Green Noise Santa Barbara 

Bringing thousands of people to one location has an impact, so we’ve put together some helpful links, information, and resources to make sure you are armed with the most sustainable choices possible.

Carbon Footprint 101

Everyone’s worried about your carbon footprint these days. What is it? This website breaks it down: http://carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html
 
So how can you cut down on your carbon? Here are some tips. 

Cutting Carbon at New Noise

What follows are a slew of local options for reducing your carbon footprint and increasing the sustainability of this inaugural event. Luckily, you’re already in Santa Barbara— the birthplace of Earth Day, in fact — so the town comes loaded with eco-minded people and organizations with a rich history of environmental action and culture.
 

Headquarters: The Canary Hotel

Located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, The Canary puts you within walking distance to almost everything imaginable…so get out and walk! Within a mile you can find electric shuttles, bus lines, every type of restaurant imaginable, lodging, parks, beaches, and entertainment.

Transportation:

Getting to the Conference: Right now, Amtrak is offering a 20% discount. Check out Santa Barbara Car Free!  

When in Santa Barbara: Check out www.santabarbaracarfree.org for maps and information about walking, biking, busing, and more. We’re lucky in Santa Barbara to have very friendly eco-minded transportation serving all of downtown, from theArlington to the Canary and down to the nightclubs and beach. Here are some tips:
 
Electric Shuttles: These shuttles, run by the Metropolitan Transit District of Santa Barbara (known to locals as MTD), operate from 8 a.m. till 7 p.m., only cost a quarter, and run regularly up and down State Street, cross-town, and down to the beach.  Go here for a map and more info.

Buses: The hub of Santa Barbara’s comprehensive bus system is right up Chapala Street from the Canary. Buses run most of the day into the night and travel from Carpinteria to Isla Vista. Learn how to ride here.

Walking: The best of all options in terms of sustainability, health, sightseeing, and fun. For a good map and cool places to check out on foot, go here.

Cabs: While Lucky Cab was the pioneer, the options for hybrid taxicabs are increasing all the time in Santa Barbara. Check out some selected taxicab companies here.

Bicycling: There are hundreds of miles of bike paths with gorgeous scenes, from beach to mountaintops, on each of them. For some bike maps and rental options, go here.

Pedi-cabs: Get a ride back to your hotel or home using a human-powered pedal power on a pedi-cab. Call them for a ride at 805-453-2759 or check out sbpedicab.com.
 
Maps You Need: Here are the best maps to make your way from The Canary to the music venues hosted by New Noise Santa Barbara.
 
The Canary to Arlington Theatre: Here
 
The Canary to SOhO: Here
 
The Canary to Velvet Jones: Here

The Canary to Whiskey Richards: Here

Grubbing Green

For such a small town, our choice of healthy, local, fresh, and oftentimes organic fare is incredible. You can walk to dozens of eateries from the Canary itself.
 
1.      Green Restaurants: Here’s a list of eco-minded eateries. Some favorites include the Sojourner Café, SpiritLand Bistro, and the Natural Café.
2.      All the Restaurants: For even longer lists of restaurants in Santa Barbara and beyond, check out: DiningSantaBarbara.com, Independent.com , and SantaBarbara.com.
3.      The Farmer’s Market: For an incredible array of fresh veggies, meats, juices, cheeses, and fruit, hit this up Saturday morning for good eats, great people watching, and the occasionally stunning busker. It’s located in a parking lot at Cota Street and Santa Barbara Street, two blocks off State Street. See sbfarmersmarket.org.
4.      The Sea’s Bounty: Being right on the ocean with a great fishing community, we have access to tasty, locally caught seafood, and you can pick them at a fish market in the Santa Barbara Harbor. But whether you cook it yourself or get it prepared by a restaurant, please remember to eat fish rated as safe and sustainable by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Guide. You can even download the Seafood Guide onto your iPhone ! And for more information, see what the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center has to say here.

Groovin Green

Making the correct choices as an individual is the most powerful way to make an impact and reduce the carbon footprint of New Noise. Here are some ways to be a greener groover:
 
1.      Waste Management: Santa Barbara has implemented aggressive recycling and reduction programs citywide. Read about them here.
2.      Bring your own mug: There are coffee shops everywhere and no doubt that the late nights of dancing will require some morning joe. So bring your own mug to town.
3.      Recycling: Recycling bins are next to trash cans on both sides of State Street from Victoria to Cota street. Both the trash and recycling bins are green, but the recycling bin has dark blue chasing arrows on the lid. The trash bin has a round hole and the recycling bin has a triangular one.
4.      Water Bottles: Disposable plastic water bottles are major offenders to our oceans and landfills. Bring your own re-usable water bottle and fill it with local tap water or filtered water from the event.

A Green Goodbye

We hope you enjoyed our Green Noise page, and believe that it will help you help us be a less impacting event. We’d like to give a special thanks to all of the environmental organizations in Santa Barbara County for their work. And you can too, by checking out this impressive roster of eco-groups in our town.
 
Thanks for your efforts to make New Noise Santa Barbara an environmentally sustainable event. If you have additional suggestions for this list, please send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 

 
New Noise Santa Barbara’s official greening partner is LoaTree, a Santa Barbara County-based eco-lifestyle collective aimed at inspiring lives. Contact LoaTree for eco-event products and services or if you are a music artist dedicated to improving the planet with the sound of music. Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .