About Us
Our Commitment
We support a sustainable, healthy, and safe Santa Barbara through building energy efficiency and renewable energy, reducing City-wide greenhouse gas emissions, recycling, composting, keeping our City clean from litter and waste, implementing creek restoration and water quality improvement efforts.
This Citywide effort involves designing and implementing innovative policies, initiatives, and projects to address nearer-term sustainability strategies and longer-term resiliency and adaptation efforts. Through its sustainability initiatives, the City is working tirelessly to improve the quality of life and environment for all!
Department History
The City's Sustainability & Resilience Department was established in 2020, initially made up of the Clean Community Division (formerly part of the Finance Department, and known as Environmental Services or Trash & Recycling) and the Energy & Climate Division (formerly part of the Public Works Department).
Santa Barbara Clean Energy, the City's not-for-profit utility that supplies clean, cost-competitive electricity for homes and businesses in the City of Santa Barbara, was launched in 2001.
In January 2023, the Creeks Division was moved from the Parks and Recreation Department into Sustainability & Resilience. In September 2023 a new Community Engagement Division was created to support the Department's outreach and code enforcement efforts. In April 2025 the Adaptation & Resilience Division was established to prepare our community for the impacts of a changing climate.