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The Santa Barbara County Green Business Program found the ideal host in the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center for their Great Green Gathering on October 22nd, 2025. 

All who attended the Great Green Gathering were treated to a gorgeous fall evening! The event began during what film folk call the golden hour. The natural materials used to build the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center literally gleamed as I walked through the garden of native plants and tranquil water features composed of river rock. The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians are the original stewards of sustainable living with respect for the natural beauty and resources of the Central Coast, so every Green Business Network (GBN) member has much to learn from how they honor their rich heritage through cultural and ecological practices and applied science. The gorgeous structures and the open spaces that surround them pay homage to Chumash culture and local ecosystems that make this area so special, while the event celebrated Green Businesses committed to improving their facilities and processes for a sustainable shared future. 

Upon entering the central courtyard of the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center, I was enveloped by a grounding and soothing energy, a perfect place to decompress after a hectic day. The venue itself invites you to step into a vibrantly hospitable piece of living art and history. The volunteers at the Great Green Gathering registration table, Elena Nicklasson from Feilding Graduate Institute and Angeline Foshay from the City of Goleta, were delightful. They playfully urged guests to step out of their comfort zones by asking new acquaintances social bingo questions to earn raffle tickets for wonderful prizes donated by some of the GBN Certified Green Businesses. Asking a complete stranger what their favorite book was as a child, or how they most enjoy wasting time, creates an immediate connection, elevating what might have otherwise been a superficial greeting to a personal and even whimsical encounter. 

Program Director Kori Nielsen and the Santa Barbara County Green Business Program team went above and beyond to create an engaging blend of ecological awareness and enjoyable social networking. Fun and learning are both vital to human flourishing and this event generously provided guests of all ages and disciplines ample opportunities for both. Clean Slate Wine bar provided internationally inspired vegetarian and vegan nibbles made with delectably fresh local ingredients. My personal favorites were the Moroccan Chickpea harissa tea sandwiches, the Caprese Stems with heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and garden basil, and the dreamy/creamy yet crisp mini Greek spanakopita. Libations of craft hibiscus tea and Riverbench wine refreshed us as we got acquainted with each other and became better informed about GBN members and their activism in forwarding environmental consciousness and practices across Santa Barbara County. 

Inside the Heritage House, we had the opportunity to gather valuable information from event sponsors, agencies and public service providers dedicated to sustainability in practices and infrastructure. The newly certified Air Pollution Control District (Santa Maria) was highlighted, and resources for sustainable commuting were shared. SBCAG provided information about the various public transportation options across Santa Barbara County, connecting our communities and offering commuters alternatives to driving private vehicles. They also offer a platform to help commuters optimize their transportation choices for both efficiency and sustainability. Solar Shine SB and Brighten Solar provided insights and answered questions on optimizing home and business solar potential and how to improve and maintain existing systems. Goleta Water District and Santa Barbara County Water Agency offered sustainable gardening tips, among other practical approaches to conserving water at home and in our businesses. Teams from Marborg Industries, RRWMD, the Santa Barbara County Sustainability Division, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Environmental Department also provided opportunities to better understand the importance of prioritizing sustainable practices.

Kori Nielsen started the presentation portion of the evening with the Land Acknowledgement, honoring our Chumash hosts and the ancestral lands which are home to all of the communities and businesses across Santa Barbara and our neighboring counties. A panel of established GBNSBC members introduced themselves and shared their practices, discussing sustainability efforts across the county, schools, and businesses. I particularly enjoyed “talking trash” with Elizabeth Braun of the County Resource Recovery and Waste Management Department, who brought home to us how many aspects of waste management we can impact with our own daily personal and professional behaviors. Before the panelists spoke, District 2 County Supervisor, Laura Capps also shared her office’s journey of becoming a certified green business, encouraging other Supervisors, county administrators and enterprises to do so as well. One colleague so far has followed suit, 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, whose office was among the newly certified green businesses being recognized. 

The other newly minted certified green businesses celebrated at the event were: Granite Construction of Santa Maria, Love Your Life Health Solutions, Santa Barbara Foundation, our host/venue Chumash Museum & Cultural Center represented by Director James Bier and Operations Manager Nick Gianis, Solar Shine Santa Barbara, and State Street challenge participants The Crafters’ Library and Grapeseed Company. These newly certified businesses exemplify the diversity of this growing fellowship of ecological responsibility.

Several Green Businesses have continued to deepen their commitments to ecologically responsible practices, implementing new actions to make their businesses even more sustainable, thus achieving recertification for another four years!

Congratulations on your Recertification!

Just 4 Fun Party Rentals, MarBorg Industries (Cacique, Portable Toilets, Yanonali), Santa Barbara North County Public Works, Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. Mark Funkhouser, representing Chumash Enterprises Shared Services shared the innovative ways that the Santa Ynez Band has developed to minimize and in many areas, eliminate waste streams by reclaiming and repurposing food and other waste materials.

The last business to share was an Innovator business—businesses that go above and beyond the standard Green Business certification requirements. They serve as leaders in sustainability, demonstrating a strong commitment to creating a healthier, more resilient future for all. Embodying the spirit of the Green Business Network by walking the talk, they are at the forefront of California businesses making a positive impact on people and the planet.

Stacey Otte-Demangate, Executive Director of The California Nature Art Museum shared on the museum’s commitment to sustainability and raising local and visitor awareness around cultural and ecological issues. She spoke on behalf of the museum as well as for the other Green Business Innovator who was unable to attend the event—Toad and Co, which also recertified as an Innovator business.

Fun eco-friendly swag such as reusable cloth bags and drinking straws were available to those in attendance and many wonderful raffle prizes were generously donated by Certified Green Businesses. Just to provide yet another reason for you not to miss the next GBN celebration, among the prizes were a luxurious room stay provided by Santa Barbara Inn, and one year memberships to AC4 Fitness and to the SY Chumash Museum and Cultural Center! Andrew Rawls, owner of Crafter’s Library, was celebrated (with chocolate) for making the closest guess for the number of beans in the Carbon Footprint Jar. Each bean represented 100 tons of CO?, and in 2024, the combined efforts of California Green Business Network businesses reduced 37,996 tons of CO? !

As a guest in attendance, my key takeaways from the Great Green Gathering have been:

• The pleasure of meeting other like-minded professionals and community members committed to increasing awareness of the ecological challenges posed by many current commercial and consumer practices. 
• A network of human beings and neighbors who are actively investing in solutions that respect all life and the ecosystems which support it. 
• A deeper appreciation for how seemingly small actions can have significant cumulative impact on environmental sustainability. The more we normalize integrating sustainable practices, the more sustainable practices people will be willing to engage in.

Practice makes progress! 

If you are curious about initial steps you can take to improve the sustainability of your business practices, reach out to Kori and her team. Engaging with certified Green Businesses as a consumer of products and services is something that any of us can do to encourage positive change in our communities. 

Written by: Victoria Andre King, A Muse to Amuse

If you are interested in her writing services, please contact: victoriaandreking@gmail.com