Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental group of people who work to protect the environment. It is based in Santa Monica, California, and focuses on protecting coastal waters and watersheds in southern California, especially Santa Monica Bay.
Heal the Bay is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group that has both paid workers and volunteers.
History
Heal the Bay was started in 1985 by a group of citizens with the help of environmental activist Dorothy Green. Mark Gold was president of the organization from 2006 to 2012. Shelley Luce is the current president and CEO, and she began this role in April 2017. The organization is a well-known supporter of environmental protection in California. It is especially recognized for its annual report card that rates the water quality at beaches along the Pacific coast. The group also worked to support rules that limit the use of plastic bags in California.
Work
Heal the Bay supports programs that improve public health and educate people about environmental issues. It also helps organize beach cleanup events, including Coastal Cleanup Day, Adopt-a-Beach, and Suits on the Sand in Los Angeles County, California. The organization runs the Heal the Bay Aquarium, which was previously called the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and the Ocean Discovery Center. Before 2003, the aquarium was managed by UCLA.
In 2003, California Assemblywoman Fran Pavley created a law requiring the state to develop an environment-focused curriculum for all public schools in California. This law, known as AB 1548, was supported by Heal the Bay and signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. The program it started became known as the Education and the Environment Initiative.
Heal the Bay releases an annual Beach Report Card that evaluates the water quality at popular beaches along the West Coast of the United States. It also provides daily and weekly water quality ratings for beaches and rivers online through its website, beachreporter.org and the River Report Card section on Heal the Bay’s site.
Recent achievements include leading efforts to pass laws reducing plastic use, such as Straws on Request and California Proposition 67. Heal the Bay also started a campaign to support Measure W, which helps fund the Safe, Clean Water Program.
In August 2020, news reports showed single-use personal protective equipment, such as gloves and surgical masks, on the shoreline and parking lots of Santa Monica Bay. Heal the Bay members could not meet in large groups because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the policy has since been removed.