CEC’s Green Gala Cultivates Climate Solutions Across the Central Coast

The Community Environmental Council’s annual Green Gala is giving the first word of the event’s name extra emphasis for this year’s event. The 2026 fundraiser, slated for Saturday, September 19 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, carries the theme of “Rooted in Hope,” which springs from the concept that hope has roots, and many important things often begin beneath the surface.

Long before a seed becomes a harvest, healthy soil is quietly doing the work that makes life possible. It nourishes plants, supports biodiversity and sustains entire ecosystems. We rarely see it, but everything depends on it.

Communities work the same way. Meaningful climate action grows through relationships, shared purpose, and people working together – farmers and ranchers, scientists and entrepreneurs, volunteers and advocates, donors and partners. Each plays a role in creating a healthier, more resilient future.

Pretty much all of those aspects will be represented at the Green Gala.

Rather than just wandering through a social hour sipping random beverages and munching on hors d’oeuvres before the sit-down dinner and program (as at a typical benefit event), this year’s Green Gala attendees will begin the evening exploring the Green Gala Market, a new add-on featuring local farmers, ranchers and food and beverage artisans, including winemakers, who are implementing regenerative practices and helping create a more resilient Central Coast.

“This event is going to be so immersive and so different from any of our previous galas,” explained Katie Hershfelt, senior communications consultant and Green Gala lead with CEC. “We’re shaking things up to make the event more fun, more engaging, and even more educational as we shine a light on Climate Smart Agriculture. The idea is to give people that opportunity to see it in action up close and personal before they sit down for the program and get ready to raise their paddle to support us, so they’ll know firsthand what it is they’re supporting.”

As guests arrive on site, they can get a drink at the bar featuring farm-to-bar cocktails, and regenerative wine and beer as well as soft drinks. They can engage with the farmers, ranchers, food artisans, chefs and others to talk about the climate-smart or regenerative ag practices that they implement, but also get a taste of the food or drinks they make.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn more about what all of these amazing people in our community are doing to make our agricultural lands more resilient against climate impacts,” Hershfelt said.

For example, Ventura Spirits will be onsite to offer tastings and talk about the variety of their offerings, including La Paloma, its distilled agave spirit, with Doug Richardson, the farmer who Hershfelt said is leading the charge in our region on regenerative practices for agave, sharing how they work with Ventura Spirits to create an end product that is sustainable. Similarly, Twenty-Four Blackbirds’ Mike Orlando will be on hand to offer samples of his delectable delights and share his journey into growing California’s first cacao and vanilla farm, while Gonzales Siemens Family Farm’s multi-generational farmers Nathanael Gonzales-Siemens and Rebekka Siemens will help visitors learn how regenerative practices are shaping the farm’s almond and grain production.

Guests can also peruse the silent auction, which will have some of the typical fundraiser items on a central table, but more appropriately will be augmented by one-of-a-kind items from each of the Climate Smart Ag participants at their individual booths connected to their work. Some examples include: 

• Cuyama Lamb’s handwoven blanket using Cuyama Lamb wool, woven by maestro Porfirio Gutiérrez.

• TW Hollister & Co.’s basket of agricultural products grown and made at Hollister Ranch from a compilation of owners, including aperitifs, jam, honey, flowers and produce, plus floral-making classes and other gift certificates.

• Coyote’s Market basket full of locally raised, regenerative, grass-finished beef in an assortment of cuts plus local wild-caught fish, and a curated selection of Coyote’s pantry staples and local wine.

Meanwhile, CEC’s Climate Smart Ag will be at a table sharing about their work in the space, which includes providing technical assistance and funding support for farmers and ranchers to help them implement these practices.

“We basically guide them from start to finish and help them get access to resources so that they can implement these practices on their land,” Hershfelt explained. “Most of the folks in the market that are highlighted have worked with us on that process. We’re showcasing the folks that we do work with, but also folks that are just doing it on their own.”

The bigger picture, she said, is that the more farmers and ranchers and land stewards who can transition their land to climate smart or regenerative practices, the more prepared we will be as a community for climate impacts. 

“We can’t do it all. It takes everybody to make a difference,” she said.

All that takes place before the main event, which boasts a sit-down program featuring a seasonal, climate-smart dinner created in collaboration with celebrity Chef Elizabeth Poett of Rancho San Julian and The Ranch Table, who also serves as the keynote speaker.

“She’s a seventh-generation rancher whose family has stewarded a huge chunk of land in the Lompoc Valley for decades,” Hershfelt said. “The menu will reflect recipes from her cookbook, and we’re sourcing every single ingredient on the menu locally, including the proteins and the dairy – all of it.”

Poett’s talk will center on the importance of community and how all of us play a role in raising the climate resiliency of the region, showcasing how it takes a village to make sure that their land is stewarded properly.

Proceeds from the Green Gala support the Community Environmental Council’s work advancing clean energy, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience and environmental justice throughout California’s Central Coast.  

Visit https://cecsb.org/green-gala.