Fifty-five years ago, Santa Barbara bore witness to the most devastating oil spill in U.S. history at that time. The University of California, Santa Barbara, stood in close proximity to the polluted channel and its tainted shores.

Before this historical moment, the world of academia had yet to recognize that it overlooked a very important aspect of educating students on how to care, respect, and develop a framework to protect our fragile world.

 

es faculty 1976

 

Just a few weeks after the spill on February 18, 1969, a pivotal gathering took place. A group of twenty-one faculty members, calling themselves "The Friends of the Human Habitat," met to discuss the possibility of promoting some form of environmental education at UCSB. This ad-hoc committee was comprised of geologists, geographers, engineers, biologists, an economist, and a historian. By the fall of 1970, the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB was established, as one of the first of a new breed of educational programs in the country. It was set up as a multidisciplinary program drawing on the strengths of many fields and providing a generalist approach to complex environmental issues.

Fifty five years later, the Environmental Studies (ES) Program remains steadfast in its commitment to comprehensively approach education while simultaneously evolving and adapting to meet the challenges of an ever changing world, both academically and environmentally. In 1972, the inaugural graduating ES class had only twelve students. In 1980, the total number of graduates rose to 871. Today, with more than 1,100 enrolled students and over 7,500 alumni actively working to preserve and protect our environment, the ES Program at UC Santa Barbara is considered one of the oldest and most successful undergraduate environmental programs in the world.

 

Building a Movement: 50 Years of Environmental Studies at UCSB

Completed just days before the 50th Anniversary, Building a Movement: 50 Years of Environmental Studies at UCSB had its world premiere at the Environmental Studies' 50th Anniversary Weekend Celebration. This inspiring documentary created by director Isaac Hernández and Mercury Press International shares the 50-year history of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, recounted by professors, students and graduates. Narrated by Jon Zuber and original score by Sheena Birrittella, we are confident you are going to love watching this film.

News Articles and Publications Relevant to the History of Our Program:

 

History of Environmental Studies at UCSB:

  1. The Greening of Higher Education at UCSB, A Letter from Environmental Studies Founding Chair, Rod Nash - view (.pdf)
  2. Environmental Studies Department Serves as Model for Universities Across the Nation. Daily Nexus, October 1, 1970 - view (.pdf)
  3. ES Dept. to Host (35th) Anniversary Events, by Ashley Ratcliff, Daily Nexus (May 12, 2005) - view (.pdf)
  4. Making an Impact: A look at Santa Barbara's active role in the environmental movement and the influence of the Environmental Studies Department on its 30th anniversary, by Eric Simmons, Daily Nexus (May 19, 2000) - view (.pdf)
  5. Education of a Generalist: The UC Santa Barbara Experience, by A.H. Schuyler, Jr. in 1978 - view (.pdf)
  6. Environmental Studies: The Santa Barbara Experience, by Roderick Nash, Former ES Chair and Emeritus Professor, Journal of Environmental Education, Fall 1974 - view (.pdf)
  7. Environmental Law Series Links Campus and Community in Santa Barbara, by Marc McGinnes in 1981 in the Journal of Environmental Education - view (link)

Impacts of the Santa Barbara Oil Blowout of 1969 

  1. 40 Years Later, Environmentalists and Oil Companies Join Forces on Grim Anniversary, Daily Nexus (January 28, 2009) -view (.pdf)
  2. A Lasting Legacy of Offshore Drilling, by Daniel Haier, Staff Writer Daily Nexus (January 31, 2005) - view (.pdf)
  3. ‘69 Oil Spill Leaves Mark on SB Environmentalism, by Daniel Haier, Staff Writer Daily Nexus (January 28, 2005) - view (.pdf)
  4. The Big Spill, By Nick Welsh - The Santa Barbara Independent (January 26, 1989) - view (.pdf)
  5. The Oil Spill Heard 'Round the Country, By Miles Corwin - Los Angeles Times (January 28, 1989) - view (.pdf)

Environmental Movement in Santa Barbara

  1. Making an Impact: A look at Santa Barbara's active role in the environmental movement and the influence of the Environmental Studies Department on its 30th anniversary, by Eric Simmons, Daily Nexus (May 19, 2000) - view (.pdf)
  2. Former congressmember, presidential candidate, and environmental leader Pete McCloskey and his impact on the environmental movement here in Santa Barbara, UCSB and beyond. 

Visit here to read Rod Nash's “Santa Barbara Declaration of Environmental Rights”