2014: A Year of Major Wins for HtB

Heal the Bay has a 29-year track record of defending Southern California’s watersheds, beaches and ocean, and 2014 marked another year of significant wins. Here’s a quick look at some of our top accomplishments, made possible by the generous support of our network of activists, donors, volunteers and educators.

Reducing blight and waste by playing a lead role in drafting and advocating for the just-enacted plastic bag ban in the state of California. The ban will remove an estimated 13 billion bags out of the waste-stream, lessening the environmental and economic harm posed by plastic pollution in our neighborhoods and oceans.

Enhancing local water by leading the legislative charge in Sacramento to enact AB 2403, which makes it easier for cities to secure public funding for multi-benefit water projects. Instead of importing costly and increasingly scarce water, we need infrastructure that repurposes the water we already have, such as stormwater capture facilities and wastewater recycling plants.

Safeguarding millions of ocean goers by providing weekly water quality grades for a record number of beaches along the Pacific Coast – 455. The good news is that some 95% of beaches in California received A or B grades in our annual report, a 2% gain from last year’s survey.

Beautifying shorelines by hosting 654 beach cleanups and educating 37,497 volunteers, a 3% increase from last year. These volunteers removed more than 23 tons of ocean-bound trash, guarding local marine animals that can be harmed by ingesting debris or becoming entangled in it.

Protecting open spaces by advancing L.A. County’s newly adopted Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Plan, which will protect scenic views, water quality and wild lands across 52,000 acres. We shaped this important guidance document for 10 years, successfully pairing limited development with land conservation in America’s largest urban national park.

Inspiring stewardship by welcoming a record number of visitors to our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, which features animals found in our local waters. In addition, nearly 12,000 students on field trips received hands-on marine education and explored the newly opened Green Room, which honors our founding president Dorothy Green by educating visitors about local watersheds.

So thank you to all that volunteered at an event, signed a petition, attended a hearing, visited our Aquarium or shared information on our social networks. It takes a village to heal the Bay!

Please make your year-end gift now to ensure that we can hit the ground running in 2015.