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All-Star Heal the Bay Volunteer Awards

03.16.2021 |

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Usually this time of year, we are hosting our annual volunteer party (and eating donuts!) to celebrate Super Healers – an elite squad of Heal the Bay volunteers who have gone above and beyond. Even though we still can’t gather, we still can recognize and thank our volunteers. Let’s celebrate our 2021 Super Healers!

The past year was full of adversity and challenges. As our physical doors closed in March of 2020, Heal the Bay’s work never stopped. Even during times of uncertainty, it was no surprise that our connected and passionate community of volunteers continued to help out in a big way.

Although we are unable to gather all together for our annual volunteer recognition party, all of the staff at Heal the Bay felt it of the utmost importance to recognize the people we so greatly rely on to keep our ship smoothly sailing. From the depth of the ocean, we thank each and every one of of volunteers for your dedication and support.

Aquarium Aquarist Volunteers: Rachel Watson, Nadya Sharif, CJ Leede, and Elina Babay

The 2020 pandemic led to the Heal the Bay offices closing and the Heal the Bay Aquarium closing its doors to the public. However, during this time of masks and social distancing, there was one population that remained unaffected and (clearly) flippant about any of these health regulations – the fishes, crabs, sea stars, and local aquatic species of the Santa Monica Bay housed at Heal the Bay Aquarium. Despite LA County closures, these incredible animals still required daily care and support by the essential workers of Heal the Bay. With such strict limitations, it is without a doubt that we were able to uphold such world class care because of an All-Star team of volunteers that fared the tumultuous seas to help out. Rachel Watson, Nadya Sharif, CJ Leede, and Elina Babay deserve the highest recognition and Giant Squid sized gratitude for their dedication, hard work and passion in supporting the livelihood of the animals at Heal the Bay Aquarium. On behalf of Heal the Bay, myself (Laura Rink – Associate Director of Ops), and all the fishes of the deep blue sea, we give great thanks and appreciation.

Education Volunteers: Laura Schare and Crystal Sandoval

Extra special thanks to our rock star Education volunteers, Laura Schare and Crystal Sandoval (also a past intern), for continuously providing support from in-person field trips at the beginning of the year, through virtual camp programs, and now virtual field trips. Laura also helped put together and deliver one of our Knowledge Drops presentations on Community Science. She helped teach about iNaturalist, the City Nature Challenge, and how community science can help inspire everyday people to learn more about nature and science in genera.

Beach Programs: Club Heal the Bay at Santa Monica High School

Club Heal the Bay at SAMOHI is a student-led club dedicated to protect the health of our local shoreline and watersheds. Steps they’ve taken toward this goal include conducting beach cleanups, discussing the reduction of their carbon footprints, fundraising for reusable sanitary products, informing students about sorting out waste, and advocating for a stronger MS4 permit.

MPA Watch: John Wells

Since joining Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch Program in February 2020, John has conducted over 140 MPA Watch surveys, accounting for nearly HALF the total surveys completed last year! We are so grateful and fortunate to have this increased attention to our MPAs at a time when we have an exceptional need to record unprecedented changes in human recreational and consumptive behavior in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you so much John for your contribution, we couldn’t have done it without you!

A little more about this All Star:
John Wells has lived in four states, two of which are located near the ocean: Arizona, California, New York, and Colorado. When everyone else was moving in the opposite direction, John moved back to Los Angeles from Colorado Springs upon retirement in 2018. He earned degrees in Biochemistry from Cal State LA and UCLA, and ever the environmentalist, he worked as a chemical analyst measuring EPA Priority Pollutants in the 1980’s. More recently he explored careers in grounds and building maintenance and instruction in school bus driving. Due to a love of hiking and the great outdoors, the MPA Watch program is a natural fit for him, and the MPA Watch program remains an excellent source of safe, outdoor activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. He doesn’t consider performing MPA Watch survey’s a “work,” as he greatly enjoys doing them.

Speakers Bureau: David A. Weeshoff

After retiring in 2005, Dave became a volunteer at International Bird Rescue in San Pedro, CA where he assists in the care of sick and injured aquatic birds and directly observes the impacts of poor water quality on their health.

In February 2006, he joined the Speaker’s Bureau to address ocean pollution issues with audiences ranging from pre-school through adults, and has done so for over 21,000 people. He was a Regional Stakeholder and helped design the Marine Protected Areas off the Southern California coast.

He has traveled to the Arctic, Antarctic, and many other bird habitats worldwide, and shares his photos including penguins, whales, turtles, and polar bears with audiences to highlight the impacts of pollution on our natural world.

  • Site Captain each Coastal Cleanup Day 2015 through 2020
  • Awarded SuperHealer Award for 2006
  • Awarded Jean Howell Award 2009

Science & Policy: Michelle Allen


Michelle Allen has been crucial in maintaining momentum for our LA River camera trapping project in partnership with SAMO and the NPS in 2020 and again in 2021. A dedicated volunteer, Michelle began with Heal the Bay in 2018 as part of the summer Stream Team where they collected water quality samples at two sites in Malibu with another exceptional Heal the Bay volunteer, Christina Huggs. The two made a great community science team and went on to explore another Heal the Bay science program, wildlife camera trapping along the LA River! Again, Michelle’s reliability and enthusiasm for science shown bright to keep our data collection going, even during the most unprecedented times. You are truly a pleasure to work with Michelle and we couldn’t have done it without you! We are so grateful and you continue to make such a positive impression on so many of us at Heal the Bay.

A little more about this All Star:
Starting as a student at CSUN, Michelle worked at Heal the Bay during the summer seasons under Dr. Katherine Pease on the  Stream Team program collecting samples for water quality in the Malibu Creek area for the River Report card. Now finished with her B.S. in Environmental and Occupational Health and a minor in Sustainability, she works part time and interns for Food and Water Watch on the Take Back the Tap program. She is a Fellow and works with a few different schools all around the country to ban single-use plastic bottles on campuses. Michelle wants to make as much a difference in her community and get as involved in any way in all things environmental. In her free time, she loves to run, dance, go on long hikes, and spend time with loved ones whenever she can. Podcasts are what she listens to while she cleans her house. And, her very cute fluffy kitty’s name is Tamale.

Shout out to those volunteer educators who led or co-led our some of our Knowledge Drop sessions! Stiv Wilson, Dave Weeshoff, Shona Ganguly, Tom Ford, Dana Muray, John Dorsey, Laura Schare, and Brook Peterson.

Meet last year’s Super Healers.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Yes, the Order Matters.

03.15.2021 |

Plastic PollutionPolystyreneTake Action

Image by Maja7777

Heal the Bay Intern, Yamileth Urias, explores the nuances of a classic environmental slogan. 

As children, we are taught to reduce, reuse, and recycle. At some point in our lives, many forget about the first two R’s, reduce and reuse, and mostly rely on the last R– recycle. As plastic pollution becomes an increasingly alarming issue, we must not forget to reduce and reuse. Here is why that order matters. 

How is plastic produced and why should we be worried?

We consume food and water in containers made from fossil fuels! Yes, that’s right. Plastic is made from oil and natural gas. Through polymerization, resins are created, which allows plastics to be molded and shaped under heat and pressure. This video further explains the plastic production process.

Oil and gas industries have only become more powerful in the last century since fossil fuels are crucial in the creation of plastics. Not only do we rely on oil and gas companies for transportation, energy, and heating, but also plastic. However, the fossil fuel industry has encountered a challenge — electric vehicles and renewable energy resources like solar power.  As we become more aware of the exploitation of natural resources like fossil fuels, we have made changes to remedy the situation. With the rise of electric and hybrid vehicles and alternative energy sources, the demand for fossil fuel has decreased, causing oil and gas industries to turn to and invest more in new plastic production. New plastic production is cheaper than using recycled plastics due to weakened oil prices. According to a study by Carbon Tracker, the oil industry plans to spend $400 billion on new plastic and less than $2 billion in reducing plastic waste over the next five years. 

The drastic gap in investments in virgin plastic and effort to reduce plastic waste has created a monster that is becoming more difficult to control. Corporations are producing more plastic despite knowing that most of it will not be recycled. According to a 2017 study, we have created 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste since 1950. Only 10% of all plastic waste has ever been recycled. This means that over 90% of plastic produced is waste that ends up polluting our environment, our water, and eventually items we consume. This is why using recycling as our only means to fight plastic pollution simply will not work. 

Recycling allows for the continued creation of plastics. The best solution is to reduce plastic use in order to stop the harmful effects plastic has on us, our communities, and the environment. We need a permanent solution that will help us transition from relying on plastic to drastically reducing our plastic use.


Image by meineresterampe 

Reduce first! 

There are several issues with recycling.

  1. There is simply too much plastic produced and we cannot recycle our way out of it. A significant amount of this plastic is single-use plastic that cannot be recycled. 99% of cutlery and plastic plates do not meet the standards to be recycled.
  2. Most of the items we try to recycle are not recycled. Studies have found that only 9% of all plastics produced are recycled.
  3. Plastics are not infinitely recyclable. They are downcycled, meaning it cannot be made into the same thing, unlike glass and aluminum. Each time material is repurposed, it becomes a lower quality that will eventually lose its ability to be recycled. 

For these reasons, the best solution is to reduce our plastic use.  One of the best ways is to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Out of approximately 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced, 40% are single-use products like plastic bags and cutlery. By reducing our use of plastic, we also reduce the demand for it. In order to fully make our efforts effective, we must reduce our individual plastic-use and pressure companies to change their harmful practices.

Reuse materials around the home

Our lives are not completely plastic-free. We all have plastic items in our homes, and the pandemic has only increased our plastic use. That is okay! If you must use packaging or single-use products, you can always choose a more eco-friendly option that is biodegradable. This includes FSC-certified paper, wheat straw or locally-sourced materials.  

However, that may not always be an option. It is also important to point out that sustainable products can be expensive. Not everyone can afford to keep buying $50 reusable bottles and filters because the water in their neighborhood is not safe to drink. This is why reusing is the next best action to partake in. You can continue with your plastic-reduction efforts by reusing and repurposing plastics you currently own before disposing of them. This can be done by using a plastic tub of butter to store other food items in your fridge. Another popular usage for plastic containers includes storing away things around your homes like a sewing kit or hair ties and pins. Other items like old toothbrushes can be used as tools to clean hard-to-reach surfaces. There are many ways to get creative and upcycle plastic products you currently own. 

Recycle when there is no other alternative

Simply because there are better alternatives to recycling does not mean that we should stop all recycling efforts. According to a study by Pew Trusts, the plastic in our oceans is expected to nearly triple from 11 million tonnes to 29 million tonnes in the next 20 years. Plastic pollution has rapidly increased over the years and it will only get worse in the next couple of decades. This means that over the next 20 summers, oceans will become increasingly more polluted affecting wildlife and the coastal environment as we know it. The plastic pollution crisis is so big that any effort is better than no effort. 

It is also important to point out that the world is a unique situation that has disrupted plastic reduction efforts. People all over the world increased their plastic use due to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 briefly helped the environment by reducing transportation emissions, but it also caused long-term damages with the massive increase in plastic use. Consumption of single-use plastic increased somewhere between 250-300% during COVID-19. Almost 30% of this spike in single-use plastic is attributed to personal protective equipment (PPE). There is nothing wrong with being cautious and looking out for one’s health, so if reducing or reusing plastic is not an option, the next best thing is to recycle when possible. With that in mind, it is crucial to practice plastic reduction efforts in a hierarchical order. Click here for more ideas on how to reuse and recycle items around your home. 


Image by Nareeta Martin

What you can do to help

One simple way to reduce plastic use starts with takeout. Next time you are ordering takeout, consider requesting no plastic cutlery or drinking your beverage without a straw and using utensils from home instead. You can also take action by supporting the takeout extras on-request initiative. Due to COVID-19, takeout orders have increased and so has the use of single-use plastic. Sign the petition asking legislators to support #SkipTheStuff. You can also take action by sending an email to DoorDash to #CutOutCutlery. Through this campaign, we can encourage food delivery apps to change their default plastic cutlery option and move to a request-based option.

For more guidance on how you can repurpose and recycle items around your home, conduct a waste audit. This guide on waste audits is the perfect way to reevaluate your home waste, plastic usage and find creative ways to repurpose items. It’s the perfect activity just in time for spring cleaning that will also keep you busy during the quarantine. 

 

 About the author

Yamileth is a graduating senior at the University of Southern California studying public relations and political science. Her internship with Heal the Bay communications encompasses branding, research and social media. Growing up in a coastal town sparked her passion for environmental conservation, environmental justice and marine life protection. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting with recipes, gardening and sewing.

 

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Una visión audaz: Nuestros objetivos para 2021

03.08.2021 |

¿Qué Onda?

En 2021, vamos a abordar una de las grandes amenazas para nuestras aguas costeras y cuencas fluviales en Los Angeles y sus alrededores. Los siguientes tres objetivos representan las áreas clave del enfoque de este año:

Acción climática urgente

Qué estamos haciendo: Estamos pasando a la acción de forma urgente, por el clima y para empoderar a la gente, demandando cambios sistémicos, y defendiendo soluciones con múltiples beneficios que nos muevan a todos hacia un futuro más equitativo, sostenible y resiliente ante el cambio climático.

Cómo lo estamos haciendo: La crisis climática debe ser ralentizada, o las comunidades sufrirán más impactos negativos y habrá muchas pérdidas. A nivel nacional, necesitamos recobrar las políticas medioambientales rápidamente para recuperar la protección del océano, los ríos y las marismas, así como los recursos acuáticos ratificando la Ley de Agua Limpia. De forma local, apoyamos las soluciones basadas en la naturaleza para proteger las comunidades de la subida del mar, la erosión y las marejadas ciclónicas; abogar por la limpieza de los drenajes pluviales a través de espacios verdes con múltiples beneficios; y demandar una transición equitativa hacia las energías renovables. El Acuario de Heal the Bay trabaja directamente con nuestra comunidad, involucrando a los estudiantes y al público a través de la acción climática y las iniciativas educativas.

Proteger la salud pública con ciencia y divulgación

Qué estamos haciendo: Protegiendo la salud de la gente y el ecosistema a través de una educación  sobre las aguas contaminadas, los peces, y los sedimentos en nuestras playas, ríos y litoral, basada en la ciencia, la divulgación y la defensa.

Cómo lo estamos haciendo: El agua limpia y segura y los espacios verdes accesibles son fundamentales para la salud pública. Heal the Bay empuja a los líderes del gobierno a proteger a la gente en las áreas recreativas acuáticas de LA con nuevas leyes sobre la salud pública. Nuestras tarjetas-reporte de las playas, NowCast y las tarjetas-reporte del río están expandiéndose en alcance y rigor científico. Hacemos responsables a los contaminadores corporativos y las agencias públicas por el vertido de DDT en nuestra costa y concienciamos sobre la peligrosa contaminación en LA. El Acuario de Heal the Bay empodera estudiantes y familias usando tanto operaciones, como un curriculum educacional sobre las cuencas, usando narrativas acerca de la salud de las personas.

Prohibir el uso de plásticos de un solo uso de una vez por todas

Qué estamos haciendo: Eliminar la dañina polución plástica de nuestro océano y cuencas fluviales para defender la vitalidad de nuestras comunidades.

Cómo lo estamos haciendo: El legado tóxico de nuestra producción de plástico y desechos impacta nuestro día a día. Heal the Bay apoya el veto de productos desechables que dañan nuestros vecindarios y hábitats silvestres. Apoyamos la legislación para reducir y prohibir plásticos de usar y tirar en la ciudad de Los Angeles, el condado de Los Angeles, y California. Nuestro objetivo inmediato es pasar las ordenanzas locales para Dejar el Desperdicio en Los Angeles en 2021. A largo plazo, estamos poniendo los cimientos para una legislación estatal y una iniciativa para votar en 2022: una California libre de plásticos. El Acuario de Heal the Bay está inspirando el apoyo con el lanzamiento de nuevas exposiciones sobre la polución plástica y también educando acerca de su conexión con los combustibles fósiles.

Actúe

Involúcrese

Adopte una playa

Vea las novedades de nuestro acuario

Done

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5 Women Environmentalists Who Changed the World

03.08.2021 |

Climate ChangePlastic PollutionWater Quality

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month by shining the spotlight on five environmentalists who inspire us.

Women of color are impacted by environmental issues like water pollution and climate change impacts at disproportionate rates as a result of systemic inequity and injustice.1 Racism and a lack of access to education, economic status, and health resources often leave women and people of color out of the conversations and decisions that impact them the most, specifically about land use, natural resources, and environmental policy.

Despite these challenges, women of color continue to create powerful and lasting change in their own communities and abroad.

We thank the environmentalists and activists who continue to fight for what is right despite facing opposition for their bold ideas and for simply being who they are. Women and girls are leaders in their communities and agents of change. Supporting and listening to them will benefit the health of our planet and people for generations to come.

Get to know five environmentalists who have an inspiring legacy of activism.

Wangari Maathai (1940 – 2011), Kenya

Founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 51 million trees, Professor Maathai focused on environmental conservation and women’s rights. She studied biology in her undergraduate and graduate school programs and later won the Nobel Peace Prize for her vast contributions to sustainable development.

 

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Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores (1971 – 2016), Honduras

Berta Cáceres was an indigenous environmental justice activist and grassroots leader who created the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH) in Honduras. She fought courageously against illegal and harmful mining and logging as well as the construction of a dam that would cut off water, food and medicine for the indigenous Lenca people. Cáceres Flores was tragically murdered in 2016, sparking international outrage. The Cáceres family continues to demand justice for this corrupt violation of human rights. 2

 

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Isatou Ceesay (b. 1972), The Gambia

Isatou Ceesay is known as the Queen of Recycling in The Gambia, and rightfully so. Though she was kept from finishing school, she created the Njai Recycling and Income Generation Group, which turns plastic bag waste into purses, creating revenue streams for local women. Ceesay also educates and empowers women through environmental advocacy.

 

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Winona LaDuke (b. 1959), White Earth Indian Reservation

Founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project and Honor the Earth, LaDuke is an environmentalist and political activist with Indigenous communities. She focuses on sustainable development, renewable energy, climate change, and environmental justice. The White Earth Land Recovery Project is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States dedicated to recovering original land and maintaining tribal food, water, and energy rights. Follow Winona on Twitter and Instagram.

 

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Vanessa Nakate (b. 1996), Uganda

Vanessa Nakate founded The Rise Up Movement and uses her voice and platform to share stories about activists in Africa who are striking due to inaction against the climate crisis. Recently, she spoke at the COP25 event in Spain (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) and joined dozens of youth climate activists from around the world to publish a letter to attendees of the World Economic Forum in Davos urging them to take immediate steps to prevent further harm. Follow Vanessa on Twitter and Instagram.

 

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About the author: Mariana Estrada is a digital advocacy intern at Heal the Bay. She grew up in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles where she enjoys a lively community of close-knit families and great food. She became interested in environmental issues like air quality at an unusually young age due to living in the city. Estrada’s area of focus is combining humanities and environmental issues to create effective and meaningful storytelling that renders real results. She studies English Literature and double-minors in Environmental Systems and Society and Environmental Engineering at UCLA.

1 Gender and climate change-induced migration: Proposing a framework for analysis. Author Namrata Chindarkar. Published by School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, USA. Published on 22 June 2012. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254496452_Gender_and_climate_change-induced_migration_Proposing_a_framework_for_analysis
2 Berta Cáceres: 2015 Goldman Prize Recipient South and Central America. Published by The Goldman Environmental Prize. Retrieved from https://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/berta-caceres/

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LA examina con atención la basura que genera la comida para llevar y cómo reducirla con #DejaElDesperdicio

03.04.2021 |

¿Qué Onda?CaliforniaLos AngelesPlastic PollutionTake Action

Funcionarios electos de Los Angeles están tomando acción legislativa para reducir la basura que se genera con la comida para llevar tras un gran incremento en el consumo del plástico de un solo uso. ¿Pero qué significa “Deja el desperdicio”? ¿Y cómo ayuda a luchar contra la contaminación por plástico? Vamos a verlo.

Deja el desperdicio es el último empujón legislativo de Heal the Bay junto a la coalición Reusable LA. #DejaElDesperdicio requeriría que los extras de la comida para llevar y a domicilio — como los utensilios de un solo uso, popotes, condimentos, servilletas y demás — fuesen facilitados a petición del usuario. Si los necesita, los puede tener. Y si no, no hace falta desperdiciar.

Añada su nombre a la petición

El consumo de plástico de un solo uso se ha disparado debido al COVID-19, incluyendo aquí en Los Angeles, donde nuestros queridos restaurantes locales se han visto forzados a depender principalmente de los pedidos para llevar y a domicilio. El consumo de plásticos de un solo uso se ha incrementado entre un 250% y un 300% desde que comenzó la pandemia, con un aumento de un 30% de basura atribuido en parte a utensilios de usar y tirar. En toda la nación, billones de accesorios para la comida se tiran cada año, muchos sin haberse utilizado siquiera. (Muchos de nosotros incluso los guardamos en el temido cajón de los extras, esperando utilizarlos algún día).

La amplia mayoría de estos objetos de un solo uso no se pueden reciclar. Suman a la crisis de basura plástica, ensucian nuestros vecindarios, ríos, el océano, y atascan los vertederos. El uso de combustibles fósiles para producir objetos de plástico que ni siquiera se usan es lo último que necesitamos durante una crisis climática. Estos efectos también presentan problemas de justicia medioambiental, con las comunidades en primera línea sufriendo desproporcionadamente por el cambio climático, la extracción de crudo, y la incineración asociada a plásticos de un solo uso.

Heal the Bay y Reusable LA están abogando por legislar #DejaElDesperdicio en la ciudad y el condado de Los Angeles. En Enero de 2021, los miembros del consejo de la ciudad de Los Angeles Paul Koretz y Paul Krekorian introdujeron una moción para un borrador de ley para #DejaElDesperdicio. Requeriría que en los casos de comida para llevar, servicio a domicilio o servicios de entrega a domicilios de terceros, todos los accesorios estuvieran disponibles únicamente bajo petición. La Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Los Angeles siguió el ejemplo y en Febrero de 2021 pasó una moción similar de forma unánime tras ser introducida por Sheila Kuehl, miembro de la junta.

Esta legislación reconoce que los miembros de la comunidad pueden necesitar pajitas/ popotes/pajillas, utensilios y / u otros accesorios para alimentos de un solo uso. Es crucial que los restaurantes y las aplicaciones de entrega de terceros promuevan y brinden opciones para todos. Este modelo “a pedido” está estructurado intencionalmente para cumplir con todos los requisitos y adaptaciones de la ADA para garantizar un acceso equitativo para disfrutar fácilmente de comidas en el lugar, comida para llevar o entregas en los restaurantes de Los Ángeles. Según esta ordenanza, las empresas pueden proporcionar accesorios para alimentos a los clientes que los soliciten.

Restaurantes y aplicaciones de entrega a domicilio deberían por defecto, no entregar accesorios de un solo uso para los pedidos, a menos que el cliente los solicite. Cambiar a este modelo de accesorios “bajo pedido” elimina basura innecesaria y ahorra dinero a los establecimientos. Los Angeles ha hecho esto antes con los popotes bajo pedido. En un momento en el que los negocios pequeños y los restaurantes están luchando por mantenerse a flote, esta es una solución simple para recortar costes excesivos y contaminación por plástico. Apoyamos estas ordenanzas porque son una solución donde todos ganan, las comunidades de LA, los negocios y el medioambiente.

Contamos con su apoyo para pasar esta ordenanza, así que pase a la acción mediante los enlaces de aquí abajo y manténgase a la escucha para más novedades de #DejaElDesperdicio.

Pase a la acción!

Firme la petición

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Bold Vision: Our 2021 Goals

03.01.2021 |

CaliforniaSanta Monica Bay

In 2021, we’re tackling the biggest threats to coastal waters and watersheds in Greater LA. The following three goals represent our key areas of focus this year:

Take Urgent Climate Action

What we’re doing: Taking urgent climate action by empowering people, demanding systemic change, and advocating for multi-benefit solutions that build toward an equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient future for all.  

How we’re doing it: The climate crisis must be slowed, or communities will be further impacted and much will be lost. Nationally, we need to quickly recover environmental policy rollbacks to regain ocean, river, and wetland protections, and protect water resources by upholding the Clean Water Act. Locally, we support nature-based solutions to protect communities from sea level rise, erosion, and storm surges; champion the cleanup of stormwater through multi-benefit green spaces; and demand an equitable transition to renewable energy. Heal the Bay Aquarium works directly with our community, engaging students and the public through climate action and education initiatives. 

Protect Public Health with Strong Science and Outreach

What we’re doing: Protecting people and ecosystem health through science-based education, outreach, and advocacy on contaminated water, fish, and sediment at our beaches, rivers, and offshore.

How we’re doing it: Clean water and safe, accessible green space are fundamental for public health. Heal the Bay pushes government leaders to protect people at freshwater recreation areas in LA with new public health legislation. Our Beach Report Card with NowCast and River Report Card are expanding in reach and scientific rigor. We hold corporate polluters and public agencies accountable for DDT dumping off our coast and raise awareness about dangerous water contamination across LA. Heal the Bay Aquarium empowers students and families with human health narratives in watershed education curriculum and operations.  

Ban Single-Use Plastics for Good

What we’re doing: Eliminating harmful plastic pollution from our ocean and watersheds in order to defend the vibrancy of our communities.  

How we’re doing it: The toxic legacy of plastic production and waste impacts our everyday life. Heal the Bay supports a ban on disposable products that harm neighborhoods and wildlife habitats. We advocate for legislation to reduce and ban disposable plastics in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and California. Our immediate goal is to pass Skip the Stuff Ordinances locally in LA in 2021. Longer term, we are laying the groundwork for statewide legislation and a 2022 ballot initiative: Plastics Free California. Heal the Bay Aquarium is inspiring advocacy by launching new exhibits on plastic pollution and educating about the connection to fossil fuels.  

Take Part

Get Involved

Adopt a Beach

See What’s New with Our Aquarium

Donate

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Long Beach’s Belmont Pier, the Busiest Fishing Pier

02.26.2021 |

Angler Outreach ProgramLong Beach / AvalonWater Quality

Spotlighting Belmont Pier in Long Beach, a busy fishing spot, and Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach Program.

Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier is located in Long Beach near the Belmont Shore neighborhood. The current pier opened in 1967 and is 1,800 feet long. At the end of the pier, there is a large hexagonal area with two “wings” extending 120 feet from each side, giving the pier an overall T-shape.  

Belmont Pier is popular for fishing and like other piers, a fishing license is not required to fish there. However, anglers must make sure to follow fishing regulations regarding size, limits, and seasons for certain species.  

Over the last 18 years, Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach Program (AOP) has been educating anglers at Belmont Pier (and 7 other piers) about fish contamination, which fish to avoid eating, and which fish are safe to eat. This program is part of the Fish Contamination Education Collaborative (FCEC), which is managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a far-reaching public education and outreach program about the Palos Verdes Shelf superfund site.  

The Belmont Pier is located in the red zone, where levels of DDT and PCBs are high due to the nearby contaminated site. These toxins can travel through the food chain and accumulate in certain fish – fish caught in the red zone that should not be consumed are the  white croaker, black croaker, barred sand bass,  topsmelt,  and barracuda.  

Our Angler Outreach Program is currently suspended due to COVID-19, but when we were able to have in-person outreach, Belmont Pier was regularly one of the top piers in terms of numbers of anglers we talked to. In 2018, we reached 9,801 anglers across 8 piers in the LA region. AOP team members visited all the piers for equal amounts of time, but talked to over 2,500 anglers at Belmont Pier alone (approximately 25%).


Belmont Pier on February 25, 2021

When we conduct outreach to anglers, we also collect data on the types of fish they are catching and each anglers’ zip code . We collect zip code data from new anglers,  and those we have not done outreach to before. In 2018, we collected zip codes from 1,165 anglers at Belmont Pier. The areas where the most anglers came from included Long Beach, as well as surrounding inland areas of Carson, Bellflower, Paramount, and Huntington Park. Collecting this data helps ensure that outreach is also conducted in the communities where anglers reside, through the community partners of the FCEC, along with piers.

In 2018, we documented that anglers at Belmont Pier caught 1,051 fish (over a total survey time of ~144 hours). Of those fish, the majority (85%) were mackerel. We did find that 61 (or 6%) of those fish were on the “do not consume” list, including white croaker, topsmelt, and barred sand bass. There is still a need to continue educating anglers about fish contamination and ensuring that they have the knowledge to protect themselves and their families.

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Belmont Pier de Long Beach, el muelle de pesca más concurrido

02.26.2021 |

¿Qué Onda?Angler Outreach ProgramLong Beach / Avalon

Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier está ubicado en Long Beach, cerca del vecindario Belmont Shore. El muelle actual se inauguró en 1967 y tiene 1.800 pies de largo. Al final del muelle, hay una gran área hexagonal con dos “alas” que se extienden 120 pies desde cada lado, lo que le da al muelle una forma de T general.

Belmont Pier es popular para pescar y, al igual que otros muelles, no se requiere una licencia de pesca para pescar allí. Sin embargo, los pescadores deben asegurarse de seguir las regulaciones de pesca con respecto al tamaño, límites y temporadas para ciertas especies.

Durante los últimos 18 años, el Programa Educacional Pequero de Heal the Bay (AOP, por sus siglas en inglés) ha estado educando a los pescadores en Belmont Pier (y otros 7 muelles) sobre la contaminación de peces, cuales evitar consumir y qué peces son seguros para el consumo. AOP es parte de Fish Contamination Education Collaborative (FCEC), que es administrado por la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de los EE. UU. (EPA) como parte de un programa de divulgación y educación pública de gran alcance sobre el sitio Superfund de Palos Verdes Shelf.

El muelle de Belmont está ubicado en la zona roja, donde los niveles de DDT y PCB son altos debido a la cercanía con el sitio contaminado. Estas toxinas pueden viajar a través de la cadena alimentacia y acumularse en ciertos peces. Los peces capturados en la zona roja que no deben consumirse son la corvineta blanca, corvineta negra, cabrilla, pejerrey y barracuda.

Nuestro Programa Educacional de Pesca está actualmente suspendido debido a COVID-19, pero cuando estuvimos presente, el muelle de Belmont fue regularmente uno de nuestros principales muelles en términos de cantidad de pescadores. En 2018, llegamos a 9.801 pescadores en 8 muelles en la región de Los Ángeles; Los miembros del equipo de AOP visitaron todos los muelles durante la misma cantidad de tiempo, pero hablaron con más de 2.500 pescadores solo en Belmont Pier (aproximadamente el 25%).

Cuando llevamos a cabo actividades de divulgación con los pescadores, también recopilamos datos sobre los tipos de peces que capturan y códigos postales de dónde residen. En el 2018, recopilamos códigos postales de 1,165 pescadores en Belmont Pier. Los códigos postales de donde provenían la mayoría de los pescadores incluían Long Beach, así como las áreas circundantes de Carson, Bellflower, Paramount y Huntington Park. La recopilación de estos datos ayudan a garantizar que la divulgación también se lleve a cabo en las comunidades donde viven los pescadores, a través de nuestros socios de FCEC.

En el 2018, documentamos que los pescadores en Belmont Pier capturaron 1,051 peces (durante un tiempo total de encuesta de aproximadamente 144 horas). De esos peces, la mayoría (85%) eran macarelas. Descubrimos también que 61 (o el 6%) de esos peces estaban en la lista de “no consumir”, incluida la corvineta blanca, pejerrey y cabrilla. Es necesario continuar educando a los pescadores sobre la contaminación de peces y asegurarse de que tengan los conocimientos necesarios para protegerse a sí mismos y a sus familias.

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New Book: The Big Beach Cleanup by Charlotte Offsay

02.23.2021 |

California CoastHeal the Bay AquariumLos AngelesPlastic Pollution

The Big Beach Cleanup book

The Big Beach Cleanup is a new book written by Charlotte Offsay. Heal the Bay asked the author about her process, discoveries, and single-use swaps at home in this Q&A.

Join Charlotte Offsay & Heal the Bay for a virtual book reading + live animal feeding on Saturday, March 6. 

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Q: How did you work with Heal the Bay on the book?

A: I first reached out to Heal the Bay in early 2019. I had written The Big Beach Cleanup and was looking to connect with experts regarding fact checking recycling and ocean cleanup facts. I live in Los Angeles and am familiar with the important work that Heal the Bay does to protect our oceans, so I decided to ask for their help. Nancy Shrodes, the Associate Director of Policy & Outreach, kindly agreed to review my manuscript and offer her feedback. Since then numerous staff members at Heal the Bay have continued to offer assistance, including providing input on additional educational materials for the book as well as generously offering to do a live animal feeding at The Big Beach Cleanup virtual launch event!

Q: What inspired you to write about a beach cleanup?

A: One day while walking with my children, I stopped to pick up a piece of trash that was in our way and toss it in a nearby trashcan. Throwing away that piece of trash sparked endless questions from my ever-curious children. They wanted to know where the trash had come from and how it got there in the first place. We ended up in big conversations around pollution and doing our part to protect the planet. It was on that walk that I decided to write an ocean advocacy story featuring little hands joining together to make big change. I went home that day and wrote the first draft of what would eventually become The Big Beach Cleanup!

Q: What was the most interesting thing you learned while working on this book?

A: Honestly the most interesting thing I found is how immune we can become to the things that are right in front of us. I have lived and walked around Los Angeles for a long time. I have also cared about the planet and my environmental footprint for a long time, but it wasn’t until I began working on this book that my eyes really opened to how prevalent our pollution problem is and how frequently it is right in front of me on a daily basis. There is no shortage of trash in Los Angeles, not only on our beaches but right on the streets in my very own neighborhood. On my regular walk with my kids we always find trash, even if we have been picking up trash on that same walk the day before. Things get dropped, trash bags aren’t tied properly and more and more we are finding discarded masks and disposable containers. We really need everyone to join together and make conscious changes in order to tackle this growing problem.

Q: Has the book inspired you to make any single-use plastic swaps at home?

A: Writing this book has encouraged my family to look around our home and evaluate our daily waste. We have been replacing individually wrapped items with bulk sizes and make an effort to use refillable containers whenever possible, we have tried to make choices that avoid plastic containers and to purchase less ‘stuff’ (toys, general excess) overall.

Illustration of people cleaning beach

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

A: My hope is that The Big Beach Cleanup shows readers that big changes begin with small steps. I hope that readers are inspired to think about the changes they want to see in the world, to know that they can make a difference, and are encouraged to join together with those around them to create those changes. I hope they walk away knowing that their hands matter and are needed.

Q: What is your favorite beach in California?

A: Every summer since my husband was little his family has spent time in Coronado. When I met my husband, I was warmly welcomed into this tradition and I look forward to spending time at the beach on Coronado island every year. Locally though we love to visit Will Rogers State Beach as it is close to where my in–laws live and they are often able to join us there!

CHARLOTTE OFFSAY was born in England, grew up in Boston, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two small children. Through her work, Charlotte hopes to make children laugh, to inspire curiosity, and to create a magical world her readers can lose themselves in time and time again.

Charlotte’s debut picture book, The Big Beach Cleanup, illustrated by Kate Rewse will be published by Albert Whitman in Spring 2021, followed by How to Return a Monster, illustrated by Rea Zhai releasing Fall 2021 with Beaming Books. A Grandma’s Magic, illustrated by Asa Gilland will be published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers in Spring 2022.

Learn more about Charlotte’s work at charlotteoffsay.com and follow her on Twitter at @COffsay and on Instagram at @picturebookrecommendations.

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LA Takes a Hard Look at Takeout Trash + How to #SkipTheStuff

02.17.2021 |

CaliforniaLos AngelesPlastic PollutionTake Action

Elected officials in Los Angeles are taking legislative action to reduce takeout trash after a steep increase in single-use plastic consumption. But what does it mean to “Skip the Stuff”? And how does it help fight plastic pollution? Let’s dive in.

Skip the Stuff is the latest legislative push through Heal the Bay’s plastics work with the Reusable LA coalition. #SkipTheStuff would require takeout and delivery “extras” — like single-use utensils, straws, condiments, napkins, and more — to be provided only upon request. If you need them, you can get them. If you don’t, no need to waste.⁣

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The use of single-use plastic has skyrocketed due to COVID-19, including here in Los Angeles, where our beloved local restaurants are forced to rely primarily on takeout and delivery. Consumption of single-use plastics has increased by 250% – 300% since the pandemic began, with a 30% increase in waste attributed in part to disposable foodware. Nationwide, billions of food accessories are thrown away each year, many of which aren’t even used once. (Many of us even keep them in that dreaded drawer of takeout “extras”, hoping that they’ll be used one day.)

The vast majority of these single-use items cannot be recycled. They add to the plastic pollution crisis, litter our neighborhoods, rivers, and ocean, and clog already overfilled landfills. Using fossil fuels to produce plastic items that aren’t even used is the last thing we need during a climate crisis. These impacts also present significant environmental justice issues, with frontline and fenceline communities bearing a disproportionate burden of the impacts from climate change, fossil fuel extraction, and incineration associated with single-use waste.
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Heal the Bay and Reusable LA are advocating for #SkipTheStuff legislation in both Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County. In January 2021, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian introduced a motion to draft city-wide legislation to #SkipTheStuff. It would require all foodware accessories to be available only upon request for takeout, delivery, and third-party delivery apps. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors followed suit in February 2021 and unanimously passed a similar motion after it was introduced by Boardmember Sheila Kuehl.

This legislation recognizes that community members may need single-use straws, utensils, and/or other foodware accessories. It is crucial that restaurants and third-party delivery apps readily promote and provide accommodations for all. This “on request” model is intentionally structured to meet all ADA requirements and accommodations to ensure equitable access to easily enjoy dine-in, takeout, or delivery from LA eateries. Under this ordinance, businesses may provide foodware accessories to customers who request them.
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Restaurants and food delivery apps should default to no single-use accessories for orders, unless the customer requests them. Switching to foodware accessories “upon request” reduces unnecessary waste and saves restaurants money. Los Angeles has done this before with straws on request. At a time when local restaurants and small businesses are struggling to stay open, this is a simple solution to cut down on both excess costs and plastic pollution. We support these ordinances as a win-win for our LA communities, businesses, and environment.⁣⁣
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We’re counting on your support to get this ordinance passed, so take action below and stay tuned for updates on how you can #SkipTheStuff.

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