Santa Barbara’s Seniors Brace Themselves for ‘Global Boiling’

CEC Forum Focuses on How Central Coast Elders Can Prepare for Extreme Heat Events

Around 30 people came to the CEC’s Environmental Hub to participate in Tuesday’s Extreme Heat Forum. | Credit: Callie Fausey

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Santa Barbara and Ventura are the fastest-warming counties in the continental United States, putting the region’s most vulnerable — including agricultural workers, Native Americans, youth, and the elderly — at risk. But as the Central Coast gets hotter, the region’s seniors are learning how to stay cool.

“How can we, as a group of individuals, or fearless elders, make a difference?” asked Maureen Ellenberger, a member of the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara, at the Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) extreme heat forum on Tuesday.

CEC Director of Climate Resilience Em Johnson highlighted the organization’s community resilience hubs being established around Santa Barbara County. | Credit: Callie Fausey

The forum — presented in partnership with the Fearless Grandmothers and the Gray Panthers Santa Barbara Network — was focused on how Central Coast elders can prepare for extreme heat events, as well as take action toward a more climate-resilient future. About 30 people attended the in-person event at the CEC’s Environmental Hub, and more than 100 registered to live-stream the event on Zoom.