Blog

At Explore Ecology, we get to work with so many amazing people. We figured it’s about time for you to meet our team and to hear some of their stories. 💕⁠ Lydia Ballantine is an Environmental Educator and the Watershed Resource Center Manager. Lydia grew up in rural New Hampshire, swimming [...]

Fabric is a great reuse wrapping material that can be used again and again. Make it part of your gift. Wrap your presents with a bandanna or tea towel for zero waste packaging. The art of Furoshiki, Japanese fabric wrapping, uses folding and knotting to create beautiful packages. No tape is [...]

Ruth Wong is our Guest Blogger and a UCSB student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. You can follow Ruth on Instagram @plasticfreeglitter. On my sister’s fifth birthday my mother threw a fabulous Ariel themed party. There was a mermaid-shaped cake, face-painting, and to [...]

(Tulsi Growing Roots) Have you ever tried to propagate plants from cuttings? It’s a fun and rewarding way to acquire new plants and increase the biodiversity in your garden or yard. All you need are some sharp scissors or a knife, access to a plant that you’d like to grow, and water [...]

Naturally dying eggs is a fun project that utilizes materials that you probably already have at home. Many things that we consider kitchen waste hold great dye potential. I used carrot tops, beet tops, turmeric, and some coreopsis flowers to add color to my eggs. Other great dyes to try that [...]

Guest Blogger and Garden Educator Rachel Jutkowitz shares some of her most popular and creative ideas straight from an Explore Ecology School Garden.  Here’s Rachel! Not to say I never get sucked into my couch watching Netflix, but in general, I am a person who likes to stay active. If [...]

What happens when second graders hold their first Farmers Market? A lot of learning and fun! Guest blogger and School Garden Educator Clarisa Guerrero updates us on the recent Farmers Market held at Harding Elementary. Harding is one of 38 schools participating in Explore Ecology’s School [...]

2019 was a great year for Explore Ecology! We’re excited and ready for more growth and inspiration in 2020, but before we say goodbye to 2019, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite moments from last year. School Gardens Children in over 36 School Gardens throughout Santa Barbara [...]

This year ditch the wrapping paper and try some more eco-friendly options. Most wrapping papers are not recyclable due to glitter or tape, so make the switch. Giving conscious gifts that are wrapped with care is such a delight. I like to have the wrapping be part of the gift so that everything [...]

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season here in the US. Unfortunately, it also marks a drastic increase in food and packaging waste. Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, Americans throw away 25% more trash. This extra waste equals about 25 million tons of garbage. On [...]