About GOO!

History

On January 28, 1969, a disaster of unbelievable proportions struck Santa Barbara. Platform A, six miles from shore and in 188 feet of water, suffered a “blow out” in the Santa Barbara Channel, the worst man-made environmental disaster in US history at the time. In less than 24 hours, 75 square miles of ocean were covered in oil and 210,000 gallons/day continued spilling for several more days. The catastrophic spill leaked for months, ultimately releasing three to four million gallons of crude oil, fouling 30 miles of local beaches and contaminating the shores of the four Channel Islands.

The oil that came ashore was six inches thick in some places. More than 3,600 birds died along with many marine mammals. Intertidal organisms died in large numbers (80-90% mortality). Santa Barbara’s fishing and tourism industries suffered for years.

Within 24 hours, a group of concerned citizens assembled to fight back. They decided to form an organization and call themselves
Get Oil Out!—GOO! In addition to the creation of GOO!, the shock and horror of that 1969 environmental disaster inspired a generation of environmentalists that have gone on to fight oil pollution and to fight oil addiction.

Mission

The mission of GOO! is to:

Preserve and conserve Santa Barbara’s unique natural environment, scenic beauty and resources by opposing offshore and onshore fossil fuel development which pose a significant danger to that environment;
Actively encourage the development of renewable resources as alternative fuels;
Lessen our fossil fuel consumption and reliance on foreign oil by promoting personal and business energy conservation measures and petroleum addiction reduction education.

Our Work

Since GOO!’s inception, it has become abundantly clear that GOO!’s goal to put an end to oil and gas development are critical to addressing the bigger issues of climate change.

GOO! is therefore committed to continuing its important work through the following efforts:

Monitoring & Advocacy
As one of its primary functions, GOO! regularly monitors all oil and gas development proposals in Santa Barbara County, with special emphasis in the Santa Barbara Channel. The organization further advocates against specific proposed oil and gas development projects and in favor of the decommissioning of existing oil and gas developments. GOO! provides both oral and written testimony to local, state and federal decision-making entities (ie, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, State Lands Commission, California Coastal Commission). When necessary, GOO! participates in the legal process to prevent oil and gas development projects which will be detrimental to the environmental resources, particularly marine resource in the County. Furthermore, GOO! takes positions on state and federal legislation that will further its goals—to Get Oil Out!!
Public Awareness & Education
GOO! sponsors a booth annually in Santa Barbara’s Earth Day event, providing information to attendees about our work, as well as current threats to the safety of our environment. It also participates in public educational forums on issues related to oil development in conjunction with other local environmental organizations such and the Environmental Defense Center and the League of Women Voters.
Alternative Energy Support
GOO! encourages the development of alternative energy approaches and technologies by supporting proposed alternative energy projects in Santa Barbara County.

BOARD MEMBERS

Michael T. Lyons

President

Mr. Lyons’ employment history includes working as a cartographer making maps for various environmental consulting firms and private parties, and in the fields of industrial wastewater treatment, industrial water purification, and groundwater contamination monitoring, sampling, and site remediation. Additionally, Mr. Lyons undertook a journalistic endeavor, initiating and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Environmental Awareness Review (“EAR”), a tabloid newspaper focusing on environmental issues and activities occurring in Santa Barbara County.

As a native to the Santa Barbara region, Mr. Lyons has enjoyed the incredible environment and outdoor activities the area offers including surfing, mountain biking, hiking, diving, fishing and camping. He has also traveled extensively around the world to partake in these endeavors in different settings. However, as Mr. Lyons and many Santa Barbarians will agree, it’s nice to get out of Santa Barbara -- it’s always nicer to come back. In appreciation of these opportunities and experiences, Mr. Lyons strongly desires to give back to the environment, and thus proudly serves as a board member of Get Oil Out!.

Mr. Lyons graduated from San Marcos High School and thereafter attended Santa Barbara City College where he focused on Environmental Studies. Mr. Lyons next attended the UCSB, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in both Geography (emphasizing hydrology and cartography) and Environmental Studies. He attended the Santa Barbara College of Law and graduated with a Jurist Doctorate Degree. Mr. Lyons now practices law as an associate attorney for the Paladin Law Group in the Santa Barbara area, focusing on civil and environmental law.

Carla Frisk

Secretary

Carla Frisk holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies and a Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management, both from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

From 1983-2003, Carla worked for Senator/former Assemblymember Jack O’Connell, serving as Administrative Assistant in his Santa Barbara District Office. In addition to administering Senator O’Connell’s local office, Carla worked primarily on environmental issues, providing expertise and advice to Senator O’Connell on the myriad environmental policy issues that came before the Legislature. She represented Senator O’Connell in the District on a plethora of local environmental issues, including offshore oil, the transportation of toxic materials and waste, the Casmalia toxic waste facility, pesticides, coastal land use issues and open space acquisitions. Ms. Frisk is now a consultant, working in the area of land conservation.

In 1979, she was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve as a public member on the California State Board of Landscape Architects, a post she held for six years. In 2004, Ms. Frisk served as County Planning Commissioner for the 3rd Supervisorial District.

In 1999, Carla received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UCSB Environmental Studies Program and in June of 2001, she received the Environmental Defense Center’s first annual Environmental Award for Advocate. Later that year, she was honored by the North County Chapter of the National Organization for Women as part of Women’s Equality Day. She was honored as Senator Jack O’Connell’s 2002 Woman of the Year.

Brad Lundgren

Treasurer

Mr. Lundgren is a partner with the law firm of Allen & Kimbell, LLP, where he focuses on real estate and business transactions, housing and construction. He also serves on the board of directors for The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, whose mission is to conserve and enhance Santa Barbara County‘s natural open land and agricultural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. Mr. Lundgren’s previous community involvements include serving as a director and vice-president of Incubators 2000, a non-profit organization supporting business incubators, through which he was appointed to the Santa Barbara County Economic Development Advisory Committee. He has also affiliated with the Home Builders Association of the Central Coast and the Santa Barbara Contractors Association.

A Santa Barbara resident since 1997, Mr. Lundgren was honored by the Pacific Coast Business Times as a member of its "40 under 40" Class of 2006. He joined the Board of Directors of GOO! in 2008 to support its efforts to end the local and global community’s dependence on fossil fuels and encourage the use and development of more sustainable, alternative fuel technologies.

Directors

Elizabeth Farnum

Elizabeth worked for ten years representing Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisors Joan Hartmann and Doreen Farr. She has served as Third District Planning Commissioner. As an attorney she worked for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the City of Lompoc, and Santa Barbara County focusing on environmental and land use law. She has also served on the board of the Santa Barbara County Land Trust, the Fund for Santa Barbara, Veggie Rescue, and WE Watch.

Michael Langer

Growing up in Los Angeles, Mr. Langer always had a keen attachment to the outdoors and being as close to the ocean as possible. Developing a passion for those environments and activities such as surfing, hiking, fishing, camping and photography, he realized very early in life the importance of actively protecting these areas. Mike quickly moved to the central coast where he began undergraduate studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, focusing his education in the fields of renewable energy, resource management, and business economics. After four short years and two Bachelor degrees later, Santa Barbara had become home; and a home is worth fighting for.

With great honor, privilege, and a little bit of luck, he found an opportunity to actively help preserve this beautiful coastline and mitigate future oil dependence as a board member of Get Oil Out! Mr. Langer actively participates in local environmental cleanup and awareness events, maintains several memberships in organizations such as the Young Professionals in Energy to continue outside education and industry progression, while always striving to alleviate the addiction to fossil fuels and support sustainable local economies. After a decade of living on the Central Coast, Mike now resides in San Diego as a Risk Adviser for businesses in the Energy and Construction industries, while spending as much time and effort back in Santa Barbara as possible.

Donna Will

Donna is a California native, and has lived in Santa Barbara County for most of her life. An always aspiring activist and passionate environmentalist, Donna understands the value of collective action, and the value of a good set of financial statements. She received a Bachelor of Science degree at UC Davis (Food Science/Enology), and studied Accounting at UC Santa Barbara. Passing the CPA exam, she used her new-found skills as Chief Financial Officer of the wine importing company she and her husband founded. It is Donna’s great pleasure to support the community, and work toward a better future through Non-profit Board participation and involvement. Donna’s past NP Board memberships include Santa Ynez Valley Alliance, Solvang Theaterfest, and The Fund for Santa Barbara.