isla vista

Just a few weeks ago I went to Isla Vista, California to visit a few friends of mine who attend Santa Barbara City College. Isla Vista is a small beach town 10 minutes north of Santa Barbara that has a 2 square mile radius and is so densely populated it’ll make your brain hurt. And by that I mean, there are 10 people living in a 3-4 bedroom house and paying upwards of $1000/month. When I visited I was pretty shocked at the lack of care regarding trash. There’s a road that runs parallel to the beach called Del Playa and these houses are mainly inhabited by students who attend Santa Barbara City College and UC Santa Barbara. It’s difficult to have high expectations regarding cleanliness when 18-21 year olds are all living in close quarters with each other, but there kind of seemed like there were some people who just didn’t really give a fuck at all. I mean I literally watched people throw their cans/bottles off of the cliffs directly into the ocean. And in no way shape or form am I hating on IV. I mean, it’s a picture perfect place to live when you’re so young. I feel like it’s valid to assume that because these kids live so close to the beach that there would be maybe a general understanding that like maybe let’s not throw shit straight into the ocean? It’s weird that I was wrong. There’s multiple different party scenes in Isla Vista that range from band parties to edm/house centric parties and there’s a completely different vibe to both. I noticed a difference between the two and their environmental consciousness. My friend Gino lives on DP and he tends to attend more band parties and has mentioned that there is more accountability and general understanding to clean up after yourself (relatively speaking), but that’s not necessarily the case with other parties. I mean, I was told that people play a game to see who can hit the rocks on the beach with their bottles. It simply goes to show that no matter how close your proximity to the ocean is, there is still gonna be people who don’t care. There are many beach clean up organizations and things like the Isla Vista Surfrider that make an effort to keep this town green, but it’s hard to hold young people accountable. Especially ones who may or may not be dabbling in some sort of liquid (if ya know what I mean). No matter what, being in college and being involved in the party scene comes with a responsibility to clean your shit up. Recycling isn’t that hard guys. And yeah, maybe if you’re on the street or not near one, I encourage even putting your can or bottle in a strangers recycling bin. Just get it off the streets. Because even if you’re not close to the ocean, most of the trash in this world ends up in it. So be mindful with throwing your shit away, maybe get your friends to bring a trash bag with you when you go to the beach and pick up some trash you see, and start the culture and expectation to leave no trace. All I can ask is that you try your best.