ClimateFest: Riding Towards A More Sustainable Santa Monica

Courtesy of the City of Santa Monica

In honor of May being Bike Month, the city of Santa Monica and Climate Action Santa Monica are co-hosting an interactive event called ClimateFest this Saturday, May 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m outside the Santa Monica Catholic Church.

Before the day kicks off, there will be a bike ride with the Mayor of Santa Monica, Ted Winterer. The ride starts at 8:30 a.m. from outside City Hall to the St. Monica Catholic Church, where the festival officially begins.

"The city of Santa Monica is about to launch a new road for climate action called the Climate Adaptation Plan," said Constance Farrell, the public information officer for Santa Monica. "Climate Fest is a part of building that plan in a way to bring people together and talk about the foundational areas of energy and water conservation, and the small things you can do in your everyday life to really make a big impact."

Local students will showcase the annual sustainable student poster contest and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's sustainability plan. "We were the first city in 1992 to have a sustainability city plan," Farrell said, "by saving water during a drought time, by doing drought tolerated landscaping."

Climate Fest will have live music, food, and a speaker panel about water, energy, and mobility of the future. There will also be several hands-on workshops and activities about home energy audits, intro to drip irrigation, solar for apartments and condos, and plant-based cooking. Family Bike Hub will be there to offer bike repairs, oversee bike swaps, and sell cargo bikes.

Limited parking is available onsite, but free bike valet is available. Breeze bikes can be parked at the bike valet without having to pay the $2 out of hub fee. The Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, 9, and 13 are a short walk from the venue too.