Local Team
UC Santa Barbara's local team participates in community outreach and volunteering as well as ongoing engineering projects.
Volunteering
The work of EWB UCSB does not stop at international communities. As residents and leaders in the local Santa Barbara community, we host a variety of volunteer events. This past fall we volunteered with the Environmental Defense Center of Santa Barbara, and helped clean up over 5,000 pounds of trash from creeks in the Goleta area. In addition to creek clean ups, the local team regularly participates in Isla Vista street cleanups, and community garden restoration days.
Swine Farm Carbon Offset Project
The local team meets weekly to design and build a small-scale biogas digester at Pork Palace, a local swine farm. The aim of the project is to reduce methane emissions by harnessing the gas produced from pig manure and food waste to generate energy for the farm. The team has been testing a series of prototypes to measure the energy production potential of the digester. They have also been adding food waste to the digester to increase the amount of usable gas generated. This project not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also diverts food waste from the landfill, producing high-purity biogas that can be used as an energy source. Through this project and others like it, team members are able to acquire valuable skills in engineering and sustainable energy production, while empowering positive change in the local community and beyond.
