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I recently came across a volunteer beach clean up event invitation at Santa Monica held by Heal The Bay. I had organized a campus clean up day with the our team of student club’s representatives in Istanbul Technical University. I also participated in other clean up events, so I was very excited about the beach clean up. Unfortunately, I caught a flu and was not able to make it to the event. So, I went on their web site to check out future events and saw all the wonderful things they do that I want to share with you.
Heal the Bay is a environmental non-profit advocating for the ocean for 33 years. They are dedicated to make the watersheds, coastal waters of Los Angeles healthy, clean and safe through education, community action and advocacy. Here are 3 of their remarkable achievements:
- They held an 18 month campaign to stop an oil company from beginning oil drilling under the sea floor at Hermosa Beach. The project aimed for 34 wells in the 1.4-square mile coastal city and could it have set a dangerous example for more oil drilling in L.A. Thankfully, almost 80% of the voters rejected drilling! (March, 2015)
- Hyperion Treatment Plant, L.A.’s largest waste water treatment plant discharged millions of gallons of effluent into Santa Monica Bay. Heal the Bay has been working for a long time to fight this pollution threatening people and animals. Thanks to their work now this waste water has been cleansed and sanitized to a secondary treatment which greatly lessens the harm (September 20)
- Heal The Bay partnered with Stanford University and UCLA to develop NowCast, a water quality forecasting system to protect people from bacterial pollution. Now you can check the water quality level via the mobile app or the website to decide what beach to go (or not to go) around here before you head out! Check out this link: http://www.beachreportcard.org/
These are only a few of their achievements, they are dedicatedly working in many fields for a better greener and bluer Los Angeles for everyone. Here is a part from their website summarizing their current projects:
I believe that organizations like Heal the Bay are essential to help achieve sustainability and absolutely recommend you to check out their website and events. Also, don’t forget to visit their aquarium in Santa Monica if you are nearby!
The increasing ecosystem degradation and climate change constrain our chances for a sustainable future. We must take action to protect ourselves, our future generations and all biological diversity from the consequences of the damage we have done to the earth. Every effort to alleviate the problem-even if small compared to the size of industrial pollution- is valuable because it is cumulative and it can grow to achieve to unbelievable. I want to end by quoting Margaret Mead; “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”.
Thank you for reading my post! See you in the next one.
References:
https://healthebay.org/our-impact/
Published on April 26th, 2018
Last updated on April 1st, 2021