Known by divers internationally as the Pioneer of the Pioneers, Hans Hass started his diving career in the 1930s. He was the first free-swimming film maker to film and photograph sharks, manta rays, and whales in their natural environment. A prolific writer, Hass had published six books on diving by 1950. He left the underwater world in 1960 and was largely forgotten by the diving industry. Hans met Santa Barbara-based diving historian Leslie Leaney in 1997 and they formed a partnership that led to a revival of interest in Hans’ pioneering career. In 1998 Leslie and Ed Stetson brought Hans and his wife Lotte to Santa Barbara for a film festival at the Arlington honoring his career. The film festival was used as the climax of the film The Man Who Discovered the Sea, but the film was never released in America. In this program Leslie will present the Santa Barbara residents and the background involved in the Arlington film festival and will show the complete movie.

March 19 Thurs 7 – 9 PM – “Awakening Bodhicitta – How to Open Your Heart and Develop Love and Compassion” – teaching by Dawa Tarchin Phillips -

A folktale for adults, The Electric Baby combines magic, myth, and humor to explore devastating loss and hopeful healing.

Santa Maria residents will have another chance to experience the magic on Main Street at the second annual Santa Maria Open Streets ¡Calles Vivas! event taking place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, 2020, located on one mile of Main Street from Broadway to Blosser Road. 

WHAT: This week’s Solutions News live radio broadcast and podcast will interview Rep. Tom Malinowski
WHEN: 5 to 6pm Friday, March 20, 2020
WHERE: KZSB 1290AM

The Third Annual NatureTrack Film Festival (NTFF), the only nature-focused film festival between San Francisco and Los Angeles, returns to Los Olivos March 20-22, 2020.

The Third Annual NatureTrack Film Festival (NTFF), the only nature-focused film festival between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will return to Los Olivos March 20-22, 2020.

CANCELLED - Monthly Westmont Public Telescope Night

Catch the Plastic Harpoons live in the Barrel Room on Friday night.

The NatureTrack Film Festival, the only nature-focused film festival between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will return to Los Olivos on March 20-22, 2020

The NatureTrack Film Festival (NTFF), the only nature-focused film festival between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will return to Los Olivos on March 20-22, 2020. Festival organizers will build on two successful years, bringing an even more diverse and distinctive selection of outdoor film to the third NatureTrack Film Festival. Entries are thoughtfully curated and selected to “ignite passion for nature through film.”
In just two years, the NatureTrack Film Festival has already attracted the attention of filmmakers around the world. The inaugural festival resulted in more than 1,500 film submissions and featured notable outdoor filmmakers like Chris and Keith Malloy, Jeff Johnson, and Chris Burkard. Other artists traveled from as far away as Germany, England and Pakistan to showcase their films. In 2019, festival producers were delighted when Netflix premiered an episode of its hit documentary series “Our Planet” at the festival. Organizers were further honored when renowned filmmaker and National Geographic photographer, James Balog of “Chasing Ice,” asked to bring his newest film “The Human Element” to the 2019 NTFF.

The town of Los Olivos is located just inland and north of Santa Barbara in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, gateway to the Los Padres National Forest. With Santa Barbara County being the birthplace of Earth Day and the modern environmental movement, it’s an ideal location for a film festival that has been enthusiastically embraced by locals, filmmakers and visitors alike. In Los Olivos, visitors can enjoy a small-town vibe with world-renowned wineries and restaurants to make their film festival experience even more enjoyable.
There is a variety of packages to suit any budget. Individual ticket price is $10; six and 12-packs of tickets available for $50 and $90 respectively, a VIP All-Access Pass is $200. providing an even more economical way to enjoy multiple films. The festival offers discounted Student tickets as well.

Are you curious about how different religions and cultures deal with end-of-life issues?

This year, Hospice of Santa Barbara will host (8) Friday Learn @ Lunch Sessions, each featuring a leader from a different religious tradition to address death and dying. Each will review common concerns, beliefs and rituals around end-of-life issues and practices within their tradition.