Building a Greener Central Coast — Community Environmental Council (2024)

Dear CEC Family,

Much of my life’s work has centered on making buildings and their construction more sustainable for our environment – including the home my family and I live in. When I was introduced to CEC, I immediately recognized a group that had the same passion for a sustainable future. Over the years I helped construct several CEC buildings, and served as Board President for a period.

Now, almost 40 years after my first introduction, I am more compelled and inspired than ever by their efforts to protect against climate change and educate our Central Coast communities on critical issues and promising solutions.

The themes in my weekly Santa Barbara Independent “Going Green” column reflect and are often inspired by CEC’s work. You’ll find a small sampling of my articles below.

I hope they help you learn more about various ways we can work together locally to move to renewable energy, create a stronger food system, and otherwise build climate resilience.

In health,

Dennis Allen
Chair, Allen Construction
Former Board President, Community Environmental Council

Dennis Allen Go Green Articles

This is a small subset of Dennis’ article. Search “Dennis Allen” on theSanta Barbara Independentwebsite to see more powerful ideas.

Grid-Scale Battery Storage is Taking Off

California’s mass deployment of utility-scale battery storage will help reach the clean-grid 2045 goal and maintain a consistent power supply to its residents. Some of these batteries have recently become inexpensive and easily scalable, removing the biggest obstacles to clean electricity.Read more.

Retrofitting Homes to Become All-Electric

Globally, fossil fuel consumption in buildings accounts for 28% of climate change. How can we retrofit our homes to reduce carbon emissions? California consulting firm Redwood Energy provides a report that details how homes can undergo a relatively low-cost conversion incrementally or all at once.Read more.

Large-Scale Carbon Sequestration Is Imperative

Massive carbon sequestration is the only way we can mitigate climate change. One program, Seed the North, aims to achieve this by regenerating land in British Columbia by using Indigenous knowledge, scientific research, and tech innovation with the goal of scaling the program globally.Read more.

A Farmer’s Insights in Working with Nature

Farming “modernization” promised progress but resulted in industrial agriculture detrimental to the soil and wildlife. In English Pastoral, James Rebanks recounts his decision to balance traditional and modern farming practices, leading to the discovery that diversity creates a stronger farm.Read more.

The Advantages of Local Food Production

Despite being a rich agricultural region, the Central Coast imports most of what we consume and exports most of what we produce. Incentivizing local farming is popular around the globe, including in our tri-county area. As a leader in this space, Community Environmental Council (CEC) is developing a local food program that will transform this sector.Read more.

Batteries Are Changing: Longer Life, Faster Charging, and Less Dirty

Newly developed electric vehicle batteries will soon be able to travel a million miles and be sourced in a less invasive manner. These innovations will create big opportunities for an expedited transition to a clean, all-electric future.Read more.