The Nothin’ But Sand for Saturday, Jan. 21 at Dockweiler has been cancelled due to weather conditions.
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Heal the Bay Blog
Category: About Us
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyMarine Protected AreasPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan.10, 2012) – Heal the Bay president Mark Gold announced today that he is stepping down from the environmental organization to accept a position at the University of California at Los Angeles as associate director of its Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
Gold, a 23-year veteran of Heal the Bay, is returning to his alma mater to provide leadership at the Institute’s Coastal Center. As part of his management duties, he will also help spearhead efforts to build the Institute’s education, research and public outreach programs. He begins his new duties at UCLA Jan. 30.
Executive Director Karin Hall and Associate Director Alix Hobbs will continue to provide day-to-day management and organizational and fiscal oversight for the environmental group. Heal the Bay’s board of directors will be meeting to determine a management structure for the nonprofit following Gold’s departure. Gold will continue to serve on Heal the Bay’s board of directors.
“Everyone who lives in or visits Southern California has benefited from Mark Gold’s tireless efforts to keep our waters safe and clean,” said Matt Hart, chairman of Heal the Bay’s board of directors. “He has also built a great organization of smart, dedicated professionals that will sustain the legacy he and Dorothy Green started over 25 years ago.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors, our Board of Governors and the thousands of Heal the Bay volunteers, I want to thank Mark Gold for his leadership and service to Heal the Bay and wish him the best of luck in his new career at UCLA.”
While working on his doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA, Gold joined Heal the Bay as staff scientist in 1988, making him the organization’s first employee. Guided by his mentor and Heal the Bay founding president Dorothy Green, Gold was named executive director of the organization in 1994 and president in 2006.
He has worked extensively over the last 25 years in the field of coastal protection and water pollution and is recognized as one of California’s leading environmental advocates. He has authored or co-authored numerous California coastal protection, water quality and environmental education bills.
“I have been lucky to be part of an environmental organization that has achieved so much to better Southern California,” said Gold. “I’ve had the privilege to work with many incredible leaders, staff members and volunteers that have shared a common vision of clean water and protected watersheds. I am confident that the senior management team we’ve spent years developing will continue to move the organization forward. Heal the Bay will always be an important part of me, but I look forward to new challenges at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment.”
Heal the Bay staff is focusing on four key policy issues in the coming year:
- The implementation of marine protected areas off the coast of Southern California. Heal the Bay is assisting the state Department of Fish & Game gather research to help educate the public about the boundaries, which took effect Jan. 1.
- Coordinating with Assemblymember Julia Brownley on her pending bill to enact a statewide ban on the distribution of environmentally and fiscally wasteful single-use plastic bags. Heal the Bay also has led the drive for a ban in the city of Los Angeles expected to be enacted this spring.
- Working with local school districts to implement environmental literacy materials developed by National Geographic and Heal the Bay into K-12 curriculum statewide.
- Advocating for a countywide stormwater permit that will reduce polluted runoff to levels that protect public health and aquatic life
Heal the Bay is one of the largest and most influential environmental groups in California. Combining scientific rigor with dogged advocacy, Heal the Bay staff and volunteers have secured dozens of environmental wins for Southern California coastal waters, including:
- Hyperion wastewater treatment plant – In 1986, Hyperion was ordered to stop dumping incompletely treated sewage in the bay by 1998. Also, the LA County Sanitation District’s sewage treatment plant in Carson was forced to upgrade its facility by 2002. As a result, sewage pollution discharged to Santa Monica Bay was reduced by more than 90%.
- Pollution limits – Heal the Bay fought to have site-specific pollution limits included in routine regulation. These so-called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) force dischargers to dramatically cut down on trash, bacteria and other pollutants entering our rivers, creeks and ocean.
- Beach Report Card – In 1990, Heal the Bay published the first Beach Report Card, a local analysis of bacteria levels at L.A. area beaches as a guide to let swimmers know if it was OK to get in the water. Heal the Bay now grades almost 500 beaches along the Pacific coast on a weekly basis. The Beach Report Card, the subsequent Santa Monica Bay health effects study, and beach TMDLs led to California’s beach water quality criteria and monitoring program, as well as over $200 million being allocated to clean up California’s most polluted beaches.
- Santa Monica Pier Aquarium – In 2003, Heal the Bay opened the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, bringing the Santa Monica Bay to life for more than 70,000 people each year.
- Coastal Cleanup Day – Heal the Bay first coordinated Coastal Cleanup Day in Los Angeles County in 1990. Now, 15,000 people annually clean more than 65 sites, both coastal and inland in L.A County.
More about Mark Gold
Gold received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biology and his doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA. He has served as chair of the Santa Monica Environmental Task Force for 18 years and was vice chair of the California Ocean Science Trust. Currently, Mark is vice chair of the National Estuary Program’s Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission.
About Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization that makes Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. We use science, education, community action and advocacy to achieve our mission.
Contact: Matthew King, Heal the Bay, 310.451.1500, x 137; cell 310.463.6266
The City of Los Angeles LAUSD Recycling Program announced its ten “Best Recycling Elementary Schools,” including three schools that participated in last year’s joint Earth Month initiative between Heal the Bay, Chivas USA, and the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation to mobilize and educate students about the importance of recycling. Loreto Elementary (Cypress Park), Point Fermin Elementary (San Pedro), and Stonehurst Elementary (Sun Valley) came in 3rd, 5th, and 6th place respectively.
By “demonstrating a long term and comprehensive commitment to recycling on their campus,” these three schools also earned a grade of “A” in the recycling program.
Congratulations to these schools and everyone involved in recycling at home, on campus, and at work!
Watch this video of Heal the Bay staff, Chivas USA players and mascot ChivasFighter educating students at these elementary schools about caring for the environment. According to Bonnie Taft, Point Fermin Elementary School Principal, “sports figures are role models for kids and they look up to [them]. For them to be involved in something as worthwhile as recycling gets our kids excited.”
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth Bay
Today’s guest blogger is Melissa Aguayo, Heal the Bay’s Speakers Bureau Manager
The New Year is just around the corner, and we all know what that means… New Year’s resolutions.
Some people like to focus on their health while others focus on helping others or even saving money. If only there was an easy way to do all three… oh wait, there is!
Kicking your bottled water habit and switching to tap and a reusable bottle will save you money. Plus, it’s better for the environment and your health! Confused? Keep reading.
Save Money
Bottled water is expensive; it costs anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. The average tap water in California costs about $1.60 per thousand gallons while the average bottled water costs about $0.90 per gallon-that means you are paying over 560 times more for a product that falls from the sky! In fact, if you look at the price per gallon, you will pay more for single-use bottles than for gasoline. In 2009 Americans spent $10.6 billion on bottled water and almost half of that bottled water came from public tap water supplies. Beverage companies do a great job of marketing bottled water as purer and safer; however this is not necessarily true.
Protect Your Health
Our tap water is safe and highly regulated by the federal government. On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration has much less stringent rules and only regulates the 30-40% of bottled water sold across state lines. Even then, testing is intermittent and once the water is bottled and stored, it does not have to be tested at all. The Natural Resources Defense Council completed a four-year study where they tested 1,000 bottles of 103 bottled water brands. Among many shocking discoveries, they found several companies buying water from a spring in Massachusetts which was located near a hazardous waste site. The water was contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals. Many plastic bottles also contain phthalates and BPA (Bisphenol A) which are both carcinogenic chemicals and can leach into the water.
Help the Environment
Many bottled water companies take water from local public sources, which harm the environment by depleting groundwater sources which the local community relies on. Once this water is removed it has to be packaged, in plastic. The U.S. alone uses about 17.6 million barrels of oil to produce plastic bottles. That would be enough oil to fuel more than one million vehicles each year. These bottles then have to be transported over hundreds of miles which consumes energy and releases pollutants. At the end of all this we are left with billions of empty bottles of which only 16% are recycled. The other 84% will end up in landfills or littering our streets where they can make their way to our rivers, lakes or oceans through the storm drain system.
So there you have it, three incredibly important reasons to make switching to tap and reusable water bottles this New Year’s resolution. It’s a small change that will go a long way.
Now go return that ugly sweater Aunt Liz gave you and exchange it for a reusable water bottle.
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
The Los Angeles City Council’s energy and environment committee today approved an action asking for a Chief Administrative Officer-Chief Legislative Analyst report on a single-use bag ban within 30 days. Also, the Bureau of Sanitation must implement a public outreach program over the next 60 days.
Immediately after the committee meeting, the city council met to celebrate outgoing president Eric Garcetti’s long-term leadership. After Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue and the rest of the festivities, the council heard the bag-ban item.
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
If you’ve strolled down a Southern California pier, you’ve probably seen the warning sign: “No Coma White Croaker” (Don’t Eat White Croaker”). The reason for the warning? The effects of widespread DDT and PCB contamination in our local waters from the 1940s-1980s that’s worked its way up the food chain.
The kinds of health problems that have been linked to DDT and PCBs include effects on the nervous, immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems, infant development, and cancer.
To spread the alert of this danger, members of our Pier Angler Outreach Program have educated nearly 100,000 anglers over the past eight years on the health risks of eating certain fish they’ve caught on their lines, most notably, white croaker, black croaker, barred sand bass, topsmelt and barracuda.
In addition, members of our team, employing languages from Spanish to Tagolog to English, suggest cooking methods if the anglers choose to eat any of their contaminated catch.
Our EPA-award winning efforts span eight different piers: Santa Monica, Venice, Hermosa, Redondo, Pier J, Rainbow Harbor, Belmont and Seal Beach.
Find out more en espanol.
Download a guide to eating fish caught in the bay.
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
Make a difference for our coast and ocean!
Ever wonder what you can do to help take care of the beaches and ocean you love? Did you know there are tons of simple things you can do at home, at work, and at school that can have a huge, positive impact? The California Coastal Commission has created the Coastal Stewardship Pledge, with everyday tips you can use to help our environment. Show you care by taking the pledge today. There is a special pledge for classrooms and youth groups and a Spanish language pledge as well.
Some simple things you can start doing right now:
- Refill a water bottle instead of buying a single-use one.
- When packing food for your school lunch, put food in reusable containers rather than disposable plastic and paper bags.
- Start a recycling program at your office.
You can read the stories of people like you who care for our coast.
Join the thousands of other Californians who have already become Coastal Stewards! Thank you for making a difference for our coast and ocean.
Organizations: Please consider becoming Coastal Stewardship Partners by linking to the pledge from your website or distributing shorter printed versions of the pledge to your participants. For details, please email coast4u@coastal.ca.gov.
Visit the California Coastal Commission’s Public Education Program at www.coastforyou.org.
Today’s guest blogger is Nick Fash, a Heal the Bay education specialist who works with students at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.
When the email came from Matt King, our Communications Director, asking if I was interested in filming a “Green is Universal” Subaru promo, I was intrigued. Hey, it was something different and exciting and, yes, I really do drive a Subaru. Little did I know that for the next month I would be sending resumes, personal stories and pictures, answering phone calls and taking part in an on-camera interview at Universal. Then, radio silence. Welcome to Hollywood …
A few weeks passed before a phone call made it all seem very real. Unbeknownst to me, I had been just one of a group of environmentally minded people from all over the country who were in the running for Subaru’s ad spot, highlighting what we do for our planet and why we do it. I eventually got the nod for the role.
As the piece started to take shape, countless meetings, phone calls and visits from producers, cinematographers and directors who came to watch me work, helped to forge the final piece (Watch on Vimeo). They loved the excitement from the children when I taught, and the thoughts of filming me underwater were all woven into their vision to highlight the work I do here at Heal the Bay. Strangely enough, the hardest part was getting enough time away from teaching and sorting out how to film in the Aquarium without disrupting what we all do every day.
But once the filming got underway, it was a blast. Being filmed underwater was new to me, but thankfully being a certified SCUBA instructor, I have underwater communications nailed. Learning how to do precision driving (to avoid crashing into a camera truck and its film crew) was also something different. But the best part was stepping out of the water into a warm robe, being handed a cup of coffee and asked what kind of panini I wanted.
If only Heal the Bay could work that in for my post-teaching routine…
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
Get the Beach Report Card app
APP UPDATE: We are currently experiencing some issues with the Beach Report Card App due to opperating system changes. In the meantime, please go directly to beachreportcard.org for all your healthy beach reporting needs!
Today’s guest blogger is Amanda Griesbach, Heal the Bay’s beach water quality scientist
You wake up with a stomachache, your eye is goopy and you feel just plain blah. It bums you out to think it could be that you’d just gone swimming in the ocean. The more you think about it, you realize you went in the water just after a rain and chances are you were exposed to increased bacteria concentrations.
As part of our work to protect the public from these types of illnesses and more, this fall Heal the Bay took the opportunity to participate in a statewide Source Identification Protocol Project (SIPP), which focuses on understanding chronic pollution problems observed at some of the state’s most infamous beaches.
The state of California is required (under AB411, passed in 1997) to monitor fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) on a weekly basis at coastal beaches with more than 50,000 annual visitors and adjacent to a flowing storm drain. After beach water quality monitoring agencies collect and analyze samples, they post appropriate health warnings to protect public health.
Meanwhile, you’ve got that goopy eye and your stomach aches after swimming in sewage contaminated waters, so you know some of the health risks, which also include nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, and respiratory illness.
However, despite over $100 million of state Clean Beach Initiative (CBI) money spent towards implementing improvement projects at persistently polluted beaches, a handful of these locations such as Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey and Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, keep us scratching our heads as to the cause of high bacteria levels. If we can identify the sources of fecal pollution at their origins, CBI funds could be spent more efficiently towards pollution abatement, and ultimately improve public health protection. Furthermore, there’s a need to demonstrate, and then transfer, the most effective source tracking techniques to beach water quality monitoring agencies.
The State Water Resources Control Board is funding the SIPP project through Prop. 84 capital funds, in hopes to remediate identified fecal pollution sources and thereby decrease the number of beach contamination events. The core SIPP project groups include: Stanford University, the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of California Los Angeles, and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP).
Potential SIPP beaches are identified by exceedances rates greater than 15% during the AB411 criteria over the last three years. Beaches selected for the project will undergo rigorous sampling, as well as DNA analyses in order to identify potential pollution sources including humans, sea gulls, cows, and dogs.
Currently, Heal the Bay is working with Dr. Jenny Jay, the SIPP lead for Los Angeles at UCLA’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department, to investigate potential sources of bacteria at Topanga Beach, a location no stranger to receiving poor grades on Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card (BRC). This is only one beach location being considered for the SIPP project. Other beaches being considered for the project include Baker Beach in San Francisco, Arroyo Burro in Santa Barbara, and Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey.
Though the entire SIPP project isn’t scheduled for completion until 2013, Heal the Bay looks forward to supporting the SIPP team’s rigorous efforts in identifying persistent pollution sources in order to keep our beaches clean and improve public health.
Public health protection is central to Heal the Bay’s mission and is an issue members of the Heal the Bay staff are extremely passionate about. The reason is simple: A day at the beach should never make you sick.
About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach
The San Francisco Chronicle is now devoting a corner of its Sunday “Bay Area Almanac” pages to Heal the Bay’s beach water quality grades. Readers from Sonoma to Santa Cruz can now check if their local waters are safe for swimming or surfing.
Don’t live in the Bay Area? No problem. You can still “know before you go,”as we provide the latest water quality grades at 650+ West Coast beaches. Download our Beach Report Card app for iPhone or Android, or consult our online beach report card at www.beachreportcard.org.