UC Santa Barbara will be spreading the word about its model sustainability programs and nanotechnology research at events being held in Santa Barbara and Isla Vista for Earth Day 2010.

UCSB will have a significant presence at the Community Environmental Council's Earth Day Festival, April 17-18, at Alameda Park in downtown Santa Barbara. UCSB Sustainability, Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, Environmental Studies, Marine Science Institute, Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, and Exercise and Sports Studies Adventure Programs will have booths at the festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. The festival is free and open to the public.

In addition, UCSB's Associated Students will be represented by Coastal Fund and A.S. Recycling, which will help to coordinate recycling at the event. Other A.S. groups participating are Environmental Affairs Board and Environmental Education for the Next Generation.

David Cleveland, a professor of environmental studies and UCSB's first Sustainability Champion, will be one of the event's featured speakers, at 11 a.m. on April 18. Cleveland and his students will discuss local produce and the importance of purchasing locally grown food.

This is not the first time that UCSB has participated in the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, but it's the campus's biggest commitment ever to the event, according to Jill Richardson, campus sustainability coordinator. "It's really important for us to make an effort to get out in the community and let them know what we're doing here," Richardson said. "We need to let them know how they can get involved in some of the programs we have on campus, and how our students can become involved in some of the programs out in the community."

There will be free bus transportation from the UCSB campus to the Earth Day Festival both days, provided by the MTD.

On Saturday, April 24, UCSB's Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology and the Center for Nanotechnology in Society will present a one-hour panel discussion titled "Nanotechnology: Small Things on a Big Planet" in honor of Earth Day. The event will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St. It is free and open to the public.

The panel discussion and other family-oriented activities will provide the public with a chance to learn about the exciting world of nanotechnology –– how small things can have a huge impact on society and the environment. Families are invited to participate in nano-focused activities, including testing your nano IQ and learning your height in nanometers.

On the same day, April 24, an Earth Day celebration will be held from noon to 7 p.m. at Isla Vista's Anisq' Oyo' Park. The event, organized by Associated Students' Environmental Affairs Board, will feature local bands, speakers, and vendors. County Supervisor Doreen Farr will be among the speakers. The festival is free.