Explore Ecology on Community Connection
You might be familiar with the Art From Scrap Reuse Store on the corner of Garden and Cota Street in downtown Santa Barbara. But, did you know that Art From Scrap is a program of Explore Ecology, the largest environmental education organization in Santa Barbara County?
Recently, our Reuse Director Tara Patrick and our Interim Executive Director Stephen MacIntosh sat down to talk with Sarah Clark, host of Community Connection a local television series that airs on Cox8TV.com. Stephen and Tara had a chance to talk about our environmental education programs that educate over 18,00 students a year about water quality, waste reduction, composting and gardening. They also spoke about the Art From Scrap Reuse Store’s expanded New Hours and the weekly art workshops held every Saturday morning from 10am-12pm.
We hope you enjoy the video!
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson