere on an MTD bus or shuttle for FREE to the Earth Day Festival - and anywhere else you'd like to go - before noon on Saturday, April 17th and Sunday, April 18th. 
• Cars are a major source of smog pollution and greenhouses gases contributing to global climate change. Take a vacation from your car and do your part for the planet on Earth Day!
• This cooperative initiative is supported by the City of Santa Barbara, MTD, Santa Barbara Car Free, the Air Pollution Control District, the Community Environmental Council, the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau, and the County of Santa Barbara. Sustainable Santa Barbara, MTD, Santa Barbara Car Free, Air Pollution Control District, Community Enviornmental Council, CVB, County of Santa Barbara

WALK: Earth Day's location makes it easy to get to without a car. Alameda Park is only a 30 or 40 minute walk from the Mesa, Upper State Street, or Milpas Street, and can be easily reached from lower downtown and the harbor either entirely on foot or with help from the MTD Downtown/Waterfront shuttle. So lace up your walking shoes and get some exercise while you make this a car-free day!

BIKE: Bike to the Festival and in addition to qualifying for a car free prize, you can also win one of 40 prizes from Bici Centro! View the online bike maps at www.trafficsolutions.info to plan your route. Download the Earth Day Festival Guide to learn more about Group Bike Rides.  You'll find free valet bike parking at the corner of Santa Barbara and Micheltorena Streets, and you can get a free bike checkup from local bike mechanics (including the Santa Barbara Middle School Bike Monkeys!) and the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. Bici Centro is also leading the Bike Train, a safe and comfortable paced group ride bike ride to Earth Day with stops in Carpinteria/Summerland, Montecito, Goleta, UCSB, and the Mesa - see details at CycleMAYnia.

Other ways to come to Earth Day Car Free:

Check out www.trafficsolutions.info for online bike maps, and a full menu of car free options!

Come to the 2010 Earth Day Festival car free, then stop by the Santa Barbara Car Free/Air Pollution Control District booth and enter to win prizes, including pairs of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner tickets and the Grand Prize, round-trip tickets for two -- including roomette accommodations from Santa Barbara to Portland or Seattle on the Amtrak Coast Starlight. 

Click here to view a list of all the green businesses. >>
Click on the names below to go directly to their websites.

Below is a partial list of upcoming events and activities so click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything >>

Use the PARENT PLANNER to click on events and resources you are interested in and click PRINT MY PLANNER to print or email your list.

Camp Calendar | School Schedules | Movie Showtimes

South Coast Earth Day Festival
Location: Alameda Park, Santa Barbara

Happy Birthday!  CEC and Earth Day are turning 40...

COME CELEBRATE

11 am - 7 pm Saturday April 17, 2010
11 am - 6 pm Sunday April 18, 2010
Alameda Park, Santa Barbara

Highlights include over 200 booths of exhibitors, the Green Car Show, Earth Day Kids Zone(Micheltorena/Anacapa St.), live music, a healthy food court, and much more! Download Festival Guide

MUS Implements Fun and Innovative Approach to Greening of Campus and Culture

Montecito Union School Green Team collaborates with PTA and school administration to promote respect and awareness of environmental issues among students, parents, and staff.

For the past several years, the PTA and administration at Montecito Union School have increasingly devoted their attention to the important task of greening the school for the sake of both environmental conservation and educating the school community about the importance of green initiatives. In 2009, the PTA established a “Green Team” as a subcommittee to help coordinate these efforts by putting the vision into action on a school-wide level.

The Montecito Union School Green Team has used human capital and creativity to involve members of every level of the school community to set the wheels in motion toward achieving their grandest vision of a green school

read full article on our blog >

With earth day around the corner everyone is thinking about how to live a greener life. GreenCare for Children has established concrete steps for parents, child care providers, and community members to create healthier environments for children. Being green means being a steward of the earth, and is founded upon raising our children in toxin-free environments, as well as teaching them how to live simple, green lifestyles.

GreenCare for Children is a local, free organization that helps child care providers improve their environmental health. The goal of the program is to make Santa Barbara's child care community the greenest in the nation in the next five years.

Make a personal commitment to living a greener life today! Go to www.GreenCareforChildren.org and complete the GreenCare Pledge. Green tips and resources are available on the website. For more information email: Info@GreenCareforChildren.org or visit the GreenCare booth at Earth day.

United Way Encourages Non-profits To Celebrate Their Volunteers

The week of April 18-24 is National Volunteer Week, and United Way of Santa Barbara County would like to remind all Santa Barbara County non-profits to take the time to honor your volunteers. Each year, millions of California residents donate countless hours of their time by volunteering for organizations statewide. The dedication and service these volunteers provide allow non-profit organizations to continue their good work, and positively affect millions of lives.

One way to honor your volunteers is to nominate them for the United Way of Santa Barbara County Community Service Champion of the Month Award. Every month, a volunteer panel reviews the nominations received and selects one outstanding volunteer to be awarded. The winner is presented with a plaque donated by Tri-Valley Trophies, and recognized in the Santa Barbara News-Press. For information regarding the nomination process, contact Matt Weisner at mweisner@unitedwaysb.org, or 805-882-0513.

Whether it is a seemingly small gesture such as a personal thank you card, or something as big as a volunteer appreciation dinner, be sure to acknowledge and honor your volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 18-24, and throughout 2010.

Ways to get involved by volunteering with United Way of Santa Barbara County:

Ongoing - Join United Way's Young Leaders Society www.unitedwelead.org

June 21 to August 6 - Volunteer at Lunch Bunch - Fun in the Sun's lunchtime volunteer program www.unitedwaysb.org/fits

September 25 - Day of Caring - the largest single-day volunteer event in the Tri-Counties www.unitedwaysb.org/doc

For additional volunteer opportunities in the area, please visit www.volunteersbc.org