Earth Day Work Day

Volunteers and staff from Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County joined in on the Earth Day festivities in Downtown, Santa Barbara. As one of the many booths at the annual Earth Day festival, volunteers were able to connect with community members and talk about current and upcoming projects. These projects include volunteering at the ReStore, Cars for Homes, and A Brush with Kindness.

Also happening over the weekend, Habitat for Humanity of Southern California completed another A Brush with Kindness home repair project. Volunteers came together to complete home repairs for senior homeowner, Phil.

Volunteers worked Saturday and Sunday providing exterior repairs, clearing overgrown landscaping, planting succulents, and painting the exterior of the home.

Habitat's A Brush with Kindness program works to help low-income or fixed-income homeowners to restore their homes to be a safe and decent place to live, through minor exterior repairs. The program provides materials and volunteer labor to make improvements to a house affordable and possible.

Able-bodied homeowners work alongside Habitat's volunteers as part of their "sweat equity", which is central to Habitat's home building program. Through this program, homeowners are able to regain the pride of home-ownership and maintain the value of their homes.

A Brush with Kindness complements Habitat for Humanity's construction programs that bring decent and affordable homes to low-income families. All partner families must meet Habitat's income requirements, as well as show a need for crucial exterior repairs and a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.

For more information on how you can volunteer on an upcoming A Brush with Kindness project or in the ReStore, please visit www.sbhabitat.org or call 805-692-2226.

Painted birdhouses for sale at the ReStore

Did you visit the ReStore's booth at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival last month? If so, than you already know that we were part of the festival's children's passport activity. The passport is a game that encourages kids to visit a number of booths around the entire festival and complete designated games or crafts. In Habitat for Humanity's booth we had children help paint bird houses which were built by ReStore volunteers using donated lumber. The birdhouses are now $5 at the ReStore, and all proceeds go directly back to Habitat!


Throughout the two-day festival eight birdhouses were painted by hundreds of children who participated in the activity. It was such a fun weekend and we're thankful for all the kids who helped paint some very colorful birdhouses!

Free Electronic Waste Recycling

Looking to get rid of your electronic waste? In honor of Earth Day, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will be collecting your e-waste in exchange for a 20% off coupon to the ReStore on Saturday, April 21st. 

 We are only able to accept smaller electronics, including:

• cameras
• batteries
• printer cartridges
• e-book readers
• chargers
• ipads, ipods, iphones
• video games and consules
• and other small items (no larger than an ipad)

Drop off your e-waste at the ReStore: 6725 Hollister Avenue, Goleta. The ReStore will be open on April 21st from 9am to 5pm.

Earth Day with Habitat for Humanity

Happy Earth Day everyone! April 22nd marks the day when people across the world pause to think about how we can better treat the planet. Here at Habitat we are using the day to increase awareness of our environmental initiatives. Not only do we try to build affordable homes in an environmentally friendly way, but we also run the Habitat ReStore which has diverted over 200 tons of usable materials from our local landfills.

Three ways to Celebrate Earth Day with Habitat for Humanity:

Volunteer Orientation: Saturday, 4/23 at 10am at the Habitat ReStore. Learn how you can volunteer and help Habitat keep tons of usable materials out of our landfills.

Earth Day Work Day: Plant trees and provide minor exterior home repairs during Habitat’s “A Brush with Kindness” project at a house in Goleta from 9-4pm. Register for this workday at www.sbhabitat.org

ReStore Workshop: In honor of Earth Day we will be hosting a workshop throughout the day on Saturday and explore creative ways to reuse recycled materials found in the ReStore. Examples include turning old sinks, shutters or mailboxes into flower planters and making chicken feeders out of recycled plastic tubing.

 

Creative vertical garden made from an old window shutter.

Mailbox and drawer flower planters.

Toilet turned flower planter.

Building materials being turned into flowerpots.

Be sure to visit the ReStore on April 23rd to see these examples and more!

Just in time for Earth Day

Did you know that the automobile is the most heavily recycled consumer product? Each year the steel industry recycles more than 14 million tons of steel from junk cars and end-of-life vehicles. This is equivalent to nearly 13.5 million new automobiles!

Junk cars are typically hauled to auto salvage yards, where reusable car parts are removed along with other items, like batteries, tires and fluids. Recycled automobiles enter the shredding process in which iron and steel are magnetically separated from the other materials and salvaged. Reclaimed iron and steel is shipped to be recycled to produce new steel.

HFHI Cars for Homes

By donating a junk car to Habitat for Humanity’s Cars for Homes™ car donation program, you help save energy and natural resources with the added benefit of supporting your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate’s efforts to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness within your community. [Be sure to designate Southern Santa Barbara County as your local affiliate!]

Donate vehicles online or call (877) 277-HFHI (4344) toll free to help Habitat recycle a junk car, truck, boat, motorcycle or RV into decent, affordable housing. Plus, when you donate your car, your vehicle donation may be eligible for tax deduction purposes if you itemize! (Consult the IRS or your tax adviser for details.) efforts to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness within your community.

Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity International. 

April's A Brush with Kindness home repair

This April Habitat for Humanity's A Brush with Kindness home repair project will take place in Goleta. We're thrilled to have an opportunity to help repair the exterior of a home in our own backyard (the Habitat office and ReStore are both located in Goleta). 

In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara county will be planting trees and repairing the fence at the Goleta A Brush with Kindness project on Saturday, April 23rd from noon to 4pm. We need volunteers to help with this project. If you're interested in volunteering your time, please sign up online.

We had over 100 volunteers help with our last A Brush with Kindness project (read more about it here). It's a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community and see your hard work make a tangible difference to the lives of others. We hope you'll join us on April 23rd.