Santa Barbara Botanic Garden & Community Environmental Council Host Event to Celebrate Native Plants & Biodiversity in Downtown Santa Barbara

Evening program on May 7 to feature film debut, panel discussion, and guided tours highlighting native plants and climate resilience in downtown Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (May 1, 2026) — Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and the Community Environmental Council (CEC) will partner for a special evening program on Thursday, May 7 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., as part of Downtown Santa Barbara’s 1st Thursday, bringing together film, conversation, and community engagement to spotlight the role of native plants in supporting biodiversity and climate resilience. This event is free and open to the public.

The event will feature the debut of a short film from the Garden’s Landscape Transformations series, offering a compelling look at its collaboration with the City of Santa Barbara at Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. The film, produced by local filmmaker Soraya Simi, highlights how a small plot within the iconic park has been transformed into a thriving native plant habitat, demonstrating the beauty, ecological value, and climate benefits of replacing traditional landscaping with California native species. The film will begin at 5:45 p.m. and is approximately ten minutes long.

Immediately following the screening, a panel discussion will explore biodiversity, regenerative landscapes, and practical ways the community can get involved in supporting biodiversity in their communities. The conversation will be moderated by Eric Cárdenas, Director of Impact and Advocacy at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and will include Christian Hedberg, landscape architect representing Friends of State Street; Zach Heyman, biodiversity and farming expert at the Farmhand Foundation; and Bre Sliker, former Climate-Smart Agriculture Program Manager at CEC and current Director of Grants and Engagement at Farmhand Foundation. The panel will also touch on regional collaboration efforts, including the Biodiversity Working Group.

After the panel, guests are invited to enjoy a reception with light refreshments, along with guided tours of the native plant installations along State Street led by Hedberg, offering an up-close look at how these principles are being applied in a highly visible public setting.

“Biodiversity is a shared responsibility, and real progress happens through collaboration,” said Eric Cárdenas, Director of Impact and Advocacy at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. “We’re proud to partner with the Community Environmental Council for this event, bringing together like-minded organizations and community members around a shared commitment to native plant stewardship. Through the Biodiversity Working Group, we’re working alongside dozens of regional partners to advance policies and practices that support native ecosystems. Efforts like this are not the work of any one organization; they’re collective wins for the broader conservation movement.”

“Building a climate-resilient future starts at the local level,” said Kathi King, Director of Education & Operations at the Community Environmental Council. “Partnerships like this bring the conversation into the community in a tangible way. Whether it’s a public park, a downtown streetscape, or a backyard or balcony garden, native plants offer a powerful, accessible way for people to be part of the solution.”The community is invited to come discover how to help grow a more resilient, climate-ready California. For more information about the Garden’s Landscape Transformations, visit https://sbbotanicgarden.org/conservation/landscape-transformations/.

About Santa Barbara Botanic Garden   

As the first botanic garden in the nation to focus exclusively on native plants, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden celebrates 100 years of conservation leadership and work to better understand the relationship between plants and people.  Founded in 1926, the Garden has grown from 13 acres to today’s 78 acres, featuring more than 6 miles of walking trails, a library, a public native plant nursery, and a Conservation Center that is home to various programs, including research labs, an art gallery, an herbarium, a lichenarium, and one of the largest seed banks in California. Amid the serene beauty of the Garden, teams of scientists, educators, and horticulturists remain committed to the original spirit of the organization’s founders — to conserve native plants and habitats so they continue to support life on the planet and can be enjoyed for generations to come. Visit SBBotanicGarden.org.  

About the Community Environmental Council (CEC)
CEC advances rapid and equitable solutions to the climate crisis – including ambitious zero carbon goals, drawdown of excess carbon, and protection against the impacts of climate change. CEC was recognized as a 2020 California Nonprofit of the Year and a City of Santa Barbara Climate Hero, and is led by CEO Sigrid Wright who was recently named 2022 Congressional Woman of the Year. CEC has worked since 1970 to incubate and innovate real life environmental solutions that directly affect the California Central Coast. Our programs lead to clean vehicles, solar energy, resilient food systems and reduction of single-use plastic. Learn more about the work of CEC and why it receives high ratings from both Charity Navigator and Guidestar at CECSB.org/impact Visit CECSB.org.