Announcing Our Environmental Stewardship Award Winners!
We’re so excited to honor the 2018 Explore Ecology Environmental Stewardship Award Winners! These inspiring environmental stewards were nominated by community members who believe that these unsung heroes of Santa Barbara County should be recognized for their efforts to create a more sustainable and healthy world.
The winners of the 2018 Explore Ecology Environmental Stewardship Awards are:
Gabriel Ramirez and Pyp Pratt: Students K to 6th Grade
Sarah Dent and Josh Benson: Students 7th to 12th Grade
Jill Means and Jose Caballero: Teacher Awards
Adams School Ocean Guardians Ambassadors: Class Award
Please join us at the Awards Ceremony at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 21 at 12:45 pm at on the stage in the Kids’ Corner. Recipients will be honored and give acceptance speeches on the Kids’ Stage and at 2:00 pm will join CEC’s Environmental Heroes on the Main Stage where Congressman Salud Carbajal and singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins will recognize this wonderful group of environmental stewards.
Here are some of their stories.
At lunch Gabriel Ramirez, a 3rd grader at La Patera Elementary School, puts on a bright yellow vest and takes action. Wheeling out a Compost Cart, Gabe collects food waste and teaches his friends how to compost.
Gabriel is part of the Compost Squad and according to Explore Ecology Garden Educator Bennett Rock, Gabriel is a composting champion. Bennett, who works with Gabriel in the La Patera School Garden, says that he has “shown commitment and passion to the school garden and composting program. Gabriel gets the job done and trains other students on how to collect scraps and promote waste reduction. On weekends, he rides his bike to pick up trash from the beach.”
If you’ve attended an Explore Ecology Beach Cleanup, you may have noticed Pyp Pratt, a 4th grader at Marymount, who is often found collecting marine debris from inaccessible places and dragging large pieces of debris that he can’t carry down the beach. If Pyp is there, the cleanup is going to be a success. Inspired by his own experiences at the beach, Pyp did a PowerPoint presentation at his school on the importance of beach cleanups and has spoken to neighbors, family, and other adults about why we should keep our coastline clean.
Sarah Dent was nominated by her friend Hattie Ugoretz who says, “Each day, Sarah goes out of her way to do something to help the environment and encourages others to join her and do the same.” At the beginning of the year, Sarah noticed neglected planting boxes at school. She repaired them, purchased tools and plants, and transformed them into a beautiful flower bed. Sarah also created and leads a Garden Club at Goleta Valley Junior High.
Josh Benson has been an environmental steward his whole life. The founder and leader of Tomorrows Green, a youth-orientated environmental organization that promotes, organizes, and implements environmental activities such as beach cleanups, Josh is also a Beach Captain at East Beach for Coastal Cleanup Day. Josh is an active participant in the YMCA’s Youth and Government program where he is developing his environmental advocacy skills. Josh successfully presented a water quality bill in the State Capitol that was passed and signed by the Governor.
Jill Means is a 3rd Grade at Ellwood Elementary and a big believer in teaching sustainability every day. Jill holds a recycling drive with help from her team of teachers to raise money for her school, has a worm bin in her class, and creates ways to make her classroom (and school) a greener place. Jill is also raising money to get more recycling bins for the playground, so students have a choice about where their trash goes.
Jose Caballero inspires hundreds of students at Santa Barbara High School to care for the environment and know they can make a positive difference. Jose teaches AP Environmental Science and Small Scale Food Production and received many nominations from his students, including one who said, “Jose is the most passionate and inspiring teacher I’ve ever had. I’ve learned more about our planet and life in general in his class than in my entire educational experience up to this point. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
(Jose Caballero & Family- Photo by Michael Woodlee)
Ocean Guardian Ambassadors is an after-school program at Adams Elementary School for 3rd to 6th grade students who meet to learn more about plastic pollution, conservation, and how to be effective ocean stewards. The Ocean Guardian Ambassadors share their knowledge with their classmates and are advocates for reducing plastic waste on campus and in the community. These motivated students are also working with the Community Environmental Council and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper on the Skip the Straw SB campaign in the City of Santa Barbara. The Ocean Guardian Ambassadors program is run by Claire Fackler, John Peltz, and Allison Bell.
See you on Saturday, April 21st at 12:45 at the Kids’ Corner Stage!
Eva grew up in Berkeley, CA and is a recent graduate of UCSB, where she studied Aquatic Biology and German Language. During her undergrad, Eva worked as an aquarist at UCSB’s Research Experience and Education Facility (the REEF), where she managed the aquarium facility and found a love for science communication and conservation.
Phillip is a recent Westmont College graduate and a proud member of the inaugural class of Environmental Studies students from Westmont. Phillip is excited to be on the Explore Ecology teaching team because he loves to inspire others about nature as his mentors have done for him. 
Ellie Cotter is a recent graduate of UCSB who studied Environmental Studies with a minor in Philosophy. Ellie learned the importance of community based action, spending her years interning and volunteering for local groups, such as Coal Oil Point Reserve and North Campus Open Space. 
Joey is grateful to have grown up with an abundance of nature around him and is happiest in the water or in the sun. From a young age, Joey felt a responsibility to take care of the Earth in return for all the ways she has taken care of him. This led Joey to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies at UCSB where he furthered his knowledge of how different human societies have conceptualized and interacted with the natural world throughout history.
Rachel Palmer
Alyssa grew up on Long Island, New York and spent a lot of her childhood and early adulthood exploring the mountains, meadows, and beaches throughout the East Coast. These formative experiences in nature, along with impactful mentors and coursework in undergraduate and graduate school, inspired her to pursue a career connecting youth with the natural world. From the deciduous forests of New England to the shores of the Big Island of Hawaii, Alyssa has spent over 10 years working with youth of all ages on urban and rural farms, in school gardens, and in beautiful, wild places. Alyssa is passionate about facilitating meaningful experiences for youth that deepen their connections to self, community, and the land and she believes that school gardens are the perfect place to do this. 
Nicole is a mixed media artist and vintage goods specialist who has been managing Art from Scrap since 2020.
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.
I love coming to work and getting pets from everyone.
Ian Docktor
Emma Serr is an artist and student studying Studio Art at SBCC.
Lydia
Iliana Jacobo is a Garden Educator at three different school sites. Iliana has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Sustainability and Social Justice and a minor in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University.
Lindsay Johnson
MELISSA BROOKS
Jenny joined Explore Ecology first as an Environmental Educator, then as a Program Coordinator, and most recently moved into the newly created Programs, People & Culture position. Prior to Explore Ecology Jenny worked in science research and consulting, however her passion has always been science education and outreach. Jenny loves all things related to the ocean, especially free diving, and enjoying the beauty and wonder that is the underwater world. Her greatest life passion is traveling, which she hopes to do more of again soon.
Lu’s love of all things Earth began at James Madison University in Virginia, where they got their Bachelor’s degree in Biology. Lu has a Master’s degree in Spatial Ecology- the study of how creatures interact across landscapes- from East Carolina University, where they studied rock pools along a river and the critters that dwell in them.
Luz developed a strong sense of devotion for working with diverse populations after studying Sociology at UCSB. Her background in social work includes case management for various non-profits, experience with trauma informed care, and developing/teaching curriculum for school garden education & art resiliency. 
Sarah is very passionate about being involved in the outdoors, as well as expressing creativity. She grew up in the Bay Area learning to garden with her mother and going hiking, camping, and backpacking with her family regularly. While gardening with her mother, she grew a deep connection with the processes of ecosystems and food production, so Sarah believes it can be incredibly beneficial for kids to get hands-on experience in nature. 
Sadie
Clare
Chloe grew up in nearby Ojai, CA, which helped shape her passion for living a green lifestyle and conserving wildlife. 
Aimee moved to Santa Barbara from Asheville, North Carolina. She grew up visiting her Grandma in Ojai and wanted to take the opportunity to be closer to her. By lucky accident, she has also found that she is in love with beautiful Santa Barbara! Aimee’s background prior to her Garden Educator position was in Animal Agriculture and she had a layman’s interest in keeping a garden. The Central Coast is a completely different ball game as far as growing produce and she has greatly enjoyed the challenge, as well as taking every opportunity to grow and learn with her students. She loves giving students opportunities to grow lots of food that is delicious right off the plant, as well as learning about the entire ecosystem of their school gardens. She hopes her teaching feels student-led and informed. 
Angie was born and raised in Santa Barbara. She studied Psychology at San Diego State and was a social worker in San Francisco for five years before she discovered her love of growing food. Angie learned how to grow vegetables with the Green Urban Lunch Box in Salt Lake City and then moved back to the Bay Area to start farming. 
