The Earth Is In Good Hands
The Cabrillo Pavilion was filled with hope and inspiration last Thursday in honor of the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award winners. Eco champions of all ages took the stage, each recognized for their accomplishments in caring for the earth.
The Planet Protectors, winner of a Club Award, were the first to arrive. Along with their advisor, Tricia Humbles, and teacher, Andrea Edmondson, this group of kindergarten to first graders lived up to their name by heading straight to the beach for a quick cleanup in front of the venue. Even at an awards ceremony, there was no stopping these young environmentalists! After the cleanup, they were in the spotlight, accepting their award. When asked what they found on the beach, one student replied, “A lot of trash and cool fish things.”
After that incredibly cute intro, 2025 award winner Jackson Simmons Furlati gave the crowd an update about his work growing hydroponic lettuce on his Dos Pueblos High School campus, “We’ve saved more than 37,000 gallons of water and avoided over 300 pounds of plastic. Students and staff still wait in line to get a salad in the cafeteria, ten feet from where the lettuce was harvested just a few hours before.”
After Jackson’s moving speech, it was time to meet the 2026 award winners:
- Cabrillo High School Aquarium: What started in a small classroom with one tank, one student, and one teacher has grown into one of the largest public aquariums on the Central Coast.
- Juana Zarate, Silvia Hernandez, and Rosa Herrera: These teachers at Just For Kids Preschool in Lompoc use garden-based learning to inspire their students from an early age.
- Isabella Marill: A teacher at Midland School, Isabella started an environmental club for students and is developing a comprehensive environmental stewardship plan.
- Jacob Pepper: A teacher at Anacapa School, Jacob leads the Environmental Science Club, where students are working to reduce campus waste and consumption by 30%.
- Lisa Lisle: A 5th grade teacher at Brandon Elementary, Lisa led a school-wide transition to reusable utensils and maintains a native plant garden outside of her classroom.
- Sophie & Hunter Costa: Sophie (Monte Vista School) and Hunter (La Colina Junior High) are a brother and sister duo of school garden dynamos.
- Jade Garcia: Secretary of the Santa Barbara High School Environmental Advocacy Club, Jade helps mobilize her peers around climate action.
- West Lang: West, a 4th grade beekeeper, safely relocated a swarm of bees at Santa Ynez Valley Charter School, ensuring that no bees or students were harmed.
- River Peace: River is committed to leaving the Midland School farm better than he found it by leading efforts to transition it toward a climate-resilient, perennial system.
- Dr. Bree Valla: Superintendent/Principal of Vista del Mar Union School District, Bree is guiding Vista School’s transition to the Vista Institute of Environmental Studies.
- Leise Thomason: A Science Specialist at SB Charter School, Leise has developed gardens, composting, and waste reduction initiatives, including a mini “Art From Scrap” station.
- Planet Protectors: As mentioned above, they may be small, but this mighty club at Canalino Elementary is making a big impact in keeping their campus clean.
Explore Ecology’s Environmental Stewardship Awards began in 2016 to honor local educators and students who demonstrate outstanding commitment to caring for our planet. This year’s nominations poured in from North and South County, highlighting inspiring eco heroes making a difference in their communities.
Each award was a handmade tile mosaic, crafted by the Explore Ecology team in the EE Makerspace, making every award unique – just like its recipient!
Thank you to our generous event sponsors: The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Montecito Bank and Trust, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Vicki and Phillip Pepper, The Tisha Weber Ford Family Foundation, Campus Canopy, and Susan Tompkins and Paul Kafadar.
We are also grateful to our in-kind donors: Hogue & Co., Full Moon Audio, and South Coast Deli.
And a huge thanks to the board members who went above and beyond to make this event a success: Susan Tompkins, Josh Kane of the Kane Financial Group at Edward Jones, Marianne Caston, and James Cunningham.
You can also catch a glimpse of the celebration in this KEYT news segment and read more about it in the Independent, Montecito Journal, and Voice Magazine (turn to page 15).
Learn more about two of our winners in these KCLU News stories about West Lang and the Cabrillo High School Aquarium.
We hope you enjoy the photo gallery and join us again next year.
We’ll see you at the 2027 Awards Luncheon!
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
