The County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department Long Range Planning Division, and the Community Services Department Sustainability Division, are pleased to announce a collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture to issue a call for art expressing what environmental justice means to people residing in Santa Barbara County.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures and incomes with respect to development, adoption, implementation and enforcement of land use and environmental laws, regulations and policies. The goal is to expand community understanding and awareness of environmental and climate issues, and create an opportunity for community members to share their perspectives and experiences living in the county. Themes may include air, water, transportation, utilities, housing, food access, and recreation as they relate to justice or injustice.
Submittals will be accepted from artists residing in the county. All mediums will be accepted and artists submitting work may have an opportunity to be showcased in County media, documents and policy platforms. Submissions must be submitted electronically by January 10, 2022, via the Arts & Culture website at www.sbac.ca.gov/environmental-justice. Three selected artists will receive a $500 honorarium, and two student artists will be awarded $250 scholarships as part of this initiative.
Selected art may be showcased in the Santa Barbara County Environmental Justice Element (SBCEJE), a state required element of the County’s Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan expresses the community’s development goals and embodies public policy relative to the distribution of future public and private land uses within the unincorporated areas. Because the SBCEJE is for the unincorporated county, art submissions should focus on environmental justice in the unincorporated areas only.
The SBCEJE will identify environmental justice communities where multiple factors, including environmental and socioeconomic stressors, may act cumulatively to affect health and the environment and contribute to persistent environmental health disparities.
The SBCEJE will include goals, policies, and objectives to:
- Reduce unique or compounded health risks in environmental justice communities by means that include the reduction of pollution exposure and improvement of air quality;
- Promote access to public facilities, healthy foods, safe and sanitary homes, and physical activity;
- Promote civic engagement in the public decision-making process; and
- Prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of environmental justice communities.
For more information about the SBCEJE click here. For information about the Planning and Development Department, go to www.countyofsb.org/plndev. To learn about the Community Services Department, including the Sustainability Division, go to www.countyofsb.org/csd.
About the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture
The County of Santa Barbara Office of Arts & Culture is a division of the Community Services Department serving as the local governmental umbrella for arts and culture projects and programs within the county. The Office represents a longstanding partnership between the County and City of Santa Barbara. For more than 30 years, both government agencies have shared resources and staff to maximize support for Santa Barbara arts and culture institutions, programs, initiatives and projects. For information, visit www.sbac.ca.gov.