Explore Ecology Annual Sustainable Table Fundraiser
Explore Ecology’s (EE) Annual Sustainable Table Fundraiser was held for the first time since 2019 on Thursday, October 26, at the Cabrillo Pavilion. The lucky 120 guests were treated to an extraordinary dinner event that was warm and welcoming, with many longtime friends of the organization reuniting.
Seen at the event were EE’s Art from Scrap Founder Joanne Hollister and her son Clinton Kyle Hollister with his wife Ashley Woods Hollister; children’s book author Fleurie Leclercq; Ana Schubert,owner of Ana Schubert Design; EE Board President Susan Tompkins; EE Executive Director Lindsay Johnson; EE PR Jill Cloutier; David Jackson of Laguna Blanca School; Clara Caldwell of Tutti Frutti Farms Carpinteria; Ben Halpern, UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science, with Kim Selkoe, CEO and co-founder ofGet Hooked Seafood; renowned Santa Barbara commercial fisherman Bernard Friedman; Glenn Fout of Lorraine Lim Catering; Sam Franz from White Buffalo Land Trust; Danielle Glynn; Clayton Garland; Bryan Kerner; Kate Kubiak; and Teal Haggar.
To honor the autumn season, the décor by Board Member James Cunningham featured earth-toned colors of greens and browns, candlelights, and festive centerpieces on long, rectangular tables. The event program started with a cocktail hour of wines, farmers market-inspired drinks like the Harvest Mood cocktail, and acoustic music by Sam Adams. Artist Kevin Gleason created a painting of the ocean view during the reception, which he donated for the live auction. The sit-down dinner was crafted by Chef Lorraine Lim and Glenn Fout, featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from local organic farms.
Emcee Geoff Green, CEO of the SBCC Foundation, started by introducing himself as Andrew Firestone. A few more jokes later, he got down to the reason all attended: to celebrate the work of EE and its outreach to the local schools with hands-on education about the environment.
He introduced EE Executive Director since 2015, Lindsay Johnson. She thanked the top four sponsors – Roblar Farm, David Edelman Philanthropic Consulting, The Record Lompoc, and Village Fleurie – and then acknowledged all the sponsors, her team, and board. She brought up those whose efforts crafted the dinner to say a few words: Clara Caldwell of Tutti Frutti Farms on the fresh fruits and veggies; Kim Selkoe of Get Hooked Seafood commented on the fresh sustainably caught swordfish, adding they also make use of all the parts of their fish by making fertilizer from it; and concluded with Glenn Fout of Lorraine Lim Catering, who prepared the meal. Johnson went on to talk about EE being her labor of love and passion to cultivate environmental stewardship in our youth. Talking points included EE environmental programs educating 40,000 students and adults annually, the School Garden Program of 10 years educating 14,000 elementary and junior high students on organic gardening, connecting with 70 local schools, and the Art from Scrap program, which started 30 years ago by local moms. Following a few quick videos of their programs, she read a quote from David Sobel, “What’s important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it and feel comfortable in it, before being asked to heal its wounds.”
With that, “Firestone” did the live auction – raising approximately $11,750 and the Ask raising approximately $21,000.
Additional event sponsors included Tisha Weber Ford, Susan Tompkins, Bryan Kerner, Beth Vos, Nancy and Michael Martz, Rachael Reed, Joanne Hollister, Michael Hamman, Danielle Glynn, Richard Banks, Ron and Melissa Brooks, Cherry Sadler, Kevin Gleason, Montecito Bank & Trust, and Oniracom.
All funding supports the success of Explore Ecology’s Environmental Education programs, Art from Scrap, and School Garden programs, educating kids through adults on all things to sustain the health of our planet, food, and lives now and for future generations.
