Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Take Action

Help Bring Back Ballona: Speak Up at Nov. 8 Public Meeting

11.02.2017 | Matt King

Bay lovers, here’s your one big chance to make your voice heard about the planned restoration of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in Playa del Rey.

As we’ve been telling you, this highly degraded ecosystem is one of the few remaining coastal wetlands left in greater L.A. It needs some TLC – a lot of it, actually.

Even if you don’t live near the Reserve, you should care deeply about its future. Wetlands are incredibly important for water quality, flood control and open space in our increasingly urbanized region.

Heal the Bay staff and the other members of our Wetlands Principles Coalition will attend a public meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8 to discuss various alternatives for bringing this area back to full life. The California Department of Fish & Wildlife “CDFW” will be holding its only scheduled meeting to provide an overview of various restoration alternatives and gather public input.

In September, the CDFW and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft Environmental Impact Report/Study for the restoration of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. The public comment period has been extended to Feb. 5.

The Ballona Wetlands are highly degraded from landfill, are too high in elevation and lack the critical interactions between land and water. In addition, more than half the Wetlands Reserve has been taken over by non-native invasive plants, reducing economic, ecological, and social value.

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Given that Los Angeles County has already lost 95% of its coastal wetlands, it’s critical that the state act to protect Ballona. Wetlands are unique habitat that connect land and sea.

Right now, only 3% of Ballona’s roughly 600 acres is functioning habitat. That simply is not enough. To be clear, there are a few vocal opponents who contend that no work should be done to restore the wetlands. But our coalition believes strongly that we must act now, guided by the best science, to prevent further irreversible deterioration.

Our Wetlands Principles Coalition has been busy analyzing the highly technical EIR document. We have been examining the various Alternatives for four key desired outcomes: increased habitat quality to benefit native wildlife, greater protection from flooding, improved water quality and increased public access to trails for education and nature appreciation.

Attend the hearing and tell officials that you want a robust restoration of the Ballona Wetlands that:

Maximizes natural wetland habitat and function
Protects native wildlife and plant diversity
Increases natural buffers against climate change
Minimizes negative disturbance
Provides open space and access for all
And most of all you want to BRING BACK BALLONA!

The public meeting will be held at Burton Chace Park. RSVP for the public hearing and we will provide you with more information about how to prepare and be heard.

If you cannot attend the meeting, you can also send your comments by email to:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Daniel.p.swenson@usace.army.mil

California Fish & Wildlife: BWERcomments@wildlife.ca.gov

Read more about our efforts to “Bring Back Ballona” and also register for our Explore Ballona events this month, ranging from bike tours to habitat restoration.

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Strawless Forever

09.22.2017 | Talia Walsh

Los Angeles Plastic Pollution Santa Monica Strawless Summer Take Action

As Strawless Summer comes to a close, Heal the Bay would like to thank all of our partners and community advocates for making this campaign possible.

In America, food and drinks are routinely served with a side of plastic.

One coffee comes with a cup, sleeve, lid, stirrer, straw, sugar packet and cream. A breakfast burrito includes a wrap, container, salsa, utensils and bag. But just because it’s always on the menu, doesn’t mean we have to order it.

If you’ve been to one of our beach cleanups in greater Los Angeles, you don’t need crazy stats to shock you – like an estimated 500 million plastic straws being used in the U.S. every day¹. You’ve seen our pollution challenges first-hand. In fact, around 40% of the trash found in the environment is beverage-related², and single-use plastic straws are one of our most commonly found items at cleanups.

A post shared by Heal the Bay (@healthebay) on Jul 7, 2017 at 8:51am PDT

“No straw, thank you”.

This simple statement, echoed by patrons in restaurants, bars, coffee shops and to-go eateries, is the murmur of a movement aimed at combating the single-use plastic convenience craze.

Earlier this year, Heal the Bay joined the straws-upon-request movement and launched the Strawless Summer campaign to raise awareness and reduce unneccessary plastic straw usage in Los Angeles County.

Here are a few highlights:

“Straws Upon Request”

We’ve come to expect plastic straws available at dispensers, tossed on our tables and placed in our drinks without asking for them first. What would happen if we turned the tables? This is what we aimed to address in our “Straws Upon Request” Study.

During Strawless Summer, we partnered with three local Santa Monica establishments (Pono Burger, The Misfit, Ingo’s Tasty Diner) to pilot a 4-week program aimed at reducing plastic straw distribution. Patrons wouldn’t be given straws by waitstaff unless they asked for them, in the same way customers must ask for glasses of water during the drought.

A post shared by Kathy (@katkelleher2) on Jul 7, 2017 at 5:18pm PDT

Did people totally freak out? No. Was it easy to implement? Yes. Did it earn the businesses major goodwill with some locals? Yep, it most certainly did.

If patrons asked for straws (one restaurant said this happened about half the time), the waitstaff explained their absence from the experience was part of a local effort to be more green. Then, the restaurant offered paper or plastic straws. If folks needed a plastic straw, they could have access to one. But for folks who didn’t need or want them, the single-use plastic straw was absent from the table.

“We chose to participate in a Strawless Summer because it is great for the environment and the Bay. We are a locals restaurant and have a huge locals following a lot of whom spend a good amount of time in the Bay [and] ocean,” said one restaurant manager who participated in the study.

See more local establishments who pledged to go straws upon request during Strawless Summer.

MonSTRAWsity Hits Home

Here’s a frightening truth: the average American family uses 1,752 straws in a year³. To visualize this fact, we collected plastic straws at our coastline cleanups and pieced together the MonSTRAWsity, whose suit is made out of… 1,752 straws. The MonSTRAWsity spent the summer wreaking havoc on the Santa Monica Pier near the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, in the South Bay and all over Los Angeles. By the end of Summer, the MonSTRAWsity was even surfing the airwaves.

A post shared by Heal the Bay (@healthebay) on Sep 14, 2017 at 12:50pm PDT

The Sipping Point

It’s estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish by weight. Another study shows microscopic plastic fibers are being detected in 83% of drinking water worldwide and a whopping 94% of U.S. tap water⁴. Microplastics are even showing up in table salt, according to new research.

Heal the Bay’s Nothin’ But Sand, Adopt-a-Beach and Suits on the Sand cleanup volunteers together have collected close to 13,000 plastic straws and stirrers⁵ from L.A. County beaches in 2017 alone.

Local inaction is our own worst enemy; however, on the flip side, local action is our best opportunity. Heal the Bay will continue to work with businesses, environmental partners and local municipalities to curb the proliferation of single-use plastic pollution, including advancing safe alternatives to single-use plastic straws and only providing straws upon request.

L.A. doesn’t have to suck. Let’s rethink the drink and stop the alarming plastic pollution trends from continuing to increase.

Learn more about the benefits of skipping the straw at LASucks.org

Looking for something fun to share? Download this amazing poster below created by illustrator Daniela Garreton – please make sure to give her credit for this masterpiece. (Download).

A post shared by Daniela Garreton illustration (@danigarreton) on Sep 21, 2017 at 1:04am PDT

Our Strawless Summer 2017 campaign would not be possible without these local water warriors: Thank you to Mick and the team at ZehnerGroup, Susan Lang (creator of the MonSTRAWsity and Heal the Bay volunteer extraordinaire), Andrea Maguire and the STRAWS documentary team, SoHo House Malibu, All At Once, Jack Johnson and the Ohana Foundation, Lonely Whale Foundation, 5 Gyres Institute, Klean Kanteen, Simone Boyce and KTLA 5, and all the awesome local businesses who pledged to go Strawless or “Straws Upon Request”, we salute you!

Special shout outs to these local businesses for their participation in Strawless Summer:

Pono Burger, The Misfit, Ingo’s Tasty Diner, Bareburger Organic, Laurel Tavern, Hermosa Beach Fish Shop, Beckers Bakery & Deli, Brother’s Burritos, Tallulas and Watermans Safehouse

Sources:
1. “The Be Straw Free Campaign”. National Park Service Commercial Services. (Last update 11/26/2013) https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm
2. Plastics BAN List. Publication. 5 Gyres, Clean Production Action, Surfrider Foundation, USTREAM. 2016. http://d3583ivmhhw2le.cloudfront.net/images/uploads/publications/PlasticsBANList2016.pdf
3. “The Be Straw Free Campaign”. National Park Service Commercial Services. (Last update 11/26/2013) https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm
4. “New Research Shows Plastic Fibers in Drinking Water”. Plastic Pollution Coalition. (published 9/6/2017) http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/2017/9/6/microfibers-the-plastic-inside-us
5. Heal the Bay’s Marine Debris Database. (data pulled from 1/1/2017-9/21/2017) http://sites.healthebay.org/MarineDebris/MDDB/

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Coastal Cleanup Day ’17: Some Real Finds

09.16.2017 | Matt King

Coastal Cleanup Day Events Los Angeles Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Plastic Pollution Take Action

Spending time with some exceptional students at the 28^th annual Coastal Cleanup Day serves as a real pick-me-up for Communications Director Matthew King.

After 10 years at Heal the Bay, I’ve become a bit jaded about our cleanups. I see the same mounds of trash every time I head to a site – cigarette butts, plastic water bottles, fast-food wrappers, you name it.

In the time I’ve worked here, our cleanup volunteers have removed more than 2.6 million items of man-made debris from L.A. County shorelines. That astounding figure stirs mixed emotions. It’s saddening to realize that we still treat our natural places as trash dumps, but it’s also reassuring to know so many Angelenos still care enough to donate a Saturday morning to protect what they love.

Coastal Cleanup Day 2017 was no different. Under pleasantly overcast skies, volunteers stretching from Compton to Malibu collected roughly 23,000 pounds of trash in just under three hours. To put that in perspective, that’s about the weight of two enormous T. Rex dinosaurs!

Beyond the usual suspects, we found a few oddball items this year – a drone that must have crash landed underneath the Redondo Pier, a whole set of unopened men’s dress shirts resting forlornly on the sand at Will Rogers State Beach, and a jock-strap and cup in Palos Verdes. (Props to whoever had the nerve to pick it up!)

It’s also revealing to see what we didn’t find. A veteran site captain at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve was astounded how few plastic bags they found at this L.A. River location, which has historically been visibly choked with plastic bags. It’s a good sign that the recently passed state ban is working!

In all, more than 9,600 volunteers joined us at 61 sites across the County today. We always mobilize a cross-section of greater L.A, both the famous and not-so-famous. I’ve met professional surfers, NBA centers, All-Star outfielders and Oscar-winning actors. But it’s usually the everyday folks like you and me who have interesting stories to tell.

Take the inspiring group of six students from Bell Gardens High School who served as site captains for our beach cleanup in Playa del Rey today, under the caring guidance of teacher Patty Jimenez. The youth brigade — Angel Diaz, Christopher Linares, Heidi Lara, Kimberly Gonzalez, Otzara Villalobos and Vanexi Jaramillo — mobilized 342 volunteers, who collected 235 pounds of ocean-bound debris.

I first met four of these kids last Wednesday morning at a KTLA Channel 5 news shoot to promote today’s cleanup. They had all arisen at 3 a.m., clambered into Patty’s sedan and traveled 23 miles in darkness to do a series of live interviews at the Del Rey Lagoon. With the bright lights of the camera staring them down as dawn broke, they spoke passionately and endearingly on live TV about their desire to curb cigarette-related pollution. Patty beamed at each of her charges, nodding as they offered simple but powerful testimony.

But what really touched me that chilly morning had come a half hour earlier. I had approached Patty’s car to give the group a heads-up and to share some media tips. A gaggle of kids sat quietly inside, dressed in their teen uniform of denim, hoodies and Vans tennis shoes.

And then I saw something beautiful that made me well up.

In the cramped back seat, two students scanned textbooks, using their mobile phones to illuminate the pages in the dark. They were doing their math homework — in an unfamiliar neighborhood, hours before their school day would start and hours before most of their peers would even be awake.

I told Patty how moving the sight had been and she shared that that these students’ work ethic and optimism keep her motivated when she faces obstacles at school. She shared that this same group of students played a lead role last month in convincing the Bell Gardens City Council to adopt its first ban on smoking in parks and recreation areas.

The simple scene in the car gave me a moment of hope about the public school system, and Patty’s story gave me hope about the next generation of environmental stewards. This is why I work at Heal the Bay, to help my colleagues create leadership opportunities for students like Patty’s, to connect people from all across our region to their watersheds and to each other.

That to me is the real gift of Coastal Cleanup Day.

You can find more images from the day on our Flickr album and at our Facebook Page (check out the new videos, too).

Thank you to all our site captains, volunteers, partners and staff. We couldn’t have done this without you! And a special thank you to this year’s organizers, sponsors and otherwise remarkable organizations: California Coastal Commission, California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, City of Santa Monica, Golden Road Brewing, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Schuchart/Dow, Union Bank, LAcarGUY, KIND Snacks and REI, as well as our photographers Nicola Buck, Cali Gilbert and Alvin Lam.

If you weren’t able to join us today, we have many volunteer opportunities throughout the year – out in the field, in our offices, or at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Explore the various options and time commitments here.

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Mirando hacia atrás: Los Resultados de la Limpieza Costera 2016

09.15.2017 | Heal the Bay

Calidad de Agua California Coast Coastal Cleanup Day Events Polución Take Action

Estamos todos preparados para el Día de la Limpieza Costera, mañana es el día. Cada año, con la ayuda de nuestros voluntarios, recogemos datos para calcular los resultados. Como es un evento global, se puede ver los resultados de aquí, el condado de Los Ángeles, pero también se puede ver los resultados de otros lugares como, México o Brasil.

En el año pasado, en el condado de Los Ángeles se recogieron 29,635 escombros con la ayuda de 9,556 voluntarios. De los escombros, 28,087 eran basura y 1,548 eran reciclables. La cosa recogida más interesante fue un estetoscopio.

En Belize se recogieron 11,289 libras de escombros con la ayuda de 937 voluntarios. En total, recogieron 91,884 libras de escombros de 29.9 millas de costa. La cosa recogida más interesante fue un árbol navideño cual incluia las luces.

En Brasil se recogieron 3,082 libras de escombros con la ayuda de 1,977 voluntarios. En total, recogieron 31,255 libras de escombros de 34.5 millas de costa. La cosa recogida más interesante fue un frasco de perfume.

En Guatemala se recogieron 21,066 libras de escombros con la ayuda de 440 voluntarios. En total, recogieron 81,452 de escombros de 9.1 millas de costa. La cosa recogida más interesante fue una lámpara.

En México se recogieron 131,396 libras de escombros con la ayuda de 20,588 voluntarios. En total, recogieron 898,234 de escombros de 127.3 millas de tierra. La cosa recogida más interesante fue un microonda.

En Puerto Rico se recogieron 127,573 libras de escombros con la ayuda de 17,943 voluntarios. En total, recogieron 597,940 de escombros de 253.6 miles de costa. La cosa recogida más interesante fue una muñeca de vudú.

Explora los resultados del Día de la Limpieza Costera, un evento global que está celebrado por todo el estado de California, cuando voluntarios recogen basura y escombros de las playas, los ríos, los arroyos, los parques y los espacios públicos. Contamos todo lo que recogen los voluntarios para concienciar sobre los desafíos de la contaminación. Heal the Bay está orgulloso de coordinar los sitios de limpieza con La Conservación del Mar y La Comision de la Costa de California.

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Make it a Strawless Summer All Year

08.30.2017 | Talia Walsh

Los Angeles Plastic Pollution Strawless Summer Take Action

Summer is coming to an end, but our #StrawlessSummer Campaign is a pledge you can keep all year round.

We are thrilled to be joined by local businesses like Pono Burger, The Misfit, Ingo’s Tasty Diner, Bareburger Organic, Laurel Tavern, Hermosa Beach Fish Shop, Beckers Bakery & Deli, Brother’s Burritos, Tallulas and Watermans Safehouse for our “Straws-Upon-Request” campaign. These businesses are leading the way to change consumer behavior across our region.

It’s estimated that Americans use roughly 500 million plastic straws daily – that’s enough to fill up 125 school buses and to wrap around the planet 2.5 times. Because they aren’t readily recyclable, most plastic straws end up in landfills, and the rest wind up polluting the environment. Plastic pollution is a major problem, in fact it’s estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea by mass than fish. Skipping the straw is an easy way to make a big difference.

L.A. sucks at times, but we don’t have to! We just launched our new campaign microsite (thanks ZEHNERGROUP). You can take the pledge to go strawless, catch up on the latest straw-related news, share with your friends and find out which local restaurants and bars are going straws-upon-request. If you don’t need a plastic straw, don’t use one! Learn more at lasucks.org.

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El Día de la Limpieza Costera 2017

08.25.2017 | Heal the Bay

Calidad de Agua California Coast Coastal Cleanup Day Polución Take Action

Regístrese para El Día de la Limpieza Costera 2017

Miles de personas limpiarán las playas, los ríos, los parques, las escuelas, y las cuencas hidrográficas por todo el estado de California (un medio millón de personas por todo el mundo) en el sábado el 16 de septiembre — El Día de la Limpieza Costera, el día del voluntario más grande del mundo.

Es un movimiento global compuesto de las comunidades y las organizaciones locales. Juntos podemos quitar basura y escombros de los hábitats locales, nuestros barrios, y ciudades.

Además de crear un medioambiente más limpio, todo lo que recogerán los voluntarios va estar registrado para concienciar sobre los desafíos de la contaminación. En El Día de la Limpieza Costera 2016, había más que 18.3 millones libras de basura y escombros recogidos en unas horas. ¡La unión hace la fuerza!

Participe en El Día de la Limpieza Costera

¿Quiere meterse más en El Día de la Limpieza Costera? Hay muchas oportunidades de participar:

Capitán del sitio: Ayúdenos a informar los voluntarios, explorar la defensa del agua, y prepárese para el evento del voluntario más grande del mundo. Regístrese.

Prácticas: Las prácticas son para la gente que ama el mar, defensores de los animales, y los que sueña para agua limpio. Solicite hoy para ganar experiencia en apoyar un evento de voluntario masivo y disfrutar de trabajar con uno de los más fiable (y divertido) fines de lucros en Los Ángeles.

Colaboración: De realizar las quedadas empresarial, los actividades de fitness en el aire libre y entretenimiento, hasta las ofertas de comida y bebida, hay muchas maneras de participar. Hagamos algo juntos. Contactenos.

Recaudación de Fondos: Entrege a sus ideas para un nueva campaña creativa de Heal the Bay de crowdfunding. Creemos que albergar un evento de nadar desnuda en el puerto de Santa Mónica es más divertimos que girar un cheque. Inspírese.

Patrocinios: Ayúdenos en hacer que este evento sea una experiencia inolvidable para los voluntarios. No pierda la oportunidad de ganar buena voluntad para su marca. Contactenos.

¿Porque tenemos un Día de la Limpieza Costera?

Explorar las historias y los resultados del Día de la Limpieza Costera, un evento global que está celebrado por todo el estado de California, cuando voluntarios recogen basura y escombros de las playas, los ríos, los arroyos, los parques y los espacios públicos. Contamos todo lo que recogen los voluntarios para concienciar sobre los desafíos de la contaminación. Heal the Bay está orgulloso de coordinar los sitios de limpieza con La Conservación del Mar y La Comision de la Costa de California..

???? Comunicado de Prensa para El Día de la Limpieza Costera 2017

???? Artículo de lo que se puede esperar de Día de la Limpieza Costera 2017

???? Galería Fotográfica del Día de la Limpieza Costera 2016

???? Los Resultados del Día de la Limpieza Costera: Global

???? Los Resultados del Día de la Limpieza Costera: El Condado de L.A. & Global

???? Los Resultados del Día de la Limpieza Costera: El Condado de L.A.

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A Blitz to Save Compton Creek

08.17.2017 | Katherine Pease

Compton Creek Events L.A. River Los Angeles Take Action

Attention citizen scientists and naturalists, it’s time to charge your mobile devices. Our watershed scientist Katherine Pease is inviting you to BioBlitz with her for a few hours on Saturday, Aug. 26.

Compton Creek is a small gem of green and blue, bisected by noisy freeways, crumbling parking lots, aging shopping malls and a high-rise casino. Amid all this urban scrabble, a soft-bottomed section of the creek thrives.

Most people don’t know this earthen-bottomed half-mile stretch even exists. And some might argue that “gem” is too generous a term for this L.A. River tributary. But we see it as a forgotten jewel – a glimpse of what greater L.A.’s inland waterways used to be and a symbol of what we can hopefully bring back on a larger scale.

There are drooping willow trees, reeds, frogs, swarms of dragonflies, California ground squirrels and even majestic kites (a type of bird) flying overhead. There is also trash, a lot of it, and pollutants that can’t be seen with the naked eye: bacteria, metals and nutrients. But there is that glimmer of hope. Plants and animals persist here, and now it’s our job to find out what’s there and to protect it.

So we’re inviting you to a blitz. A BioBlitz to be exact.

On Saturday, Aug. 26, you can join scientists and experts from Heal the Bay and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in searching for wildlife and documenting it with your smartphone.

We’ll be spending three hours snapping pictures of the local flora and fauna, uploading the images to our growing catalogue of L.A.’s wildlife via the iNaturalist app.

You don’t need to be a scientist to participate – you just have to observe what is around you! In addition to looking for plants and animals, we will be picking up trash in and around the creek, which ultimately drains into the Pacific Ocean near Long Beach.

The data we collect will better inform restoration and revitalization of the Los Angeles River watershed. A revitalization plan for the Lower L.A. River is being formulated by the Lower L.A. River Revitalization Plan Working Group. As a member of this effort, Heal the Bay is fighting for better access, improved water quality and restored ecological habitats in the Lower L.A. River. Having data on the current conditions of biodiversity in Compton Creek helps set a baseline so we can establish goals for what we would like to see in the coming years.

This BioBlitz is part of two greater efforts in the Los Angeles area to document, protect and improve biodiversity and habitats.

First, the Los Angeles City Council, championed by councilmember Paul Koretz, recently passed a motion to protect and improve biodiversity in Los Angeles. Heal the Bay has been involved in this effort and sees this BioBlitz in Compton Creek as a way to understand the nature that exists all around us in greater Los Angeles.

The second push is the city of Compton’s revival of the Compton Creek Task Force. The Task Force is focused on creating stewardship opportunities along the creek, educating residents and visitors about its importance. The group will also help implement the city’s Compton Creek Regional Garden Park Master Plan, which includes restoring the earthen-bottom portion of Compton Creek.

If you ever thought about becoming a citizen scientist, this is an ideal opportunity to get started. Last year, we hosted similar events in the Ballona Wetlands and Malibu Lagoon. Dozens of volunteers made a big difference in our ongoing restoration work by creating a record of what they saw each morning.

You can register with us for the event here.

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Strawless Summer Kick Off – Plastic Straw Pollution Solutions for L.A. County

07.06.2017 | Talia Walsh

Los Angeles Plastic Pollution Strawless Summer Take Action

L.A. doesn’t have to suck.

The relentless traffic, all the annoying wannabes, and the really, really long lines for literally everything. (Seriously, I just wanted a cold brew & cronut!) Okay, fine. These things do suck! But, they don’t define us.

Diverse communities, vibrant businesses and a beautiful environment – this is what makes greater L.A. so desirable to call home. From the San Gabriel mountains to the Bay, we are a cultural and economic hub built on creativity, innovation and resilience. But escape from the hustle-and-bustle of undercover celebrities, hashtag fads and trendy avocado toast is only a short trip away. Whether it be to hike on nature trails, shred down mountains, swim in the sea or explore the desert, we are blessed with natural and urban settings that are uniquely intertwined.

Yet, our everyday lifestyle choices are having a negative impact that we can no longer ignore.

(Photo by: Henrique Vicente, Flickr. January 2017.)

Plastic pollution is everywhere.

The consequences and costs of convenience related to single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages are surfacing in our ocean, rivers, creeks and streams. It’s now estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean by mass than fish¹.

Plastic drink-related litter is one of the top items we find at our volunteer cleanups in beach and watershed areas across greater Los Angeles. Single-use lids, cups, bottles, sleeves, stirrers, six-pack rings, and straws. You name it, we find it. Our region isn’t the only one that needs to consider rethinking the drink. Some 40% of all debris found in the environment is beverage-related².

And all this trash isn’t just gross. It’s dangerous. Marine mammals, fish and birds often get entangled in plastic or mistake pieces of it for food. After accumulating our trash in their gullet, the animals can’t digest food properly and often die.

Just keep sippin’.

Greater L.A. can lead the way and help shift America away from single-use plastic items. We took a giant step when Heal the Bay helped pass the statewide plastic bag ban in 2014 and California voters upheld the policy last year.

But this summer, we’re zeroing in on plastic straws because they kind of suck.

Plastic straws of all shapes, sizes and colors are popping up everywhere from juice boxes to cocktails to unasked-for glasses of water. Collectively, it’s estimated that Americans use roughly 500 million plastic straws daily – enough to fill up 125 school buses each day³ and wrap around our entire planet 2.5 times. Most plastic straws end up in landfills. The rest wind up polluting the environment and posing a threat to animals and aquatic life.

So, here’s what we are asking you to do. It’s simple and it works: If you don’t need a plastic straw, don’t use one!

The Strawless Summer

It is starting to heat up this summer, so now is the perfect time to cool off and skip the single-use plastic straw. We just launched our new destination, lasucks.org, where you can take the pledge to go strawless and share with your friends.

1. The New Plastics Economy Rethinking the future of plastics. January 2016. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf
2. Plastics BAN List. Publication. 5 Gyres, Clean Production Action, Surfrider Foundation, USTREAM. 2016. http://d3583ivmhhw2le.cloudfront.net/images/uploads/publications/PlasticsBANList2016.pdf
3. “The Be Straw Free Campaign”. National Park Service Commercial Services. (Last update 11/26/2013) https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices/greenline_straw_free.htm

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Snapshot CalCoast 2017 in Los Angeles

06.22.2017 | Heal the Bay

Los Angeles Marine Protected Areas Take Action

Snapshot CalCoast 2017
Ever wanted to be a scientist? Now is your chance! The California Academy of Sciences is teaming up with the Marine Protected Area Collaborative Network for Snapshot CalCoast 2017!

From June 23rd-July 2nd, teams across California will head to tide pools in marine protected areas (MPAs) to discover, photograph, and identify intertidal marine species. Put your smartphone to good use, download the iNaturalist app, and become not only a citizen scientist, but a conservation superhero today!

Why Care About Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is at the heart of ecosystem balance. By better understanding and protecting biodiversity, we are taking action toward more effective conservation. Ecosystems that have a higher level of biodiversity are more robust, can more easily bounce back from environmental changes and are generally more sustainable. MPAs in particular have been identified to successfully increase biodiversity, which, in turn, boosts productivity, increases resilience and establishes overall healthier ecosystems.

What is a BioBlitz?
A Bioblitz is a community event in which many people come together to document biodiversity by observing and recording as many species as they can in one area at one time. Bioblitzes are not only fantastic opportunities to get involved in the community, but also to connect you to both nature and science in a positive and rewarding way. Snapshot CalCoast uses the iNaturalist platform to bridge the gap between technology and outdoor nature, connecting social media to conservation and enabling you to share your discoveries through a fun, inspiring, and easy-to-use medium.

Get Involved!
For more information about Snapshot CalCoast and how you can get involved, visit here. See below for a list of bioblitzes happening in the Los Angeles area:

Heal the Bay
Wednesday, June 28
7:30am-9:30am
Point Dume State Park
RSVP here

LA Waterkeeper
Wednesday, June 28
10:00am-1:00pm
Paradise Cove

Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation
Sunday, June 25
6:30am-11:00am
Leo Carrillo State Park
RSVP to Eventbrite required. Spaces are limited.
For more information, please contact: kmelendez@wishtoyo.org, (805) 323-7023

Aquarium of the Pacific, Sea Grant, Terranea Resort
Friday, June 30
7:30am-10:30am
Pelican Cove
RSVP to Eventbrite required. Spaces are limited.

Natural History Museum – LAC
Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26
5:00am-8:00am
Point Fermin
RSVP here

Want your own adventure? Head out on your own, or with friends and family! Choose any coastal location between June 23rd and July 2nd, especially within Marine Protected Areas, and share your observations. Be sure to keep an eye out for the animals on the most wanted species list! All information collected will not only help improve knowledge of coastal biodiversity, but also be used by coastal managers to improve conservation efforts. Spread the word, invite your friends and family, and together, let’s make a positive impact and document our beautiful California coast! To learn more about how to use iNaturalist, click here and be sure to share! #SnapshotCalCoast @SnapshotCACoast.

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“Nature’s Revolt” Video: Watch Our Animated Response to Climate Change Deniers

04.25.2017 | Heal the Bay

Climate Change Heal the Bay Videos Take Action

Heal the Bay has found a unique way to draw attention to the new administration’s attack on climate change science – a sea turtle with a ninja star.

The inspiring March for Science at cities around the nation has concluded, but the fight for rationality and reason lives on.

Many scientists and researchers working in the environmental field around the country feel as if they have a bulls-eye painted on their back – from the very government that has funded their important work for decades.

The new federal administration’s plan to curtail climate change research and to slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency has stoked deep concerns in the nonprofit world.

But Heal the Bay isn’t sitting by quietly. We’re getting quite animated about the issue – literally.

Today, we launched a 60-second PSA to rally digital advocates across the country to petition their Congressional representatives to oppose proposed budget cuts to EPA programs and staff. Public dissent is critical to ensure that essential air- and water-quality safeguards and habitat protections are not abandoned by climate deniers sitting in positions of federal power.

Heal the Bay’s partners in the advertising and animation industries shaped the spot, dubbed “Nature’s Revolt,” as part of a new creative coalition called Our Next 4 Years. Ironically riffing on over-the-top TV cartoon violence, the video offers a humorous take on marine animals fighting fire with fire.

Sarah May Bates, a veteran creative director in the advertising agency world, served as writer and art director on the spot, working with Matthew King, Heal the Bay’s communications director. Scott Graham provided animation, storyboards and character designs. (Full credits are below.)

“Climate change is a huge downer, but the EPA plays an essential role in sustaining this planet in the face of it,” Bates said. “To make a dire message more palatable, we imagined a scenario in which nature could fight back. At the very least, a crab with a rocket launcher can make an important message more engaging.”

Heal the Bay asks “Nature’s Revolt” viewers to take action and add their name to the Change.org/ProtectOurOceans petition seeking continued funding for climate programs at the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To date, nearly 75,000 ocean-lovers have added their signatures to the Heal the Bay-sponsored petition, covering every state and major overseas territory in the United States.

Bates previously collaborated with Heal the Bay on “The Majestic Plastic Bag,” the BBC-style nature mockumentary that has been viewed more than 2.3 million times on YouTube, and featured in environmental conferences and classrooms around the world.

Our Next 4 Years is a collective of nearly 300 animation professionals (Emmy- and Oscar- nominees among them) who are donating their creative talents to produce animated PSAs for progressive causes that will be negatively impacted by policies put forth by the current administration.

“For each attempt to roll back hard fought social and economic gains won over the past 70 years, we will fight back with messages to help stem the regressive tide,” said Mike Blum, owner of boutique animation studio Pipsqueak Films. He is one of the co-founders of Our Next 4 Years, along with veteran animation producer Carolyn Bates.

Production teams are matched with other nonprofits to create virtual animation studios in order to tackle causes, including the environment, immigrant rights, affordable health-care, government reform and religious tolerance.

“So often, animated PSAs are out of reach of charities and community organizations, because we move fast and don’t have the long lead time that many animation houses insist on,” said Jayde Lovell, director of film and video for March for Science. “But working with Our Next 4 Years was incredible. They really brought our ideas to life in meaningful, funny and emotional pieces in a week’s time!”

The coalition has debuted eleven videos to date, including “Nature’s Revolt.” In just a few days, the four videos they released in time for Earth Day and March for Science have a combined reach of more than 600,000 people on Facebook. You can watch other videos here.

Full Credits: “Nature’s Revolt”

Animation, Storyboard & Character Designs:
Scott Graham, ScottGraham.carbonmade.com

Creative Director/Writer:
Sarah May Bates, SarahMayBates.com

Backgrounds:
Carolyn Arabascio

Animal Character Designs:
Regie Miller, MyNameIsRegie.com

Text Animation:
Daniela Fernandes Smith

Music:
Jeremy Simon, FurnivalMusic.com

Producer:
Carolyn Bates

Production:
Our Next 4 Years

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