A 600-foot photo exhibit focusing on polar bears will premiere at the South Coast Earth Day Festival on Sunday in what the photographer, Oakwood Worldwide Chairman Howard Ruby, says is a way to put a recognizable face on climate change.

The exhibit is billed as "one of the largest global warming exhibits ever displayed in the world" and features 70 large-format photos.

Mr. Ruby will headline the 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. event at the Courthouse Sunken Garden, 1100 Anapamu St.

He will be proclaimed an environmental hero by Mayor Marty Blum. Southern California-based Oakwood Worldwide provides temporary housing.

Mr. Ruby is a lifelong outdoor photographer with more than 60 years of experience, according to a news release. He's traveled to the Arctic numerous times and taken hundreds of photos of the polar bears.

The theme for this year's festival is "Global Warming: Change Begins with Learning." It emphasizes "personal and community action, with displays of renewable energy technologies, conservation techniques and advanced-fueled vehicles."

Sunday's event is presented by the Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara and the UCSB Bren School for Environmental Science & Management.